Lakemba vs Punchbowl

In both, about half of households are couple families. In Lakemba, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Punchbowl, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Lakemba: a median of $1.57 million, against $1.44 million in Punchbowl, though rent is higher in Punchbowl. Lakemba is closer to the city centre: 17 km, against 24.1 km. On these figures, Lakemba tends to suit renters.

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 5 things we measure here

  • Lakemba has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)
  • Punchbowl has more childcare (23 vs 10)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lakemba

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (60% vs 40%)
  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $380/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Lakemba

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (13% vs 6%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (17 km vs 24.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Lakemba

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (74% vs 43%)
  • has more GPs (9 vs 7)

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

Investors

Punchbowl

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (5.7% vs 0.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.6% vs 2.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lakemba Punchbowl
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.

Lakemba Punchbowl
Walkability 91 / 84
Lakemba — Walkability: 91/100 Punchbowl — Walkability: 84/100
Low fire risk 100 / 26
Lakemba — Low fire risk: 100/100 Punchbowl — Low fire risk: 26/100

Demographics

Punchbowl has more residents (21,384 vs 17,092); Punchbowl has higher household incomes ($72,228 vs $63,804).

Lakemba Punchbowl
Population 17,092 21,384
+25% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.4% +5.7%
Median age 32 33
Median household income $63,804/yr $72,228/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $350/wk $380/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lakemba Punchbowl
0-4 9.4% / 6.9%
Lakemba — 0-4: 9.4% Punchbowl — 0-4: 6.9%
5-14 15.4% / 14.4%
Lakemba — 5-14: 15.4% Punchbowl — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 4.7% / 7.0%
Lakemba — 15-19: 4.7% Punchbowl — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 6.1% / 7.9%
Lakemba — 20-24: 6.1% Punchbowl — 20-24: 7.9%
25-34 20.0% / 15.7%
Lakemba — 25-34: 20.0% Punchbowl — 25-34: 15.7%
35-44 16.3% / 13.0%
Lakemba — 35-44: 16.3% Punchbowl — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 9.7% / 11.5%
Lakemba — 45-54: 9.7% Punchbowl — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 8.1% / 10.8%
Lakemba — 55-64: 8.1% Punchbowl — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 5.4% / 7.2%
Lakemba — 65-74: 5.4% Punchbowl — 65-74: 7.2%
75-84 3.3% / 4.1%
Lakemba — 75-84: 3.3% Punchbowl — 75-84: 4.1%
85+ 1.8% / 1.6%
Lakemba — 85+: 1.8% Punchbowl — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lakemba 52.4% couple families
Lakemba — Couple Families: 52.4% Lakemba — Lone Person: 22.5% Lakemba — One Parent Families: 12.4% Lakemba — Group Household: 10.2% Lakemba — Other Families: 2.5%
Punchbowl 52.2% couple families
Punchbowl — Couple Families: 52.2% Punchbowl — Lone Person: 22.3% Punchbowl — One Parent Families: 18.8% Punchbowl — Group Household: 4.6% Punchbowl — Other Families: 2.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lakemba 60.1% renting
Lakemba — Owned Outright: 20.8% Lakemba — Mortgage: 19.2% Lakemba — Renting: 60.1%
Punchbowl 40.5% renting
Punchbowl — Owned Outright: 28.4% Punchbowl — Mortgage: 31.0% Punchbowl — Renting: 40.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lakemba Punchbowl
Bachelor Degree 14.1% / 10.2%
Lakemba — Bachelor Degree: 14.1% Punchbowl — Bachelor Degree: 10.2%
Certificate III & IV 4.7% / 7.7%
Lakemba — Certificate III & IV: 4.7% Punchbowl — Certificate III & IV: 7.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.6% / 6.6%
Lakemba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6% Punchbowl — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Postgraduate Degree 8.2% / 3.8%
Lakemba — Postgraduate Degree: 8.2% Punchbowl — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 0.7%
Lakemba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Punchbowl — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.1%).

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.

Lakemba Punchbowl
Bangladesh 15.0% / 3.0%
Lakemba — Bangladesh: 15.0% Punchbowl — Bangladesh: 3.0%
Lebanon 3.4% / 12.3%
Lakemba — Lebanon: 3.4% Punchbowl — Lebanon: 12.3%
India 8.8% / 1.5%
Lakemba — India: 8.8% Punchbowl — India: 1.5%
Vietnam 3.2% / 5.4%
Lakemba — Vietnam: 3.2% Punchbowl — Vietnam: 5.4%
Pakistan 5.3% / 2.7%
Lakemba — Pakistan: 5.3% Punchbowl — Pakistan: 2.7%
Myanmar 4.3% / —
Lakemba — Myanmar: 4.3% Punchbowl — Myanmar: not among its largest
China — / 2.8%
Lakemba — China: not among its largest Punchbowl — China: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lakemba 70.4% flats / apartments
Lakemba — Flats / Apartments: 70.4% Lakemba — Houses: 25.5% Lakemba — Townhouses: 4.1%
Punchbowl 24.8% flats / apartments
Punchbowl — Flats / Apartments: 24.8% Punchbowl — Houses: 56.7% Punchbowl — Townhouses: 18.4%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Lakemba Punchbowl
Median house price $1,572,500 $1,440,000
Median unit price $520,000 $532,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 18 sales
 25 days
from 96 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.

