Hinton vs Phoenix Park
Hinton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 50 in Phoenix Park. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hinton, most households are couple families. In Phoenix Park, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Phoenix Park: a median of $2 million, against $825,000 in Hinton, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Hinton tends to suit 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
Phoenix Park
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 37/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Hinton
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($825,000 vs $2,000,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 29%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Hinton
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 33%)
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $470/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Phoenix Park
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (25/100 vs 14/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (166.5 km vs 169.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Phoenix Park
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 37/100)
- is more walkable (25/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hinton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.1% vs -18.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hinton and Phoenix Park 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
Hinton has more residents (471 vs 77); Hinton has higher household incomes ($110,812 vs $73,632).
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 471 +84% vs other | 77 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.1% | -18.9% |
| Median age | 44 | 50 |
| Median household income | $110,812/yr +34% vs other | $73,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $470/wk +34% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).
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 (20.8%).
Property market
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $825,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $905,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 108 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 93% | 95% |
| Environmental | 7% | 5% |
| 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
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 495 across Port Stephens | 1,413 across Maitland |
| Approvals change year on year | -72% | +20% |
Ranking within NSW
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 73% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 85% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 57% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
Liveability
Phoenix Park is more walkable (25 vs 14).
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Hinton carries more crime risk (37 vs 11).
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | Low 11/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Hinton
- Hinton Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Phoenix Park
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Hinton sits further from the CBD (169.7 km vs 166.5 km).
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 25/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 169.7 km +2% vs other | 166.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 129 min | 125 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2321 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 2321 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 (66.3%).
Setting
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 15.9 km | 18.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 206 premises | 0% 35 premises |
Climate
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.72 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,359/yr | $1,908/yr |
| Council | Port Stephens | Maitland |
Federal electorate
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hinton | Phoenix Park | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hinton
Other comparisons with Phoenix Park
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.