Illawong vs Menai

Menai is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in Illawong. 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 Illawong: a median of $1.96 million, against $1.75 million in Menai, and rent is higher there too.

Illawong and Menai are neighbouring suburbs with notably different affordability profiles. Illawong commands higher median household income at $144,456 yearly and median house prices of $1,977,500, while Menai is more accessible at $1,750,000 for houses and $133,900 household income. Illawong also scores higher on liveability (62 versus 54) and walkability (62 versus 50), and has lower crime risk at 23 compared to Menai's 31. Both are similarly distant from the CBD and sit in the highest socio-economic decile, making Illawong better suited to buyers prioritising walkability and community amenities, while Menai appeals to those seeking better value in a comparable location.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Illawong

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 36/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (93% vs 75%)
  • But Menai has more childcare (12 vs 4)

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

First-home buyers

Menai

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,750,000 vs $1,955,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Menai

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($560/wk vs $650/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Illawong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (62/100 vs 50/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Illawong

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 36/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 14%)
  • is more walkable (62/100 vs 50/100)
  • But Menai has more GPs (6 vs 1)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Illawong Menai
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.

Illawong Menai
Walkability 62 / 50
Illawong — Walkability: 62/100 Menai — Walkability: 50/100
Safety 76 / 64
Illawong — Safety: 76/100 Menai — Safety: 64/100
Low fire risk 14 / 13
Illawong — Low fire risk: 14/100 Menai — Low fire risk: 13/100

Demographics

Menai has more residents (10,419 vs 7,427); Illawong rents higher ($650/wk vs $560/wk).

Illawong Menai
Population 7,427 10,419
+40% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.1% +1.1%
Median age 44 39
Median household income $144,456/yr
+7% vs other
 $133,900/yr
Median weekly rent $650/wk
+14% vs other
 $560/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Illawong Menai
0-4 5.2% / 5.7%
Illawong — 0-4: 5.2% Menai — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 12.3% / 14.0%
Illawong — 5-14: 12.3% Menai — 5-14: 14.0%
15-19 6.7% / 6.9%
Illawong — 15-19: 6.7% Menai — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 5.9% / 6.8%
Illawong — 20-24: 5.9% Menai — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 9.8% / 11.3%
Illawong — 25-34: 9.8% Menai — 25-34: 11.3%
35-44 11.3% / 12.4%
Illawong — 35-44: 11.3% Menai — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 12.5% / 14.4%
Illawong — 45-54: 12.5% Menai — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 16.2% / 14.8%
Illawong — 55-64: 16.2% Menai — 55-64: 14.8%
65-74 13.3% / 8.7%
Illawong — 65-74: 13.3% Menai — 65-74: 8.7%
75-84 5.1% / 4.0%
Illawong — 75-84: 5.1% Menai — 75-84: 4.0%
85+ 1.6% / 1.0%
Illawong — 85+: 1.6% Menai — 85+: 1.0%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Illawong 70.8% couple families
Illawong — Couple Families: 70.8% Illawong — Lone Person: 14.3% Illawong — One Parent Families: 12.7% Illawong — Group Household: 1.2% Illawong — Other Families: 1.0%
Menai 63.5% couple families
Menai — Couple Families: 63.5% Menai — Lone Person: 17.8% Menai — One Parent Families: 16.7% Menai — Group Household: 1.2% Menai — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Illawong 8.1% renting
Illawong — Owned Outright: 50.2% Illawong — Mortgage: 41.8% Illawong — Renting: 8.1%
Menai 15.0% renting
Menai — Owned Outright: 36.7% Menai — Mortgage: 48.4% Menai — Renting: 15.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Illawong Menai
Bachelor Degree 17.4% / 15.2%
Illawong — Bachelor Degree: 17.4% Menai — Bachelor Degree: 15.2%
Certificate III & IV 13.8% / 14.1%
Illawong — Certificate III & IV: 13.8% Menai — Certificate III & IV: 14.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 9.7%
Illawong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Menai — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7%
Postgraduate Degree 5.2% / 4.5%
Illawong — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2% Menai — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.9%
Illawong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Menai — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

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.

