Hornsby vs Waitara

In both, most homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are couple families. In Hornsby, most households own their home. In Waitara, about half of households rent.

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

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (21 vs 2)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (35% vs 9%)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (7 vs 2)
  • But Waitara carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 70/100)

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

First-home buyers

Hornsby

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,800,000 vs $1,997,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hornsby

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($440/wk vs $490/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Waitara

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (26.2 km vs 28.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Waitara

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 70/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (91% vs 65%)
  • But Hornsby has more GPs (15 vs 1)

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

Investors

Waitara

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (31.9% vs 1.3%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.4% vs 4.8%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Hornsby and Waitara 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 Waitara
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 Waitara
Walkability 96 / 96
Hornsby — Walkability: 96/100 Waitara — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 30 / 65
Hornsby — Safety: 30/100 Waitara — Safety: 65/100
Low fire risk 35 / 100
Hornsby — Low fire risk: 35/100 Waitara — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Hornsby has more residents (22,462 vs 7,837); Waitara rents higher ($490/wk vs $440/wk).

Hornsby Waitara
Population 22,462
+65% vs other
 7,837
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.3% +31.9%
Median age 38 36
Median household income $101,504/yr $109,512/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $440/wk $490/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hornsby Waitara
0-4 6.0% / 7.7%
Hornsby — 0-4: 6.0% Waitara — 0-4: 7.7%
5-14 11.6% / 13.6%
Hornsby — 5-14: 11.6% Waitara — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 4.6% / 2.8%
Hornsby — 15-19: 4.6% Waitara — 15-19: 2.8%
20-24 6.0% / 3.5%
Hornsby — 20-24: 6.0% Waitara — 20-24: 3.5%
25-34 15.3% / 16.2%
Hornsby — 25-34: 15.3% Waitara — 25-34: 16.2%
35-44 17.8% / 26.0%
Hornsby — 35-44: 17.8% Waitara — 35-44: 26.0%
45-54 13.5% / 9.9%
Hornsby — 45-54: 13.5% Waitara — 45-54: 9.9%
55-64 10.6% / 7.0%
Hornsby — 55-64: 10.6% Waitara — 55-64: 7.0%
65-74 8.5% / 6.4%
Hornsby — 65-74: 8.5% Waitara — 65-74: 6.4%
75-84 4.2% / 4.2%
Hornsby — 75-84: 4.2% Waitara — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 1.9% / 2.4%
Hornsby — 85+: 1.9% Waitara — 85+: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hornsby 45.0% couple families
Hornsby — Couple Families: 45.0% Hornsby — Lone Person: 34.7% Hornsby — One Parent Families: 13.6% Hornsby — Group Household: 4.7% Hornsby — Other Families: 2.0%
Waitara 48.1% couple families
Waitara — Couple Families: 48.1% Waitara — Lone Person: 34.9% Waitara — One Parent Families: 12.3% Waitara — Group Household: 3.0% Waitara — Other Families: 1.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hornsby 44.1% renting
Hornsby — Owned Outright: 23.4% Hornsby — Mortgage: 32.5% Hornsby — Renting: 44.1%
Waitara 51.3% renting
Waitara — Owned Outright: 18.9% Waitara — Mortgage: 29.9% Waitara — Renting: 51.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Hornsby Waitara
Bachelor Degree 23.5% / 26.6%
Hornsby — Bachelor Degree: 23.5% Waitara — Bachelor Degree: 26.6%
Postgraduate Degree 12.0% / 15.6%
Hornsby — Postgraduate Degree: 12.0% Waitara — Postgraduate Degree: 15.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 7.1%
Hornsby — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Waitara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Certificate III & IV 7.4% / 4.6%
Hornsby — Certificate III & IV: 7.4% Waitara — Certificate III & IV: 4.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.4%
Hornsby — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Waitara — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.6%).

