Lane Cove North vs Lane Cove West
In both, most households own their home. In Lane Cove North, most homes are flats or apartments. In Lane Cove West, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lane Cove West: a median of $3.1 million, against $1.72 million in Lane Cove North, and rent is higher there too. Lane Cove North is closer to the city centre: 11.4 km, against 13.3 km. On these figures, Lane Cove North tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lane Cove West suits 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
Lane Cove North
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (8 vs 3)
- has more parks and reserves (13 vs 6)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- But Lane Cove West has more separate houses rather than flats (54% vs 23%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lane Cove North
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,715,000 vs $3,100,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lane Cove North
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($480/wk vs $570/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lane Cove West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (72/100 vs 62/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Lane Cove North has more units and townhouses to downsize into (77% vs 46%)
- Lane Cove West is more walkable (72/100 vs 62/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lane Cove West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (19.3% vs 2.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lane Cove North and Lane Cove West 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
Lane Cove North has more residents (11,773 vs 3,146); Lane Cove West has higher household incomes ($154,232 vs $124,072).
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,773 +73% vs other | 3,146 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.9% | +19.3% |
| Median age | 36 | 37 |
| Median household income | $124,072/yr | $154,232/yr +24% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $480/wk | $570/wk +19% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.3%).
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 (5.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,715,000 | $3,100,000 |
| Median unit price | $860,000 | $873,750 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 24 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Lane Cove West has more industrially zoned land (34% vs 3%).
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 58% | 36% |
| Industrial | 3% | 34% |
| Environmental | 23% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 7% |
| Planning zones cover 97% of Lane Cove North and 99% of Lane Cove West. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 169 across Lane Cove same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -98% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 86% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 85% of NSW | Higher than 89% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 16% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 98% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 87% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
Liveability
Lane Cove West scores higher overall (89 vs 75); Lane Cove West is more walkable (72 vs 62).
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | A+ |
| Score | 75/100 | 89/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lane Cove North carries more bushfire risk (48 vs 0).
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 48/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | Low 30/100 |
| 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 | 5 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 4.3 km | 3 Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 4.1 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 2.2% | 2.9% |
Schools in Lane Cove North
- Mowbray Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Lane Cove West
- Lane Cove West Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 13 | 6 |
| Childcare | 8 | 3 |
| Fuel stations | 2 same for both | |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 62/100 | 72/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 11.4 km | 13.3 km +17% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 17 min | 20 min |
| Public transport score | 94/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 380.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 145.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 3.7% postcode 2066 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 18 postcode 2066 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 (64.1%).
Setting
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 52 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 46 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.9 km 3.8 km to a named beach | 9.0 km 3.6 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 77/100 | 69/100 |
| Most common technology | Hybrid fibre-coaxial | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 18% 6,241 premises | 21% 1,752 premises |
Climate
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.23 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,377/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lane Cove same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bennelong same for both | |
| Member | Jerome Laxale same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lane Cove North | Lane Cove West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Lane Cove North
Lane Cove West
More comparisons
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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.