Lemon Tree vs Mandalong
Mandalong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 58 in Lemon Tree. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lemon Tree, about half of households are people living alone. In Mandalong, most households are couple families. On these figures, Lemon Tree tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Mandalong 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
Mandalong
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 50%)
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Lemon Tree
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 22%)
- has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $410/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Lemon Tree sits closer to the CBD (112.6 km vs 116 km)
- Mandalong has a shorter drive in (88 min vs 98 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mandalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mandalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.6% vs -10.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lemon Tree and Mandalong 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
Mandalong has more residents (433 vs 54); Mandalong rents higher ($410/wk vs $270/wk).
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 54 | 433 +702% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -10.0% | +1.6% |
| Median age | 58 | 47 |
| Median household income | $101,816/yr +3% vs other | $99,112/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $270/wk | $410/wk +52% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.5%).
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 (5.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,775,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 61% | 64% |
| Rural and farming | 39% | 35% |
| 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
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) | 1,212 across Lake Macquarie |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% | +2% |
Ranking within NSW
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 68% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
Liveability
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Lemon Tree carries more crime risk (83 vs 60); Lemon Tree carries more bushfire risk (64 vs 53).
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 64/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Crime | High 83/100 | 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 | 0 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 17 |
Mobility
Mandalong sits further from the CBD (116 km vs 112.6 km).
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 112.6 km | 116 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 98 min | 88 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2259 | 0.4% postcode 2264 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2259 | 52 postcode 2264 |
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 (67.7%).
Setting
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 198 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 35 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 21.9 km | 18.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 19 premises | 0% 154 premises |
Climate
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,272 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 10.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ | 5.0 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 14.8 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.36 pphm | 0.27 pphm |
Council rates
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr | $1,708/yr |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) | Lake Macquarie |
Federal electorate
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dobell | Hunter |
| Member | Emma Mcbride | Dan Repacholi |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lemon Tree | Mandalong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Lemon Tree
Mandalong
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.