Hornsby Heights vs Dural

Hornsby Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 45 in Dural. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Dural: a median of $2.28 million, against $1.74 million in Hornsby Heights. Hornsby Heights is closer to the city centre: 33.2 km, against 38.3 km. On these figures, Hornsby Heights 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

Dural

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (13 vs 3)
  • But Hornsby Heights has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 80%)

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

First-home buyers

Hornsby Heights

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($1,020,000 vs $3,850,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,740,000 vs $2,280,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Hornsby Heights

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (39/100 vs 26/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (33.2 km vs 38.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Dural

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (20% vs 2%)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
  • But Hornsby Heights is more walkable (39/100 vs 26/100)

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

Investors

Hornsby Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.6% vs 2.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Hornsby Heights Dural
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.

Hornsby Heights Dural
Walkability 39 / 26
Hornsby Heights — Walkability: 39/100 Dural — Walkability: 26/100
Low fire risk 53 / 71
Hornsby Heights — Low fire risk: 53/100 Dural — Low fire risk: 71/100

Demographics

Dural skews older (45 vs 41).

Hornsby Heights Dural
Population 6,354 7,900
+24% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.8% +4.4%
Median age 41 45
Median household income $140,348/yr
+8% vs other
 $129,428/yr
Median weekly rent $620/wk
+3% vs other
 $600/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hornsby Heights Dural
0-4 5.2% / 4.1%
Hornsby Heights — 0-4: 5.2% Dural — 0-4: 4.1%
5-14 15.9% / 13.3%
Hornsby Heights — 5-14: 15.9% Dural — 5-14: 13.3%
15-19 7.3% / 7.1%
Hornsby Heights — 15-19: 7.3% Dural — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 5.9% / 6.0%
Hornsby Heights — 20-24: 5.9% Dural — 20-24: 6.0%
25-34 6.9% / 7.8%
Hornsby Heights — 25-34: 6.9% Dural — 25-34: 7.8%
35-44 13.6% / 10.1%
Hornsby Heights — 35-44: 13.6% Dural — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 16.4% / 15.3%
Hornsby Heights — 45-54: 16.4% Dural — 45-54: 15.3%
55-64 13.5% / 13.9%
Hornsby Heights — 55-64: 13.5% Dural — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 9.6% / 10.3%
Hornsby Heights — 65-74: 9.6% Dural — 65-74: 10.3%
75-84 4.8% / 8.0%
Hornsby Heights — 75-84: 4.8% Dural — 75-84: 8.0%
85+ 1.2% / 3.8%
Hornsby Heights — 85+: 1.2% Dural — 85+: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hornsby Heights 67.3% couple families
Hornsby Heights — Couple Families: 67.3% Hornsby Heights — Lone Person: 16.9% Hornsby Heights — One Parent Families: 13.3% Hornsby Heights — Group Household: 1.4% Hornsby Heights — Other Families: 1.1%
Dural 61.3% couple families
Dural — Couple Families: 61.3% Dural — Lone Person: 23.4% Dural — One Parent Families: 12.5% Dural — Group Household: 1.8% Dural — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hornsby Heights 9.2% renting
Hornsby Heights — Owned Outright: 40.6% Hornsby Heights — Mortgage: 50.2% Hornsby Heights — Renting: 9.2%
Dural 15.2% renting
Dural — Owned Outright: 46.2% Dural — Mortgage: 38.5% Dural — Renting: 15.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Hornsby Heights Dural
Bachelor Degree 19.2% / 18.3%
Hornsby Heights — Bachelor Degree: 19.2% Dural — Bachelor Degree: 18.3%
Certificate III & IV 10.9% / 10.3%
Hornsby Heights — Certificate III & IV: 10.9% Dural — Certificate III & IV: 10.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.3% / 8.9%
Hornsby Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3% Dural — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 8.4% / 7.1%
Hornsby Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 8.4% Dural — Postgraduate Degree: 7.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 1.9%
Hornsby Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Dural — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

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.

Hornsby Heights Dural
England 5.6% / 4.0%
Hornsby Heights — England: 5.6% Dural — England: 4.0%
China 3.7% / 4.1%
Hornsby Heights — China: 3.7% Dural — China: 4.1%
India 2.4% / 3.0%
Hornsby Heights — India: 2.4% Dural — India: 3.0%
South Africa 1.4% / 2.0%
Hornsby Heights — South Africa: 1.4% Dural — South Africa: 2.0%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.1%
Hornsby Heights — New Zealand: 1.7% Dural — New Zealand: 1.1%
Malaysia 0.8% / 1.6%
Hornsby Heights — Malaysia: 0.8% Dural — Malaysia: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hornsby Heights 97.9% houses
Hornsby Heights — Houses: 97.9% Hornsby Heights — Townhouses: 1.9% Hornsby Heights — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
Dural 80.3% houses
Dural — Houses: 80.3% Dural — Townhouses: 9.2% Dural — Flats / Apartments: 10.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Hornsby Heights Dural
Median house price $1,740,000 $2,280,000
Median unit price — $699,500
Median land price $1,020,000 $3,850,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 38 sales
 26 days
from 58 sales

