Hillgrove vs Thalgarrah
Thalgarrah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 51 in Hillgrove. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hillgrove, about half of households are people living alone. In Thalgarrah, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Thalgarrah: a median of $1.08 million, against $228,000 in Hillgrove, though rent is higher in Hillgrove. On these figures, Hillgrove tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Thalgarrah suits families with children and 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
Thalgarrah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 38%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Hillgrove
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($227,500 vs $1,077,500)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 25%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Thalgarrah
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 23%)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 14%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $238/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Thalgarrah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (502.8 km vs 517.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (402 min vs 410 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hillgrove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 12%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Hillgrove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.1% vs -6.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hillgrove and Thalgarrah drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Hillgrove rents higher ($238/wk vs $150/wk); Thalgarrah has higher household incomes ($72,540 vs $53,092).
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 174 +5% vs other | 166 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.1% | -6.7% |
| Median age | 51 | 38 |
| Median household income | $53,092/yr | $72,540/yr +37% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $238/wk +37% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $227,500 | $1,077,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Thalgarrah has more rural and farming land (100% vs 70%); Hillgrove has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 0%).
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 70% | 100% |
| Environmental | 30% | 0% |
| 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
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 77 across Armidale same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -76% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 20% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 93% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 40% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
Liveability
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Thalgarrah carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0).
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | — | Low 13/100 |
| 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
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hillgrove
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Thalgarrah
- Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre Government · Combined
Amenities in the suburb
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 39 | 31 |
Mobility
Hillgrove sits further from the CBD (517.6 km vs 502.8 km).
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 517.6 km +3% vs other | 502.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 410 min | 402 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2350 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2350 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.1%).
Setting
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 926 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1,120 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 0% 54 premises |
Climate
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 684 mm | 836 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,477/yr same for both | |
| Council | Armidale same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hillgrove | Thalgarrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hillgrove
Other comparisons with Thalgarrah
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.