Illawong Menai
England 2.6% / 2.5%
Illawong — England: 2.6% Menai — England: 2.5%
China 2.4% / 1.4%
Illawong — China: 2.4% Menai — China: 1.4%
Lebanon 2.2% / 0.5%
Illawong — Lebanon: 2.2% Menai — Lebanon: 0.5%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.1%
Illawong — New Zealand: 1.2% Menai — New Zealand: 1.1%
Greece 1.2% / —
Illawong — Greece: 1.2% Menai — Greece: not among its largest
South Africa — / 1.2%
Illawong — South Africa: not among its largest Menai — South Africa: 1.2%
India — / 0.7%
Illawong — India: not among its largest Menai — India: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Illawong 92.6% houses
Illawong — Houses: 92.6% Illawong — Townhouses: 5.0% Illawong — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Menai 75.2% houses
Menai — Houses: 75.2% Menai — Townhouses: 21.5% Menai — Flats / Apartments: 3.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Illawong Menai
Median house price $1,955,000 $1,750,000
Median unit price — $1,000,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 33 sales
 21 days
from 83 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.

Illawong Menai
3 bed $1.96M / $1.43M
Illawong — 3 bed: $1.96M (11 sales) Menai — 3 bed: $1.43M (30 sales)

11 vs 30 sales

4 bed $1.87M / $1.77M
Illawong — 4 bed: $1.87M (24 sales) Menai — 4 bed: $1.77M (56 sales)

24 vs 56 sales

5 bed $2.24M / $2.1M
Illawong — 5 bed: $2.24M (15 sales) Menai — 5 bed: $2.1M (26 sales)

15 vs 26 sales

Zoning mix

Illawong has more land zoned for conservation (91% vs 37%).

Illawong Menai
Environmental 91% 37%
Other and special use 0% 44%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 8%
Residential 2% 8%
Parks and recreation 3% 1%
Commercial 0% 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

Illawong Menai
New dwellings approved 1,449
across Sutherland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +117%
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.

Illawong Menai
Houses 3.2%
$1,250/wk on $2.05M
 3.6%
$1,000/wk on $1.45M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Illawong Menai
House price Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Income Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Schools Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 43% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 88% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW

Liveability

Illawong is more walkable (62 vs 50); Illawong scores higher overall (62 vs 53).

Illawong Menai
Grade B
same for both
Score 62/100 53/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Menai carries more crime risk (36 vs 24).

Illawong Menai
Bushfire High
86/100
 High
87/100
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
36/100
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 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Illawong Menai
Inside the suburb 3 4
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 8.7 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 10.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.0% 3.1%

Schools in Illawong

  • Menai High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Illawong Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Tharawal Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Menai

  • Menai Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Aquinas Catholic College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Holy Family Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Aspect South East Sydney School, Menai Independent · Secondary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Illawong Menai
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 4
Parks & reserves 7 8
Childcare 4 12
GPs 1 6
Pharmacies 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Fuel stations 0 3
Waterways 2 3

Mobility

Illawong Menai
Walkability score 62/100 50/100
Distance to Sydney 35.2 km 35 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 37 min 41 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 174.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 208.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 2234
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 2234
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.

Illawong Menai
Car (driver) 47.9% / 48.7%
Illawong — Car (driver): 47.9% Menai — Car (driver): 48.7%
Worked from Home 46.3% / 44.9%
Illawong — Worked from Home: 46.3% Menai — Worked from Home: 44.9%
Car (passenger) 2.6% / 2.5%
Illawong — Car (passenger): 2.6% Menai — Car (passenger): 2.5%
Train 2.0% / 2.4%
Illawong — Train: 2.0% Menai — Train: 2.4%
Walked Only 0.9% / 1.2%
Illawong — Walked Only: 0.9% Menai — Walked Only: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (48.7%).

Setting

Illawong Menai
Elevation 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 78 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.0 km 11.3 km

NBN connectivity

Illawong Menai
Connectivity score 75/100 73/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
2,545 premises
 6%
3,944 premises

Climate

Illawong Menai
Annual rainfall 1,038 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Illawong Menai
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³ 6.8 µg/m³
PM10 16.1 µg/m³ 18.2 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.79 pphm 0.72 pphm

Council rates

Illawong Menai
Average residential rate $1,552/yr
same for both
Council Sutherland
same for both

Federal electorate

Illawong Menai
Division Hughes
same for both
Member David Moncrieff
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Illawong Menai
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Illawong

Large Blocks Outer Parks Premium Quiet

Menai

Outer River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Illawong

Illawong vs Oatley Illawong vs Lugarno Illawong vs Bangor Illawong vs Como Illawong vs Alfords Point Illawong vs Bonnet Bay

Other comparisons with Menai

Menai vs Picnic Point Menai vs Holsworthy Menai vs Bangor Menai vs Barden Ridge Menai vs Alfords Point Menai vs Sandy Point
Full data on Illawong Full data on Menai
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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