Figtree vs Mount Kembla

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Mount Kembla tends to suit couples.

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

  • Figtree has more childcare (6 vs 1)
  • Mount Kembla carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 43/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Figtree has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 7%)
  • Mount Kembla leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 21%)

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

Commuting to the city

Figtree

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (48/100 vs 40/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (87.8 km vs 90.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Figtree

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (18% vs 2%)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (48/100 vs 40/100)
  • But Mount Kembla carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 43/100)

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

Investors

Figtree

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.7% vs 1.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Figtree Mount Kembla
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.

Figtree Mount Kembla
Walkability 48 / 40
Figtree — Walkability: 48/100 Mount Kembla — Walkability: 40/100
Safety 57 / 73
Figtree — Safety: 57/100 Mount Kembla — Safety: 73/100
Low fire risk 36 / 32
Figtree — Low fire risk: 36/100 Mount Kembla — Low fire risk: 32/100

Demographics

Figtree has more residents (12,335 vs 1,083); Mount Kembla has higher household incomes ($146,848 vs $106,184).

Figtree Mount Kembla
Population 12,335
+91% vs other
 1,083
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.7% +1.4%
Median age 40 42
Median household income $106,184/yr $146,848/yr
+38% vs other
Median weekly rent $430/wk $440/wk
+2% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Figtree Mount Kembla
0-4 5.9% / 3.9%
Figtree — 0-4: 5.9% Mount Kembla — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 13.8% / 16.6%
Figtree — 5-14: 13.8% Mount Kembla — 5-14: 16.6%
15-19 7.1% / 7.2%
Figtree — 15-19: 7.1% Mount Kembla — 15-19: 7.2%
20-24 6.3% / 5.7%
Figtree — 20-24: 6.3% Mount Kembla — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 10.2% / 7.6%
Figtree — 25-34: 10.2% Mount Kembla — 25-34: 7.6%
35-44 13.2% / 12.1%
Figtree — 35-44: 13.2% Mount Kembla — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 13.7% / 14.0%
Figtree — 45-54: 13.7% Mount Kembla — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 10.9% / 15.8%
Figtree — 55-64: 10.9% Mount Kembla — 55-64: 15.8%
65-74 9.7% / 9.6%
Figtree — 65-74: 9.7% Mount Kembla — 65-74: 9.6%
75-84 6.6% / 5.0%
Figtree — 75-84: 6.6% Mount Kembla — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 2.6% / 1.3%
Figtree — 85+: 2.6% Mount Kembla — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Figtree 55.0% couple families
Figtree — Couple Families: 55.0% Figtree — Lone Person: 26.7% Figtree — One Parent Families: 13.7% Figtree — Group Household: 3.4% Figtree — Other Families: 1.1%
Mount Kembla 66.5% couple families
Mount Kembla — Couple Families: 66.5% Mount Kembla — Lone Person: 19.9% Mount Kembla — One Parent Families: 11.6% Mount Kembla — Group Household: 2.0% Mount Kembla — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Figtree 17.9% renting
Figtree — Owned Outright: 41.7% Figtree — Mortgage: 40.5% Figtree — Renting: 17.9%
Mount Kembla 7.2% renting
Mount Kembla — Owned Outright: 53.0% Mount Kembla — Mortgage: 39.8% Mount Kembla — Renting: 7.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Figtree Mount Kembla
Bachelor Degree 14.6% / 18.1%
Figtree — Bachelor Degree: 14.6% Mount Kembla — Bachelor Degree: 18.1%
Certificate III & IV 15.1% / 13.9%
Figtree — Certificate III & IV: 15.1% Mount Kembla — Certificate III & IV: 13.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 7.3%
Figtree — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Mount Kembla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Postgraduate Degree 5.7% / 6.6%
Figtree — Postgraduate Degree: 5.7% Mount Kembla — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 3.6%
Figtree — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Mount Kembla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

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.

