Lake Cargelligo vs Kiacatoo
Kiacatoo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 40 in Lake Cargelligo. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kiacatoo, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Kiacatoo: a median of $3.52 million, against $248,000 in Lake Cargelligo. On these figures, Lake Cargelligo tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Kiacatoo suits families with children and couples.
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
Lake Cargelligo
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- But Kiacatoo is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lake Cargelligo
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($247,500 vs $3,516,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 30%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Kiacatoo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 15%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kiacatoo
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (503.8 km vs 617 km)
- has a shorter drive in (400 min vs 426 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lake Cargelligo
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 16%)
- But Kiacatoo is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kiacatoo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (185.2% vs -3.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lake Cargelligo and Kiacatoo 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
Lake Cargelligo has more residents (1,430 vs 77); Kiacatoo has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $60,216).
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,430 +95% vs other | 77 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.3% | +185.2% |
| Median age | 40 | 31 |
| Median household income | $60,216/yr | $94,224/yr +56% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $170/wk | $175/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (39.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.6%).
Property market
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $247,500 | $3,516,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $110,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 100% |
| 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
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 12 across Lachlan same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 22% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 94% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
Liveability
Kiacatoo is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 20/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 22/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | High 86/100 | High 89/100 |
| 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
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Lake Cargelligo
- Lake Cargelligo Central School Government · Combined at peers
- St Francis Xavier's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
Schools in Kiacatoo
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 19 | 13 |
Mobility
Lake Cargelligo sits further from the CBD (617 km vs 503.8 km).
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 617 km +18% vs other | 503.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 426 min | 400 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2672 | 0.1% postcode 2877 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 71 postcode 2672 | 66 postcode 2877 |
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 (72.3%).
Setting
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 174 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 176 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 3% 728 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 441 mm | 454 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 33.6°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.5°C | — |
Council rates
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $750/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lachlan same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lake Cargelligo | Kiacatoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Lake Cargelligo
More comparisons
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Other comparisons with Kiacatoo
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.