Holroyd vs Merrylands

In both, about half of households rent and about half of households are couple families. In Holroyd, most homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Merrylands: a median of $1.39 million, against $1.27 million in Holroyd, though rent is higher in Holroyd. Holroyd is closer to the city centre: 23.2 km, against 26.2 km.

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

Merrylands

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (35 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (38 vs 4)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Holroyd leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 33%)
  • Merrylands has cheaper units ($505,500 vs $603,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Merrylands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $450/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Holroyd

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (23.2 km vs 26.2 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

  • Holroyd has more units and townhouses to downsize into (82% vs 51%)
  • Merrylands has more GPs (15 vs 0)

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

Investors

Merrylands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (9.5% vs -2.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Holroyd Merrylands
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.

Holroyd Merrylands
Walkability 89 / 96
Holroyd — Walkability: 89/100 Merrylands — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 28 / 21
Holroyd — Safety: 28/100 Merrylands — Safety: 21/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Holroyd — Low fire risk: 100/100 Merrylands — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Merrylands has more residents (32,472 vs 1,248); Holroyd has higher household incomes ($98,436 vs $76,440).

Holroyd Merrylands
Population 1,248 32,472
+2502% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.1% +9.5%
Median age 33
same for both
Median household income $98,436/yr
+22% vs other
 $76,440/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+11% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Holroyd Merrylands
0-4 11.0% / 7.9%
Holroyd — 0-4: 11.0% Merrylands — 0-4: 7.9%
5-14 11.5% / 12.8%
Holroyd — 5-14: 11.5% Merrylands — 5-14: 12.8%
15-19 3.3% / 5.6%
Holroyd — 15-19: 3.3% Merrylands — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 5.0% / 7.7%
Holroyd — 20-24: 5.0% Merrylands — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 24.9% / 18.7%
Holroyd — 25-34: 24.9% Merrylands — 25-34: 18.7%
35-44 19.2% / 14.9%
Holroyd — 35-44: 19.2% Merrylands — 35-44: 14.9%
45-54 8.9% / 11.0%
Holroyd — 45-54: 8.9% Merrylands — 45-54: 11.0%
55-64 7.9% / 10.1%
Holroyd — 55-64: 7.9% Merrylands — 55-64: 10.1%
65-74 5.6% / 6.5%
Holroyd — 65-74: 5.6% Merrylands — 65-74: 6.5%
75-84 2.3% / 3.5%
Holroyd — 75-84: 2.3% Merrylands — 75-84: 3.5%
85+ 0.7% / 1.3%
Holroyd — 85+: 0.7% Merrylands — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Holroyd 53.8% couple families
Holroyd — Couple Families: 53.8% Holroyd — Lone Person: 27.1% Holroyd — One Parent Families: 12.7% Holroyd — Group Household: 5.1% Holroyd — Other Families: 1.3%
Merrylands 47.7% couple families
Merrylands — Couple Families: 47.7% Merrylands — Lone Person: 26.6% Merrylands — One Parent Families: 16.5% Merrylands — Group Household: 6.6% Merrylands — Other Families: 2.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Holroyd 50.2% renting
Holroyd — Owned Outright: 14.3% Holroyd — Mortgage: 35.5% Holroyd — Renting: 50.2%
Merrylands 49.0% renting
Merrylands — Owned Outright: 23.3% Merrylands — Mortgage: 27.7% Merrylands — Renting: 49.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Holroyd Merrylands
Bachelor Degree 19.0% / 11.9%
Holroyd — Bachelor Degree: 19.0% Merrylands — Bachelor Degree: 11.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 7.1%
Holroyd — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Merrylands — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Postgraduate Degree 10.3% / 4.6%
Holroyd — Postgraduate Degree: 10.3% Merrylands — Postgraduate Degree: 4.6%
Certificate III & IV 6.3% / 7.5%
Holroyd — Certificate III & IV: 6.3% Merrylands — Certificate III & IV: 7.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 0.9%
Holroyd — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Merrylands — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

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.