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 Waitara
China 12.6% / 14.7%
Hornsby — China: 12.6% Waitara — China: 14.7%
India 5.7% / 16.2%
Hornsby — India: 5.7% Waitara — India: 16.2%
Nepal 4.4% / 3.1%
Hornsby — Nepal: 4.4% Waitara — Nepal: 3.1%
Philippines 2.8% / 3.5%
Hornsby — Philippines: 2.8% Waitara — Philippines: 3.5%
Iran 1.7% / 3.4%
Hornsby — Iran: 1.7% Waitara — Iran: 3.4%
England 2.8% / 1.9%
Hornsby — England: 2.8% Waitara — England: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hornsby 59.3% flats / apartments
Hornsby — Flats / Apartments: 59.3% Hornsby — Houses: 35.3% Hornsby — Townhouses: 5.4%
Waitara 89.5% flats / apartments
Waitara — Flats / Apartments: 89.5% Waitara — Houses: 8.8% Waitara — Townhouses: 1.7%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Hornsby Waitara
Median house price $1,800,000 $1,997,500
Median unit price $720,000 $780,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 103 sales
 27 days
from 17 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.

Hornsby Waitara
1 bed $570K / $582K
Hornsby — 1 bed: $570K (42 sales) Waitara — 1 bed: $582K (31 sales)

42 vs 31 sales

2 bed $725K / $790K
Hornsby — 2 bed: $725K (269 sales) Waitara — 2 bed: $790K (135 sales)

269 vs 135 sales

3 bed $950K / $1.13M
Hornsby — 3 bed: $950K (31 sales) Waitara — 3 bed: $1.13M (17 sales)

31 vs 17 sales

Zoning mix

Hornsby has more land zoned for conservation (10% vs 0%).

Hornsby Waitara
Residential 59% 74%
Parks and recreation 20% 6%
Environmental 10% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 10%
Industrial 4% 8%
Commercial 0% 2%
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 Waitara
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 Waitara
Houses 2.8%
$875/wk on $1.6M
 —
Units 4.8%
$660/wk on $712K
 5.4%
$728/wk on $700K

Ranking within NSW

Hornsby Waitara
House price Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Income Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Schools Higher than 61% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 11% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 92% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 16% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW

Liveability

Waitara scores higher overall (85 vs 58).

Hornsby Waitara
Grade B A
Score 58/100 85/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Hornsby carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0); Hornsby carries more crime risk (70 vs 35).

Hornsby Waitara
Bushfire Moderate
65/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
70/100
 Low
35/100
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
same for both

Schools

Hornsby Waitara
Inside the suburb 7 2
Rated above peers 2 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 9.6 km
 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 8.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.8% 2.0%

Schools in Hornsby

  • Hornsby Girls High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Hornsby North Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Hornsby South Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Barker College Independent · Secondary below peers
  • Blue Gum Community School Independent · Primary
  • Clarke Road School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Waitara

  • Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Barker College Junior School Independent · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Hornsby Waitara
Supermarkets 9 1
Cafes & restaurants 49 6
Parks & reserves 21 2
Childcare 20 8
GPs 15 1
Pharmacies 10 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 9 0
Fuel stations 4 1
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 29 0

Mobility

Hornsby sits further from the CBD (28.4 km vs 26.2 km).

Hornsby Waitara
Walkability score 96/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 28.4 km
+8% vs other
 26.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 37 min 34 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 386.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 40.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 2077
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 17
postcode 2077
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.

Hornsby Waitara
Worked from Home 47.7% / 57.3%
Hornsby — Worked from Home: 47.7% Waitara — Worked from Home: 57.3%
Car (driver) 31.8% / 24.2%
Hornsby — Car (driver): 31.8% Waitara — Car (driver): 24.2%
Train 10.6% / 11.0%
Hornsby — Train: 10.6% Waitara — Train: 11.0%
Walked Only 6.1% / 4.9%
Hornsby — Walked Only: 6.1% Waitara — Walked Only: 4.9%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 2.2%
Hornsby — Car (passenger): 2.9% Waitara — Car (passenger): 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.3%).

Setting

Hornsby Waitara
Elevation 158 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 179 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 18.4 km 17.2 km

NBN connectivity

Hornsby Waitara
Connectivity score 76/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 14%
12,291 premises
 14%
3,838 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Hornsby Waitara
Division Berowra
same for both
Member Julian Leeser
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Hornsby

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Parks Professionals Transport Hub

Waitara

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Parks Professionals Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hornsby

Hornsby vs Wahroonga Hornsby vs Thornleigh Hornsby vs Dural Hornsby vs Mount Colah Hornsby vs Hornsby Heights Hornsby vs Asquith

Other comparisons with Waitara

Waitara vs Wahroonga
Full data on Hornsby Full data on Waitara
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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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