Laguna vs Paynes Crossing
Laguna is the younger of the two, with a median age of 57 against 61 in Paynes Crossing. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Laguna: a median of $918,000, against $615,000 in Paynes Crossing, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Paynes Crossing tends to suit people living alone 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
Laguna
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (67/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
Paynes Crossing
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($335,500 vs $865,000)
- has cheaper houses ($615,000 vs $917,500)
- But Laguna leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 34%)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Paynes Crossing
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 30%)
- has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Laguna
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (127 min vs 159 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (132.2 km vs 149.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Laguna
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (67/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Laguna and Paynes Crossing 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
Laguna has more residents (310 vs 50); Laguna rents higher ($400/wk vs $330/wk).
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 310 +84% vs other | 50 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — same for both | |
| Median age | 57 | 61 |
| Median household income | $70,096/yr | $71,448/yr +2% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +18% vs other | $330/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (14.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $917,500 | $615,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $865,000 | $335,500 |
Zoning mix
Paynes Crossing has more land zoned for conservation (71% vs 55%); Laguna has more rural and farming land (45% vs 29%).
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 55% | 71% |
| Rural and farming | 45% | 29% |
| 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
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 719 across Cessnock | 121 across Singleton |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% | +46% |
Ranking within NSW
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 16% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 34% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
Liveability
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Paynes Crossing carries more crime risk (88 vs 67).
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 87/100 | High 86/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 67/100 | High 88/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Laguna
- Laguna Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Paynes Crossing
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 34 | 22 |
Mobility
Paynes Crossing sits further from the CBD (149.5 km vs 132.2 km).
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 132.2 km | 149.5 km +13% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 127 min | 159 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2325 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 2325 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.6%).
Setting
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 274 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 165 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 208 premises | 0% 60 premises |
Climate
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 804 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,405/yr | $1,287/yr |
| Council | Cessnock | Singleton |
Federal electorate
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Laguna | Paynes Crossing | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Paynes Crossing
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Laguna
Other comparisons with Paynes Crossing
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.