Holroyd Merrylands
India 8.2% / 3.3%
Holroyd — India: 8.2% Merrylands — India: 3.3%
Lebanon 3.0% / 7.6%
Holroyd — Lebanon: 3.0% Merrylands — Lebanon: 7.6%
China 5.1% / 5.4%
Holroyd — China: 5.1% Merrylands — China: 5.4%
Afghanistan 5.4% / 4.8%
Holroyd — Afghanistan: 5.4% Merrylands — Afghanistan: 4.8%
Pakistan 5.6% / 2.8%
Holroyd — Pakistan: 5.6% Merrylands — Pakistan: 2.8%
Nepal 2.3% / 2.9%
Holroyd — Nepal: 2.3% Merrylands — Nepal: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Holroyd 69.2% flats / apartments
Holroyd — Flats / Apartments: 69.2% Holroyd — Houses: 17.5% Holroyd — Townhouses: 13.2%
Merrylands 37.6% flats / apartments
Merrylands — Flats / Apartments: 37.6% Merrylands — Houses: 48.8% Merrylands — Townhouses: 13.6%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Holroyd Merrylands
Median house price $1,275,000 $1,387,000
Median unit price $603,000 $505,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 25 days
from 225 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

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

Holroyd Merrylands
2 bed $543K / $505K
Holroyd — 2 bed: $543K (19 sales) Merrylands — 2 bed: $505K (251 sales)

19 vs 251 sales

3 bed $702K / $695K
Holroyd — 3 bed: $702K (16 sales) Merrylands — 3 bed: $695K (26 sales)

16 vs 26 sales

Zoning mix

Holroyd has more industrially zoned land (14% vs 1%).

Holroyd Merrylands
Residential 29% 83%
Parks and recreation 36% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 19% 4%
Industrial 14% 1%
Commercial 0% 6%
Planning zones cover 98% of Holroyd and 100% of Merrylands. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Holroyd Merrylands
New dwellings approved 1,756
across Cumberland
same for both
Approvals change year on year -28%
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.

Holroyd Merrylands
Houses — 3.6%
$850/wk on $1.25M
Units — 6.5%
$650/wk on $520K

Ranking within NSW

Holroyd Merrylands
House price Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Income Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 44% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 1% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 61% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 48% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 98% of NSW

Liveability

Holroyd scores higher overall (69 vs 47).

Holroyd Merrylands
Grade B C
Score 69/100 47/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Holroyd Merrylands
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
72/100
 High
79/100
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 20
within 5 km
 19
within 5 km

Schools

Holroyd Merrylands
Inside the suburb 0 6
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 3
Universities within 10 km 3
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 1.9 km
 3
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 3.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.5% 2.9%

Schools in Holroyd

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Merrylands

  • Hilltop Road Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Margaret Mary's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Merrylands East Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Merrylands Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Fowler Road School Government · Combined · Special school below peers
  • Holroyd School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Holroyd Merrylands
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 0 8
Parks & reserves 4 38
Childcare 1 35
GPs 0 15
Pharmacies 0 7
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 5
Fuel stations 0 4
Waterways 0 5

Mobility

Merrylands sits further from the CBD (26.2 km vs 23.2 km).

Holroyd Merrylands
Walkability score 89/100 96/100
Distance to Sydney 23.2 km 26.2 km
+13% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 28 min
Public transport score 75/100
Bus
 91/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 27.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 530.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 2142
 0.6%
postcode 2160
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 14
postcode 2142
 19
postcode 2160

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.

Holroyd Merrylands
Worked from Home 52.4% / 34.0%
Holroyd — Worked from Home: 52.4% Merrylands — Worked from Home: 34.0%
Car (driver) 34.8% / 48.0%
Holroyd — Car (driver): 34.8% Merrylands — Car (driver): 48.0%
Train 6.4% / 9.6%
Holroyd — Train: 6.4% Merrylands — Train: 9.6%
Car (passenger) 2.4% / 4.8%
Holroyd — Car (passenger): 2.4% Merrylands — Car (passenger): 4.8%
Walked Only 2.4% / 2.0%
Holroyd — Walked Only: 2.4% Merrylands — Walked Only: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.4%).

Setting

Holroyd Merrylands
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 23 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 20.4 km 20.8 km

NBN connectivity

Holroyd Merrylands
Connectivity score 73/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 6%
493 premises
 16%
12,210 premises

Climate

Holroyd Merrylands
Annual rainfall 1,021 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Holroyd Merrylands
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.83 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Holroyd Merrylands
Average residential rate $1,038/yr
same for both
Council Cumberland
same for both

Federal electorate

Holroyd Merrylands
Division Blaxland
same for both
Member Jason Clare
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Holroyd Merrylands
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Holroyd

Affordable Apartments Family Multicultural Outer Parks Young Families

Merrylands

Affordable Apartments Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Parks Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Holroyd

Holroyd vs Parramatta Holroyd vs Granville

Other comparisons with Merrylands

Merrylands vs Parramatta Merrylands vs Guildford Merrylands vs Greystanes Merrylands vs Granville Merrylands vs Westmead Merrylands vs Merrylands West
Full data on Holroyd Full data on Merrylands
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or