Fernside vs Leycester

Fernside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 46 in Leycester. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Leycester tends to suit people living alone.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Fernside is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 54%)
  • Leycester carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 86/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Leycester

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 37%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Fernside has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 9%)
  • Leycester has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $350/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Fernside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (486 min vs 493 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Leycester

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 86/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 11%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Fernside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.6% vs -2.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Fernside and Leycester drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Fernside Leycester
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Fernside Leycester
Walkability 16 / 16
Fernside — Walkability: 16/100 Leycester — Walkability: 16/100
Safety 14 / 78
Fernside — Safety: 14/100 Leycester — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 57 / 100
Fernside — Low fire risk: 57/100 Leycester — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Leycester has more residents (146 vs 55); Fernside rents higher ($350/wk vs $275/wk).

Fernside Leycester
Population 55 146
+165% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.6% -2.0%
Median age 42 46
Median household income $84,448/yr
+1% vs other
 $83,200/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+21% vs other
 $275/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fernside Leycester
0-4 — / 2.1%
Fernside — 0-4: not among its largest Leycester — 0-4: 2.1%
5-14 20.0% / 17.8%
Fernside — 5-14: 20.0% Leycester — 5-14: 17.8%
15-19 7.3% / 8.2%
Fernside — 15-19: 7.3% Leycester — 15-19: 8.2%
20-24 — / 2.7%
Fernside — 20-24: not among its largest Leycester — 20-24: 2.7%
25-34 5.5% / 2.1%
Fernside — 25-34: 5.5% Leycester — 25-34: 2.1%
35-44 20.0% / 16.4%
Fernside — 35-44: 20.0% Leycester — 35-44: 16.4%
45-54 20.0% / 15.1%
Fernside — 45-54: 20.0% Leycester — 45-54: 15.1%
55-64 12.7% / 22.6%
Fernside — 55-64: 12.7% Leycester — 55-64: 22.6%
65-74 5.5% / 12.3%
Fernside — 65-74: 5.5% Leycester — 65-74: 12.3%
75-84 — / 2.1%
Fernside — 75-84: not among its largest Leycester — 75-84: 2.1%
85+ 5.5% / 4.8%
Fernside — 85+: 5.5% Leycester — 85+: 4.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fernside 42.1% couple families
Fernside — Couple Families: 42.1% Fernside — Lone Person: 21.1% Fernside — One Parent Families: 36.8% Fernside — Group Household: 0.0%
Leycester 40.0% couple families
Leycester — Couple Families: 40.0% Leycester — Lone Person: 37.1% Leycester — One Parent Families: 14.3% Leycester — Group Household: 8.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fernside 29.2% renting
Fernside — Owned Outright: 45.8% Fernside — Mortgage: 25.0% Fernside — Renting: 29.2%
Leycester 9.3% renting
Leycester — Owned Outright: 51.2% Leycester — Mortgage: 39.5% Leycester — Renting: 9.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Fernside Leycester
Brazil 5.5% / —
Fernside — Brazil: 5.5% Leycester — Brazil: not among its largest
England — / 2.1%
Fernside — England: not among its largest Leycester — England: 2.1%
South Africa — / 2.1%
Fernside — South Africa: not among its largest Leycester — South Africa: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Fernside Leycester
Certificate III & IV 12.7% / 16.4%
Fernside — Certificate III & IV: 12.7% Leycester — Certificate III & IV: 16.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 14.5% / 6.2%
Fernside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.5% Leycester — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Postgraduate Degree 10.9% / 4.8%
Fernside — Postgraduate Degree: 10.9% Leycester — Postgraduate Degree: 4.8%
Bachelor Degree 5.5% / 6.8%
Fernside — Bachelor Degree: 5.5% Leycester — Bachelor Degree: 6.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.1%
Fernside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Leycester — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fernside 100.0% houses
Fernside — Houses: 100.0%
Leycester 100.0% houses
Leycester — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Fernside Leycester
Median house price — $515,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Fernside Leycester
Rural and farming 99%
same for both
Environmental 1%
same for both
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Fernside Leycester
New dwellings approved 138
across Lismore
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Fernside Leycester
House price — Higher than 16% of NSW
Income Higher than 51% of NSW —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 66% of NSW
same for both
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW

Liveability

Fernside Leycester
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fernside carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 0); Fernside carries more crime risk (86 vs 22).

Fernside Leycester
Bushfire Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
86/100
 Low
22/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Fernside Leycester
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Fernside Leycester
Waterways 3 1

Mobility

Fernside Leycester
Walkability score 16/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 738.4 km 739.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 486 min 493 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2480
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 2480
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Fernside Leycester
Car (driver) 72.4% / 88.6%
Fernside — Car (driver): 72.4% Leycester — Car (driver): 88.6%
Worked from Home 13.8% / 11.4%
Fernside — Worked from Home: 13.8% Leycester — Worked from Home: 11.4%
Walked Only 13.8% / —
Fernside — Walked Only: 13.8% Leycester — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.6%).

Setting

Fernside Leycester
Elevation 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 147 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 36.6 km 36.5 km

NBN connectivity

Fernside Leycester
Connectivity score 22/100 26/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
18 premises
 0%
44 premises

Council rates

Fernside Leycester
Average residential rate $1,487/yr
same for both
Council Lismore
same for both

Federal electorate

Fernside Leycester
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fernside Leycester
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fernside

Rural

Leycester

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fernside

Fernside vs Caniaba Fernside vs Spring Grove Fernside vs Bentley Fernside vs Tuncester

Other comparisons with Leycester

Leycester vs Rock Valley Leycester vs Bentley Leycester vs Blakebrook Leycester vs Tuncester
Full data on Fernside Full data on Leycester
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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