Hornsby Heights vs Berrilee
Hornsby Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 51 in Berrilee. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hornsby Heights, most households are couple families. In Berrilee, about half of households are couple families. Hornsby Heights is closer to the city centre: 33.2 km, against 48.3 km. On these figures, Hornsby Heights tends to suit families with children and couples, while Berrilee suits older residents.
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
Hornsby Heights
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 1)
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
- But Berrilee carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Hornsby Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Berrilee
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 9%)
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $620/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 23%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Hornsby Heights
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (39/100 vs 10/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (33.2 km vs 48.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (44 min vs 57 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Berrilee
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 21/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 16%)
- But Hornsby Heights is more walkable (39/100 vs 10/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hornsby Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (0.8% vs -5.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hornsby Heights and Berrilee 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
Hornsby Heights has more residents (6,354 vs 212); Hornsby Heights rents higher ($620/wk vs $350/wk).
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,354 +97% vs other | 212 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.8% | -5.4% |
| Median age | 41 | 51 |
| Median household income | $140,348/yr +13% vs other | $122,148/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $620/wk +44% vs other | $350/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).
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 (6.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,740,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,020,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 23 days from 38 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Berrilee has more rural and farming land (20% vs 0%).
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 64% | 68% |
| Residential | 26% | 0% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 20% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 11% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 1% |
| 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
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 260 across Hornsby same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -79% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.6% $900/wk on $1.3M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 82% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 92% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 45% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 92% of NSW | Higher than 87% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 84% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 51% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Hornsby Heights is more walkable (39 vs 10).
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 69/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Hornsby Heights carries more crime risk (21 vs 0); Berrilee carries more bushfire risk (69 vs 47).
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 47/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hornsby Heights
- Hornsby Heights Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Berrilee
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 1 |
| Childcare | 3 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 10 | 5 |
Mobility
Berrilee sits further from the CBD (48.3 km vs 33.2 km).
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 39/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 33.2 km | 48.3 km +45% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 44 min | 57 min |
| Public transport score | 78/100 Bus | 24/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 207.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 3.5 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.7% postcode 2077 | 1.4% postcode 2159 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 17 postcode 2077 | 53 postcode 2159 |
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 (55.4%).
Setting
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 192 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 144 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 14.9 km | 11.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 75/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Hybrid fibre-coaxial | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 2,182 premises | 0% 58 premises |
Climate
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.23 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,488/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hornsby same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Berowra same for both | |
| Member | Julian Leeser same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hornsby Heights | Berrilee | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Hornsby Heights
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hornsby Heights
Other comparisons with Berrilee
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.