Giralang vs Nicholls

Giralang is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 44 in Nicholls. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Giralang, about half of households are couple families. In Nicholls, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Nicholls: a median of $1.23 million, against $920,000 in Giralang, and rent is higher there too. Giralang is closer to the city centre: 13.4 km, against 15.4 km. On these figures, Giralang tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Nicholls suits 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

Nicholls

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (8 vs 3)
  • carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 55/100)

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

First-home buyers

Giralang

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($920,000 vs $1,227,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Giralang

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $502/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Giralang

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (19 min vs 30 min)
  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 50/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (13.4 km vs 15.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Giralang is more walkable (59/100 vs 50/100)
  • Nicholls carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 55/100)

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

Investors

Nicholls

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.5% vs 4.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Giralang Nicholls
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.

Giralang Nicholls
Walkability 59 / 50
Giralang — Walkability: 59/100 Nicholls — Walkability: 50/100
Safety 45 / 57
Giralang — Safety: 45/100 Nicholls — Safety: 57/100
Low fire risk 81 / 12
Giralang — Low fire risk: 81/100 Nicholls — Low fire risk: 12/100
Low flood risk 51 / 45
Giralang — Low flood risk: 51/100 Nicholls — Low flood risk: 45/100

Demographics

Nicholls has more residents (6,680 vs 3,372); Nicholls has higher household incomes ($162,968 vs $127,244).

Giralang Nicholls
Population 3,372 6,680
+98% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.7% -2.7%
Median age 38 44
Median household income $127,244/yr $162,968/yr
+28% vs other
Median weekly rent $460/wk $502/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Giralang Nicholls
0-4 5.9% / 4.0%
Giralang — 0-4: 5.9% Nicholls — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 14.8% / 13.1%
Giralang — 5-14: 14.8% Nicholls — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 5.1% / 7.1%
Giralang — 15-19: 5.1% Nicholls — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 4.3% / 7.1%
Giralang — 20-24: 4.3% Nicholls — 20-24: 7.1%
25-34 14.1% / 8.7%
Giralang — 25-34: 14.1% Nicholls — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 16.3% / 10.8%
Giralang — 35-44: 16.3% Nicholls — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 11.4% / 17.2%
Giralang — 45-54: 11.4% Nicholls — 45-54: 17.2%
55-64 10.3% / 15.4%
Giralang — 55-64: 10.3% Nicholls — 55-64: 15.4%
65-74 12.5% / 10.6%
Giralang — 65-74: 12.5% Nicholls — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 4.3% / 5.1%
Giralang — 75-84: 4.3% Nicholls — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 0.8% / 0.9%
Giralang — 85+: 0.8% Nicholls — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Giralang 51.9% couple families
Giralang — Couple Families: 51.9% Giralang — Lone Person: 26.1% Giralang — One Parent Families: 16.0% Giralang — Group Household: 4.1% Giralang — Other Families: 1.9%
Nicholls 65.0% couple families
Nicholls — Couple Families: 65.0% Nicholls — Lone Person: 19.8% Nicholls — One Parent Families: 11.5% Nicholls — Group Household: 2.6% Nicholls — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Giralang 19.9% renting
Giralang — Owned Outright: 38.6% Giralang — Mortgage: 41.5% Giralang — Renting: 19.9%
Nicholls 14.8% renting
Nicholls — Owned Outright: 41.5% Nicholls — Mortgage: 43.7% Nicholls — Renting: 14.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Giralang Nicholls
Bachelor Degree 17.5% / 18.9%
Giralang — Bachelor Degree: 17.5% Nicholls — Bachelor Degree: 18.9%
Certificate III & IV 10.9% / 8.4%
Giralang — Certificate III & IV: 10.9% Nicholls — Certificate III & IV: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 8.4% / 10.7%
Giralang — Postgraduate Degree: 8.4% Nicholls — Postgraduate Degree: 10.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 8.9%
Giralang — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Nicholls — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.2% / 3.9%
Giralang — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2% Nicholls — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Giralang Nicholls
England 2.4% / 3.6%
Giralang — England: 2.4% Nicholls — England: 3.6%
China 1.9% / 3.8%
Giralang — China: 1.9% Nicholls — China: 3.8%
India 0.9% / 2.3%
Giralang — India: 0.9% Nicholls — India: 2.3%
New Zealand 1.3% / 1.3%
Giralang — New Zealand: 1.3% Nicholls — New Zealand: 1.3%
Vietnam 0.7% / 1.4%
Giralang — Vietnam: 0.7% Nicholls — Vietnam: 1.4%
Italy 0.9% / —
Giralang — Italy: 0.9% Nicholls — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Giralang 93.2% houses
Giralang — Houses: 93.2% Giralang — Townhouses: 5.3% Giralang — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Nicholls 89.3% houses
Nicholls — Houses: 89.3% Nicholls — Townhouses: 10.4% Nicholls — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Giralang Nicholls
Median house price $920,000 $1,227,500
Median unit price $735,000 $800,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 44 sales
 22 days
from 86 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.

