Lugarno vs Illawong

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Illawong: a median of $1.96 million, against $1.78 million in Lugarno, and rent is higher there too. Lugarno is closer to the city centre: 29.5 km, against 35.2 km.

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

  • Lugarno has more parks and reserves (14 vs 7)
  • Illawong has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lugarno

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($560/wk vs $650/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Lugarno

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (29.5 km vs 35.2 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lugarno Illawong
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.

Lugarno Illawong
Walkability 55 / 62
Lugarno — Walkability: 55/100 Illawong — Walkability: 62/100
Safety 77 / 76
Lugarno — Safety: 77/100 Illawong — Safety: 76/100
Low fire risk 100 / 14
Lugarno — Low fire risk: 100/100 Illawong — Low fire risk: 14/100

Demographics

Illawong has more residents (7,427 vs 5,869); Illawong rents higher ($650/wk vs $560/wk).

Lugarno Illawong
Population 5,869 7,427
+27% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.7% +2.1%
Median age 45 44
Median household income $141,492/yr $144,456/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $560/wk $650/wk
+16% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lugarno Illawong
0-4 4.6% / 5.2%
Lugarno — 0-4: 4.6% Illawong — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 11.8% / 12.3%
Lugarno — 5-14: 11.8% Illawong — 5-14: 12.3%
15-19 7.0% / 6.7%
Lugarno — 15-19: 7.0% Illawong — 15-19: 6.7%
20-24 6.3% / 5.9%
Lugarno — 20-24: 6.3% Illawong — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 9.2% / 9.8%
Lugarno — 25-34: 9.2% Illawong — 25-34: 9.8%
35-44 10.4% / 11.3%
Lugarno — 35-44: 10.4% Illawong — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 15.0% / 12.5%
Lugarno — 45-54: 15.0% Illawong — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 14.3% / 16.2%
Lugarno — 55-64: 14.3% Illawong — 55-64: 16.2%
65-74 11.0% / 13.3%
Lugarno — 65-74: 11.0% Illawong — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 7.4% / 5.1%
Lugarno — 75-84: 7.4% Illawong — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 2.9% / 1.6%
Lugarno — 85+: 2.9% Illawong — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lugarno 66.8% couple families
Lugarno — Couple Families: 66.8% Lugarno — Lone Person: 17.0% Lugarno — One Parent Families: 13.2% Lugarno — Group Household: 2.0% Lugarno — Other Families: 1.1%
Illawong 70.8% couple families
Illawong — Couple Families: 70.8% Illawong — Lone Person: 14.3% Illawong — One Parent Families: 12.7% Illawong — Group Household: 1.2% Illawong — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lugarno 8.8% renting
Lugarno — Owned Outright: 47.9% Lugarno — Mortgage: 43.3% Lugarno — Renting: 8.8%
Illawong 8.1% renting
Illawong — Owned Outright: 50.2% Illawong — Mortgage: 41.8% Illawong — Renting: 8.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lugarno Illawong
Bachelor Degree 18.4% / 17.4%
Lugarno — Bachelor Degree: 18.4% Illawong — Bachelor Degree: 17.4%
Certificate III & IV 12.0% / 13.8%
Lugarno — Certificate III & IV: 12.0% Illawong — Certificate III & IV: 13.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.0% / 9.4%
Lugarno — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0% Illawong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4%
Postgraduate Degree 5.7% / 5.2%
Lugarno — Postgraduate Degree: 5.7% Illawong — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 1.8%
Lugarno — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Illawong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

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.