House price by bedroom count

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

Hornsby Heights Dural
3 bed $1.51M / $1.7M
Hornsby Heights — 3 bed: $1.51M (20 sales) Dural — 3 bed: $1.7M (16 sales)

20 vs 16 sales

4 bed $1.75M / $2.23M
Hornsby Heights — 4 bed: $1.75M (51 sales) Dural — 4 bed: $2.23M (30 sales)

51 vs 30 sales

5 bed $1.9M / $2.45M
Hornsby Heights — 5 bed: $1.9M (21 sales) Dural — 5 bed: $2.45M (23 sales)

21 vs 23 sales

Zoning mix

Dural has more rural and farming land (57% vs 0%); Hornsby Heights has more land zoned for conservation (64% vs 31%).

Hornsby Heights Dural
Environmental 64% 31%
Rural and farming 0% 57%
Residential 26% 4%
Parks and recreation 8% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 2%
same for both
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 Dural
New dwellings approved 260
across Hornsby
same for both
Approvals change year on year -79%
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.

Hornsby Heights Dural
Houses 3.6%
$900/wk on $1.3M
 2.3%
$1,100/wk on $2.5M
Units — 3.3%
$600/wk on $950K

Ranking within NSW

Hornsby Heights Dural
House price Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Income Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 63% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 20% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 8% of NSW

Liveability

Hornsby Heights is more walkable (39 vs 26).

Hornsby Heights Dural
Grade B A
Score 69/100
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Hornsby Heights carries more bushfire risk (47 vs 29).

Hornsby Heights Dural
Bushfire Moderate
47/100
 Low
29/100
Crime Low
21/100
 —
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 Dural
Inside the suburb 1 6
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Hornsby Heights

  • Hornsby Heights Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Dural

  • Dural Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Lorien Novalis School for Rudolf Steiner Education Independent · Combined above peers
  • Pacific Hills Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Redfield College Independent · Combined at peers
  • New Hope Christian School Independent · Combined · Special school
  • Warrah Specialist School Independent · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Hornsby Heights Dural
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 1 3
Parks & reserves 8 10
Childcare 3 13
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 1 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 1 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 10 22

Mobility

Dural sits further from the CBD (38.3 km vs 33.2 km).

Hornsby Heights Dural
Walkability score 39/100 26/100
Distance to Sydney 33.2 km 38.3 km
+15% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 44 min
same for both
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 94/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 207.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 292.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 2077
 2.1%
postcode 2158
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 17
postcode 2077
 45
postcode 2158

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.

Hornsby Heights Dural
Worked from Home 52.5% / 50.6%
Hornsby Heights — Worked from Home: 52.5% Dural — Worked from Home: 50.6%
Car (driver) 40.1% / 42.8%
Hornsby Heights — Car (driver): 40.1% Dural — Car (driver): 42.8%
Car (passenger) 2.2% / 2.6%
Hornsby Heights — Car (passenger): 2.2% Dural — Car (passenger): 2.6%
Train 3.4% / 1.0%
Hornsby Heights — Train: 3.4% Dural — Train: 1.0%
Walked Only 1.1% / 2.4%
Hornsby Heights — Walked Only: 1.1% Dural — Walked Only: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.5%).

Setting

Hornsby Heights Dural
Elevation 192 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 197 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.9 km 21.1 km

NBN connectivity

Hornsby Heights Dural
Connectivity score 75/100 85/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
2,182 premises
 52%
3,490 premises

Climate

Hornsby Heights Dural
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm 1,021 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 28.4°C
Winter min (Jul) — 7.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Hornsby Heights Dural
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 Dural
Average residential rate $1,488/yr
same for both
Council Hornsby
same for both

Federal electorate

Hornsby Heights Dural
Division Berowra
same for both
Member Julian Leeser
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Hornsby Heights Dural
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hornsby Heights

Large Blocks Outer Professionals River

Dural

Easy Commute Outer Premium Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hornsby Heights

Hornsby Heights vs Hornsby Hornsby Heights vs Mount Colah Hornsby Heights vs Galston Hornsby Heights vs Mount Kuring-Gai Hornsby Heights vs Berrilee

Other comparisons with Dural

Dural vs Castle Hill Dural vs Hornsby Dural vs Cherrybrook Dural vs Glenhaven Dural vs Kenthurst Dural vs Westleigh
Full data on Hornsby Heights Full data on Dural
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.

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