Figtree Mount Kembla
England 3.3% / 4.7%
Figtree — England: 3.3% Mount Kembla — England: 4.7%
India 1.3% / 1.2%
Figtree — India: 1.3% Mount Kembla — India: 1.2%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.5%
Figtree — New Zealand: 1.0% Mount Kembla — New Zealand: 1.5%
Italy 1.1% / 0.6%
Figtree — Italy: 1.1% Mount Kembla — Italy: 0.6%
China 1.6% / —
Figtree — China: 1.6% Mount Kembla — China: not among its largest
Ireland — / 0.8%
Figtree — Ireland: not among its largest Mount Kembla — Ireland: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Figtree 82.4% houses
Figtree — Houses: 82.4% Figtree — Townhouses: 9.7% Figtree — Flats / Apartments: 7.9%
Mount Kembla 98.0% houses
Mount Kembla — Houses: 98.0% Mount Kembla — Townhouses: 1.4% Mount Kembla — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Figtree Mount Kembla
Median house price $1,180,000 $1,217,500
Median unit price $630,000 —
Median land price $1,300,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 116 sales
 26 days
from 7 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Figtree Mount Kembla
3 bed $1.1M / $1.11M
Figtree — 3 bed: $1.1M (83 sales) Mount Kembla — 3 bed: $1.11M (9 sales)

83 vs 9 sales

4 bed $1.29M / $1.24M
Figtree — 4 bed: $1.29M (89 sales) Mount Kembla — 4 bed: $1.24M (7 sales)

89 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Mount Kembla has more land zoned for conservation (82% vs 28%).

Figtree Mount Kembla
Environmental 28% 82%
Residential 50% 0%
Rural and farming 7% 14%
Parks and recreation 10% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 2%
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

Figtree Mount Kembla
New dwellings approved 1,476
across Wollongong
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Figtree Mount Kembla
Houses 3.5%
$800/wk on $1.19M
 —
Units 4.7%
$470/wk on $519K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Figtree Mount Kembla
House price Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 65% of NSW
Income Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools Higher than 51% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 45% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 53% of NSW —

Liveability

Figtree is more walkable (48 vs 40).

Figtree Mount Kembla
Grade B
same for both
Score 51/100 55/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Figtree carries more crime risk (43 vs 27).

Figtree Mount Kembla
Bushfire Moderate
64/100
 Moderate
68/100
Crime Moderate
43/100
 Low
27/100
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 12
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Figtree Mount Kembla
Inside the suburb 4 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
UOW Wollongong, 4.1 km
 1
UOW Wollongong, 6.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.0% 2.1%

Schools in Figtree

  • Figtree Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Figtree High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Nareena Hills Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Figtree Heights Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Mount Kembla

  • Mount Kembla Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Figtree Mount Kembla
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 6 0
Parks & reserves 5 1
Childcare 6 1
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 14 5

Mobility

Mount Kembla sits further from the CBD (90.5 km vs 87.8 km).

Figtree Mount Kembla
Walkability score 48/100 40/100
Distance to Sydney 87.8 km 90.5 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 83 min 87 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 38/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 220.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 10.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 2525
 1.1%
postcode 2526
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 41
postcode 2525
 47
postcode 2526

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.

Figtree Mount Kembla
Car (driver) 58.8% / 56.8%
Figtree — Car (driver): 58.8% Mount Kembla — Car (driver): 56.8%
Worked from Home 34.1% / 40.5%
Figtree — Worked from Home: 34.1% Mount Kembla — Worked from Home: 40.5%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / 2.0%
Figtree — Car (passenger): 4.3% Mount Kembla — Car (passenger): 2.0%
Walked Only 1.2% / 0.7%
Figtree — Walked Only: 1.2% Mount Kembla — Walked Only: 0.7%
Train 0.7% / —
Figtree — Train: 0.7% Mount Kembla — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.8%).

Setting

Figtree Mount Kembla
Elevation 68 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 78 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.6 km
4.9 km to a named beach
 6.8 km

NBN connectivity

Figtree Mount Kembla
Connectivity score 74/100 80/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 52%
5,004 premises
 64%
375 premises

Climate

Figtree Mount Kembla
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Figtree Mount Kembla
PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³ 5.9 µg/m³
PM10 18.2 µg/m³ 19.8 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.66 pphm 0.45 pphm

Council rates

Figtree Mount Kembla
Average residential rate $1,751/yr
same for both
Council Wollongong
same for both

Federal electorate

Figtree Mount Kembla
Division Cunningham
same for both
Member Alison Byrnes
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Figtree Mount Kembla
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Figtree

Regional Centre River

Mount Kembla

Acreage Professionals Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Figtree

Figtree vs Unanderra Figtree vs West Wollongong Figtree vs Cordeaux Heights Figtree vs Mangerton Figtree vs Mount Keira Figtree vs Mount Saint Thomas

Other comparisons with Mount Kembla

Mount Kembla vs Cordeaux Heights Mount Kembla vs Farmborough Heights Mount Kembla vs Mount Keira Mount Kembla vs Kembla Heights
Full data on Figtree Full data on Mount Kembla
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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