Lismore Heights vs North Lismore

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lismore Heights, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Lismore Heights: a median of $670,000, against $317,000 in North Lismore, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, North Lismore tends to suit 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Lismore Heights has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • North Lismore has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

North Lismore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($317,000 vs $670,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

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

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

Commuting to the city

Lismore Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (46/100 vs 24/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lismore Heights

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (25% vs 3%)
  • is more walkable (46/100 vs 24/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 89/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lismore Heights North Lismore
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.

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Walkability 46 / 24
Lismore Heights — Walkability: 46/100 North Lismore — Walkability: 24/100
Safety 52 / 11
Lismore Heights — Safety: 52/100 North Lismore — Safety: 11/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Lismore Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 North Lismore — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Lismore Heights has more residents (2,117 vs 754); Lismore Heights has higher household incomes ($67,288 vs $60,632).

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Population 2,117
+64% vs other
 754
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.5% -1.8%
Median age 43 42
Median household income $67,288/yr
+10% vs other
 $60,632/yr
Median weekly rent $338/wk
+5% vs other
 $320/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lismore Heights North Lismore
0-4 4.4% / 4.0%
Lismore Heights — 0-4: 4.4% North Lismore — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 11.9% / 13.5%
Lismore Heights — 5-14: 11.9% North Lismore — 5-14: 13.5%
15-19 6.3% / 5.4%
Lismore Heights — 15-19: 6.3% North Lismore — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 5.3% / 5.6%
Lismore Heights — 20-24: 5.3% North Lismore — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 11.6% / 10.9%
Lismore Heights — 25-34: 11.6% North Lismore — 25-34: 10.9%
35-44 12.6% / 11.9%
Lismore Heights — 35-44: 12.6% North Lismore — 35-44: 11.9%
45-54 13.2% / 15.5%
Lismore Heights — 45-54: 13.2% North Lismore — 45-54: 15.5%
55-64 14.6% / 13.7%
Lismore Heights — 55-64: 14.6% North Lismore — 55-64: 13.7%
65-74 11.6% / 11.9%
Lismore Heights — 65-74: 11.6% North Lismore — 65-74: 11.9%
75-84 6.2% / 4.9%
Lismore Heights — 75-84: 6.2% North Lismore — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 2.5% / 2.1%
Lismore Heights — 85+: 2.5% North Lismore — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lismore Heights 46.1% lone person
Lismore Heights — Lone Person: 46.1% Lismore Heights — Couple Families: 25.2% Lismore Heights — One Parent Families: 20.8% Lismore Heights — Group Household: 6.1% Lismore Heights — Other Families: 1.8%
North Lismore 39.1% lone person
North Lismore — Lone Person: 39.1% North Lismore — Couple Families: 26.8% North Lismore — One Parent Families: 23.4% North Lismore — Group Household: 9.4% North Lismore — Other Families: 1.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lismore Heights 31.3% renting
Lismore Heights — Owned Outright: 35.0% Lismore Heights — Mortgage: 33.7% Lismore Heights — Renting: 31.3%
North Lismore 25.3% renting
North Lismore — Owned Outright: 39.8% North Lismore — Mortgage: 34.9% North Lismore — Renting: 25.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 16.6%
Lismore Heights — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% North Lismore — Certificate III & IV: 16.6%
Bachelor Degree 13.7% / 10.9%
Lismore Heights — Bachelor Degree: 13.7% North Lismore — Bachelor Degree: 10.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 7.0%
Lismore Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% North Lismore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 5.4% / 2.0%
Lismore Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 5.4% North Lismore — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 0.7%
Lismore Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% North Lismore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

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.

Lismore Heights North Lismore
England 2.1% / 3.3%
Lismore Heights — England: 2.1% North Lismore — England: 3.3%
New Zealand 1.3% / 2.5%
Lismore Heights — New Zealand: 1.3% North Lismore — New Zealand: 2.5%
Italy 0.6% / 0.4%
Lismore Heights — Italy: 0.6% North Lismore — Italy: 0.4%
Germany 0.4% / 0.5%
Lismore Heights — Germany: 0.4% North Lismore — Germany: 0.5%
India 0.7% / —
Lismore Heights — India: 0.7% North Lismore — India: not among its largest
China 0.5% / —
Lismore Heights — China: 0.5% North Lismore — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lismore Heights 75.1% houses
Lismore Heights — Houses: 75.1% Lismore Heights — Townhouses: 20.9% Lismore Heights — Flats / Apartments: 4.0%
North Lismore 97.0% houses
North Lismore — Houses: 97.0% North Lismore — Townhouses: 1.0% North Lismore — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Median house price $670,000 $317,000
Median unit price $500,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 42 days
from 37 sales
 96 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

North Lismore has more rural and farming land (57% vs 30%).

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Residential 67% 17%
Rural and farming 30% 57%
Environmental 2% 10%
Parks and recreation 2% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 6%
Industrial 0% 3%
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

Lismore Heights North Lismore
New dwellings approved 138
across Lismore
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Lismore Heights North Lismore
House price Higher than 24% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW
Income Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 23% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 58% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW

Liveability

Lismore Heights is more walkable (46 vs 24); Lismore Heights scores higher overall (47 vs 28).

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Grade C D
Score 47/100 28/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

North Lismore carries more crime risk (89 vs 48).

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
48/100
 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 6
within 5 km
 7
within 5 km

Schools

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
Lismore, 2.7 km
 1
Lismore, 4.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 0.6% 0.4%

Schools in Lismore Heights

  • Lismore Heights Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in North Lismore

  • St John's College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • The Rivers Secondary College, Richmond River High Campus Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Parks & reserves 0 4
Childcare 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0

Mobility

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Walkability score 46/100 24/100
Distance to Sydney 726.8 km 728.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 478 min 482 min
Public transport score 61/100
Bus
 44/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 24.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 18.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2480
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 2480
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.

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Car (driver) 76.7% / 72.5%
Lismore Heights — Car (driver): 76.7% North Lismore — Car (driver): 72.5%
Worked from Home 14.4% / 17.4%
Lismore Heights — Worked from Home: 14.4% North Lismore — Worked from Home: 17.4%
Car (passenger) 6.3% / 4.3%
Lismore Heights — Car (passenger): 6.3% North Lismore — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Walked Only 1.5% / 2.7%
Lismore Heights — Walked Only: 1.5% North Lismore — Walked Only: 2.7%
Bicycle 0.3% / 3.1%
Lismore Heights — Bicycle: 0.3% North Lismore — Bicycle: 3.1%
Bus 0.7% / —
Lismore Heights — Bus: 0.7% North Lismore — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.7%).

Setting

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Elevation 82 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.9 km 26.3 km

NBN connectivity

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Connectivity score 89/100 81/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
1,070 premises
 66%
542 premises

Council rates

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Average residential rate $1,487/yr
same for both
Council Lismore
same for both

Federal electorate

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lismore Heights North Lismore
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lismore Heights

Affordable Townhouses

North Lismore

Acreage Affordable

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with North Lismore

North Lismore vs Lismore North Lismore vs South Lismore North Lismore vs Tullera North Lismore vs Booerie Creek North Lismore vs Howards Grass
Full data on Lismore Heights Full data on North Lismore
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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.

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