Giralang Nicholls
3 bed $882K / $930K
Giralang — 3 bed: $882K (41 sales) Nicholls — 3 bed: $930K (24 sales)

41 vs 24 sales

4 bed $1.02M / $1.22M
Giralang — 4 bed: $1.02M (30 sales) Nicholls — 4 bed: $1.22M (62 sales)

30 vs 62 sales

5 bed $1.09M / $1.52M
Giralang — 5 bed: $1.09M (5 sales) Nicholls — 5 bed: $1.52M (27 sales)

5 vs 27 sales

Development activity

Giralang Nicholls
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
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.

Giralang Nicholls
Houses 4.0%
$700/wk on $910K
 4.5%
$750/wk on $875K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within ACT

Giralang Nicholls
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 57% of ACT Higher than 89% of ACT
Schools — Higher than 100% of ACT
Walkability Higher than 43% of ACT Higher than 34% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 29% of ACT Higher than 37% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 27% of ACT Higher than 90% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 32% of ACT Higher than 66% of ACT

Liveability

Giralang is more walkable (59 vs 50); Nicholls scores higher overall (52 vs 47).

Giralang Nicholls
Grade C B
Score 47/100 52/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Nicholls carries more bushfire risk (88 vs 19); Giralang carries more crime risk (55 vs 43).

Giralang Nicholls
Bushfire Low
19/100
 High
88/100
Crime Moderate
55/100
 Moderate
43/100
Flood Moderate
49/100
 Moderate
55/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Giralang Nicholls
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 2
UC - Canberra, Bruce, 3.9 km
 2
UC - Canberra, Bruce, 6.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.7% 3.5%

Schools in Giralang

  • Giralang Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Nicholls

  • Holy Spirit Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St John Paul II College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Gold Creek School Government · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Giralang Nicholls
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 1 5
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 3 8
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Fuel stations 1 2
EV chargers 0 2
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Nicholls sits further from the CBD (15.4 km vs 13.4 km).

Giralang Nicholls
Walkability score 59/100 50/100
Distance to Canberra 13.4 km 15.4 km
+15% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 19 min 30 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 87.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 99.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.7%
postcode 2617
 2.7%
postcode 2913
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 29
postcode 2617
 47
postcode 2913

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.

Giralang Nicholls
Car (driver) 73.8% / 75.5%
Giralang — Car (driver): 73.8% Nicholls — Car (driver): 75.5%
Worked from Home 13.8% / 14.6%
Giralang — Worked from Home: 13.8% Nicholls — Worked from Home: 14.6%
Car (passenger) 5.0% / 6.3%
Giralang — Car (passenger): 5.0% Nicholls — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Bus 4.0% / 1.7%
Giralang — Bus: 4.0% Nicholls — Bus: 1.7%
Bicycle 2.8% / 0.8%
Giralang — Bicycle: 2.8% Nicholls — Bicycle: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.5%).

Setting

Giralang Nicholls
Elevation 601 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 627 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Giralang Nicholls
Connectivity score 47/100 100/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
1,366 premises
 100%
2,517 premises

Climate

Giralang Nicholls
Annual rainfall 622 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Giralang Nicholls
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.0 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.41 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Giralang Nicholls
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Giralang Nicholls
Division Canberra Fenner
Member Alicia Payne Andrew Leigh
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Giralang Nicholls
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Giralang

Large Blocks Middle-Ring Quiet

Nicholls

Large Blocks Middle-Ring Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Giralang

Giralang vs Belconnen Giralang vs Kaleen Giralang vs Crace Giralang vs McKellar Giralang vs Lawson

Other comparisons with Nicholls

Nicholls vs Ngunnawal Nicholls vs Gungahlin Nicholls vs Belconnen Nicholls vs Casey Nicholls vs Palmerston Nicholls vs Crace
Full data on Giralang Full data on Nicholls
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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