Howlong vs Balldale

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Balldale, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Howlong: a median of $565,000, against $115,000 in Balldale, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Balldale tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Howlong has more childcare (3 vs 0)
  • Balldale carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 51/100)

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

First-home buyers

Balldale

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($115,000 vs $565,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (15% vs 23%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Balldale

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $290/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 22%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

They split

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

  • Howlong has a shorter drive in (364 min vs 374 min)
  • Balldale sits closer to the CBD (579.9 km vs 585.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Balldale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 51/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Howlong Balldale
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.

Howlong Balldale
Walkability 0 / 0
Howlong — Walkability: 0/100 Balldale — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 49 / 62
Howlong — Safety: 49/100 Balldale — Safety: 62/100
Low fire risk 38 / 68
Howlong — Low fire risk: 38/100 Balldale — Low fire risk: 68/100

Demographics

Howlong has more residents (2,997 vs 168); Howlong rents higher ($290/wk vs $100/wk).

Howlong Balldale
Population 2,997
+94% vs other
 168
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.9% +7.7%
Median age 49 47
Median household income $67,236/yr
+6% vs other
 $63,336/yr
Median weekly rent $290/wk
+66% vs other
 $100/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Howlong Balldale
0-4 4.9% / 9.5%
Howlong — 0-4: 4.9% Balldale — 0-4: 9.5%
5-14 11.3% / 13.1%
Howlong — 5-14: 11.3% Balldale — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 4.7% / 4.2%
Howlong — 15-19: 4.7% Balldale — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 4.4% / 1.8%
Howlong — 20-24: 4.4% Balldale — 20-24: 1.8%
25-34 9.4% / 7.7%
Howlong — 25-34: 9.4% Balldale — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 10.5% / 13.1%
Howlong — 35-44: 10.5% Balldale — 35-44: 13.1%
45-54 11.2% / 8.9%
Howlong — 45-54: 11.2% Balldale — 45-54: 8.9%
55-64 13.7% / 12.5%
Howlong — 55-64: 13.7% Balldale — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 17.6% / 23.8%
Howlong — 65-74: 17.6% Balldale — 65-74: 23.8%
75-84 8.7% / 8.3%
Howlong — 75-84: 8.7% Balldale — 75-84: 8.3%
85+ 3.3% / —
Howlong — 85+: 3.3% Balldale — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Howlong 41.6% lone person
Howlong — Lone Person: 41.6% Howlong — Couple Families: 37.9% Howlong — One Parent Families: 14.5% Howlong — Group Household: 4.9% Howlong — Other Families: 1.1%
Balldale 51.4% lone person
Balldale — Lone Person: 51.4% Balldale — Couple Families: 40.5% Balldale — One Parent Families: 8.1% Balldale — Group Household: 0.0% Balldale — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Howlong 18.8% renting
Howlong — Owned Outright: 44.5% Howlong — Mortgage: 36.7% Howlong — Renting: 18.8%
Balldale 0.0% renting
Balldale — Owned Outright: 69.8% Balldale — Mortgage: 30.2% Balldale — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Howlong Balldale
England 3.4% / —
Howlong — England: 3.4% Balldale — England: not among its largest
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.8%
Howlong — New Zealand: 0.9% Balldale — New Zealand: 1.8%
Scotland 0.4% / —
Howlong — Scotland: 0.4% Balldale — Scotland: not among its largest
Germany 0.4% / —
Howlong — Germany: 0.4% Balldale — Germany: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.4% / —
Howlong — Netherlands: 0.4% Balldale — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.4%).

Qualifications

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

Howlong Balldale
Certificate III & IV 20.1% / 13.7%
Howlong — Certificate III & IV: 20.1% Balldale — Certificate III & IV: 13.7%
Bachelor Degree 6.2% / 5.4%
Howlong — Bachelor Degree: 6.2% Balldale — Bachelor Degree: 5.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 4.8%
Howlong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Balldale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / 1.8%
Howlong — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Balldale — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / —
Howlong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Balldale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Howlong 93.0% houses
Howlong — Houses: 93.0% Howlong — Townhouses: 5.0% Howlong — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Balldale 100.0% houses
Balldale — Houses: 100.0% Balldale — Townhouses: 0.0% Balldale — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Howlong Balldale
Median house price $565,000 $115,000
Median unit price $415,000 —
Median land price $220,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 40 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Balldale has more rural and farming land (100% vs 75%); Howlong has more land zoned for conservation (19% vs 0%).

Howlong Balldale
Rural and farming 75% 100%
Environmental 19% 0%
Residential 3% 0%
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

Howlong Balldale
New dwellings approved 47
across Federation
 86
across Greater Hume
Approvals change year on year +38% +33%

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.

Howlong Balldale
Houses 4.1%
$525/wk on $659K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Howlong Balldale
House price Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 1% of NSW
Income Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 79% of NSW —

Liveability

Howlong Balldale
Grade D —
Score 18/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Howlong carries more bushfire risk (62 vs 32); Howlong carries more crime risk (51 vs 38).

Howlong Balldale
Bushfire Moderate
62/100
 Low
32/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 Low
38/100
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
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Howlong Balldale
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 Howlong

  • Howlong Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Balldale

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

Amenities in the suburb

Howlong Balldale
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 3 0
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 1
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 3 1

Mobility

Howlong sits further from the CBD (585.9 km vs 579.9 km).

Howlong Balldale
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 585.9 km
+1% vs other
 579.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 364 min 374 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2643
 0.2%
postcode 2646
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 2643
 59
postcode 2646

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.

Howlong Balldale
Car (driver) 82.2% / 78.7%
Howlong — Car (driver): 82.2% Balldale — Car (driver): 78.7%
Worked from Home 10.0% / 21.3%
Howlong — Worked from Home: 10.0% Balldale — Worked from Home: 21.3%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / —
Howlong — Car (passenger): 4.8% Balldale — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Walked Only 2.8% / —
Howlong — Walked Only: 2.8% Balldale — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bicycle 0.3% / —
Howlong — Bicycle: 0.3% Balldale — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.2%).

Setting

Howlong Balldale
Elevation 149 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 164 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Howlong Balldale
Connectivity score 69/100 21/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 44%
1,583 premises
 0%
55 premises

Climate

Howlong Balldale
Annual rainfall 567 mm 540 mm
Summer max (Jan) 31.7°C 32.0°C
Winter min (Jul) 2.1°C 3.4°C

Council rates

Howlong Balldale
Average residential rate $951/yr $992/yr
Council Federation Greater Hume

Federal electorate

Howlong Balldale
Division Farrer
same for both
Member David Farley
same for both
Party One Nation
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Howlong Balldale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Howlong

Affordable Retirees Rural

Balldale

Affordable Family Retirees Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Howlong

Howlong vs Brocklesby Howlong vs Bungowannah Howlong vs Hopefield Howlong vs Moorwatha

Other comparisons with Balldale

Balldale vs Brocklesby Balldale vs Coreen Balldale vs Lowesdale Balldale vs Hopefield Balldale vs Daysdale Balldale vs Goombargana
Full data on Howlong Full data on Balldale
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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