Lakemba Punchbowl
2 bed $1.18M / $1.37M
Lakemba — 2 bed: $1.18M (6 sales) Punchbowl — 2 bed: $1.37M (11 sales)

6 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1.57M / $1.36M
Lakemba — 3 bed: $1.57M (14 sales) Punchbowl — 3 bed: $1.36M (65 sales)

14 vs 65 sales

4 bed $1.5M / $1.42M
Lakemba — 4 bed: $1.5M (9 sales) Punchbowl — 4 bed: $1.42M (48 sales)

9 vs 48 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.

Lakemba Punchbowl
1 bed $408K / $420K
Lakemba — 1 bed: $408K (13 sales) Punchbowl — 1 bed: $420K (11 sales)

13 vs 11 sales

2 bed $524K / $534K
Lakemba — 2 bed: $524K (150 sales) Punchbowl — 2 bed: $534K (70 sales)

150 vs 70 sales

3 bed $690K / $650K
Lakemba — 3 bed: $690K (9 sales) Punchbowl — 3 bed: $650K (13 sales)

9 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Lakemba Punchbowl
Residential 78% 81%
Commercial 7% 3%
Parks and recreation 6% 5%
Industrial 5%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 4% 5%
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

Lakemba Punchbowl
New dwellings approved 1,785
across Canterbury-Bankstown
same for both
Approvals change year on year +50%
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.

Lakemba Punchbowl
Houses 2.6%
$750/wk on $1.48M
 3.6%
$880/wk on $1.25M
Units 5.5%
$570/wk on $535K
 5.2%
$560/wk on $561K

Ranking within NSW

Lakemba Punchbowl
House price Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Income Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Schools Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 17% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW

Liveability

Lakemba scores higher overall (58 vs 40).

Lakemba Punchbowl
Grade B C
Score 58/100 40/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Punchbowl carries more bushfire risk (74 vs 0).

Lakemba Punchbowl
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
74/100
Crime Moderate
60/100
 —
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 13
within 5 km
 18
within 5 km

Schools

Lakemba Punchbowl
Inside the suburb 7 4
Rated above peers 2 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 2 3
Universities within 10 km 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 4.1 km
 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 2.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 3.5%

Schools in Lakemba

  • Al Hikma College Independent · Primary above peers
  • St Therese's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Holy Spirit Catholic College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Hampden Park Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Rissalah College Independent · Combined below peers
  • Al-Faisal College - Lakemba Independent · Primary

Schools in Punchbowl

  • St Jerome's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Punchbowl Boys High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Punchbowl Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • St Charbel's College Independent · Combined below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Lakemba Punchbowl
Supermarkets 6 1
Cafes & restaurants 17 3
Parks & reserves 13 7
Childcare 10 23
GPs 9 7
Pharmacies 6 4
Banks & Bank@Post 2 1
Fuel stations 2
same for both
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Punchbowl sits further from the CBD (24.1 km vs 17 km).

Lakemba Punchbowl
Walkability score 91/100 84/100
Distance to Sydney 17 km 24.1 km
+42% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 29 min 31 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 201.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 369.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2195
 0.5%
postcode 2196
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 10
postcode 2195
 22
postcode 2196

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.

Lakemba Punchbowl
Car (driver) 51.2% / 55.4%
Lakemba — Car (driver): 51.2% Punchbowl — Car (driver): 55.4%
Worked from Home 26.6% / 29.6%
Lakemba — Worked from Home: 26.6% Punchbowl — Worked from Home: 29.6%
Train 12.9% / 6.0%
Lakemba — Train: 12.9% Punchbowl — Train: 6.0%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 5.6%
Lakemba — Car (passenger): 4.1% Punchbowl — Car (passenger): 5.6%
Walked Only 3.9% / 2.2%
Lakemba — Walked Only: 3.9% Punchbowl — Walked Only: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.4%).

Setting

Lakemba Punchbowl
Elevation 38 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.7 km 10.4 km

NBN connectivity

Lakemba Punchbowl
Connectivity score 80/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
6,606 premises
 14%
7,356 premises

Climate

Lakemba Punchbowl
Annual rainfall 909 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.4°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Lakemba Punchbowl
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.9 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Lakemba Punchbowl
Average residential rate $1,322/yr
same for both
Council Canterbury-Bankstown
same for both

Federal electorate

Lakemba Punchbowl
Division Watson
same for both
Member Tony Burke
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lakemba Punchbowl
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lakemba

Affordable Apartments Family Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Urban Young Families

Punchbowl

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lakemba

Lakemba vs Greenacre Lakemba vs Belmore Lakemba vs Roselands Lakemba vs Wiley Park

Other comparisons with Punchbowl

Punchbowl vs Bankstown Punchbowl vs Greenacre Punchbowl vs Padstow Punchbowl vs Riverwood Punchbowl vs Roselands Punchbowl vs Wiley Park
Full data on Lakemba Full data on Punchbowl
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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