Hillsborough vs Luskintyre
Luskintyre is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 46 in Hillsborough. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Luskintyre, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Hillsborough: a median of $844,000, against $550,000 in Luskintyre, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Luskintyre tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Luskintyre
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($550,000 vs $843,750)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Luskintyre
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $550/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Luskintyre
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (129 min vs 139 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Luskintyre
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hillsborough and Luskintyre 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
Luskintyre has more residents (216 vs 50); Hillsborough rents higher ($550/wk vs $390/wk).
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 216 +332% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +22.0% | +18.0% |
| Median age | 46 | 40 |
| Median household income | $121,316/yr | $131,872/yr +9% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $550/wk +29% vs other | $390/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (18.1%).
Property market
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $843,750 | $550,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 96% |
| Environmental | 2% | 4% |
| 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
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,413 across Maitland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +20% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 38% of NSW | Higher than 18% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 85% of NSW | Higher than 89% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 85% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
Liveability
Luskintyre is more walkable (16 vs 0).
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Luskintyre carries more bushfire risk (40 vs 16).
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Crime | — | Moderate 40/100 |
| 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
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 16/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 182.8 km | 181 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 139 min | 129 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2320 | 0.6% postcode 2321 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2320 | 69 postcode 2321 |
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 (66.7%).
Setting
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 61 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 37 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.8 km | 37.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 19 premises | 0% 77 premises |
Climate
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 996 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ | — |
| PM10 | 17.5 µg/m³ | 19.5 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.72 pphm | — |
Council rates
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,908/yr same for both | |
| Council | Maitland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hillsborough | Luskintyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Luskintyre
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hillsborough
Other comparisons with Luskintyre
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.