Lugarno Illawong
China 3.5% / 2.4%
Lugarno — China: 3.5% Illawong — China: 2.4%
England 2.2% / 2.6%
Lugarno — England: 2.2% Illawong — England: 2.6%
Lebanon 1.1% / 2.2%
Lugarno — Lebanon: 1.1% Illawong — Lebanon: 2.2%
Greece 1.3% / 1.2%
Lugarno — Greece: 1.3% Illawong — Greece: 1.2%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.2%
Lugarno — New Zealand: 1.0% Illawong — New Zealand: 1.2%
Egypt 1.1% / 0.8%
Lugarno — Egypt: 1.1% Illawong — Egypt: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lugarno 93.0% houses
Lugarno — Houses: 93.0% Lugarno — Townhouses: 4.6% Lugarno — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Illawong 92.6% houses
Illawong — Houses: 92.6% Illawong — Townhouses: 5.0% Illawong — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lugarno Illawong
Median house price $1,780,200 $1,955,000
Median unit price $1,740,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 28 sales
 29 days
from 33 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.

Lugarno Illawong
3 bed $1.67M / $1.96M
Lugarno — 3 bed: $1.67M (24 sales) Illawong — 3 bed: $1.96M (11 sales)

24 vs 11 sales

4 bed $1.8M / $1.87M
Lugarno — 4 bed: $1.8M (47 sales) Illawong — 4 bed: $1.87M (24 sales)

47 vs 24 sales

5 bed $2.22M / $2.24M
Lugarno — 5 bed: $2.22M (21 sales) Illawong — 5 bed: $2.24M (15 sales)

21 vs 15 sales

Zoning mix

Illawong has more land zoned for conservation (91% vs 5%).

Lugarno Illawong
Environmental 5% 91%
Residential 73% 2%
Parks and recreation 20% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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

Lugarno Illawong
New dwellings approved 920
across Georges River
 1,449
across Sutherland
Approvals change year on year +91% +117%

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.

Lugarno Illawong
Houses 3.6%
$1,150/wk on $1.68M
 3.2%
$1,250/wk on $2.05M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Lugarno Illawong
House price Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Income Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 76% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW

Liveability

Lugarno scores higher overall (81 vs 62).

Lugarno Illawong
Grade A B
Score 81/100 62/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Illawong carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 0).

Lugarno Illawong
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
86/100
Crime Low
23/100
 Low
24/100
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 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Lugarno Illawong
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 7.1 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 8.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.4% 3.0%

Schools in Lugarno

  • Lugarno Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Illawong

  • Menai High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Illawong Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Tharawal Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Lugarno Illawong
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 14 7
Childcare 2 4
GPs 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 2
same for both

Mobility

Illawong sits further from the CBD (35.2 km vs 29.5 km).

Lugarno Illawong
Walkability score 55/100 62/100
Distance to Sydney 29.5 km 35.2 km
+19% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 36 min 37 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 108.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 174.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2210
 1.4%
postcode 2234
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 2210
 48
postcode 2234

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.

Lugarno Illawong
Worked from Home 53.9% / 46.3%
Lugarno — Worked from Home: 53.9% Illawong — Worked from Home: 46.3%
Car (driver) 40.4% / 47.9%
Lugarno — Car (driver): 40.4% Illawong — Car (driver): 47.9%
Train 2.9% / 2.0%
Lugarno — Train: 2.9% Illawong — Train: 2.0%
Car (passenger) 1.8% / 2.6%
Lugarno — Car (passenger): 1.8% Illawong — Car (passenger): 2.6%
Walked Only 0.8% / 0.9%
Lugarno — Walked Only: 0.8% Illawong — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (53.9%).

Setting

Lugarno Illawong
Elevation 66 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.1 km 8.0 km

NBN connectivity

Lugarno Illawong
Connectivity score 90/100 75/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
2,123 premises
 1%
2,545 premises

Climate

Lugarno Illawong
Annual rainfall 909 mm 1,038 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C —
Winter min (Jul) 6.4°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Lugarno Illawong
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Lugarno Illawong
Average residential rate $1,381/yr $1,552/yr
Council Georges River Sutherland

Federal electorate

Lugarno Illawong
Division Banks Hughes
Member Zhi Soon David Moncrieff
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lugarno Illawong
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lugarno

Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Quiet

Illawong

Large Blocks Outer Parks Premium Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lugarno

Lugarno vs Peakhurst Lugarno vs Oatley Lugarno vs Padstow Heights Lugarno vs Alfords Point Lugarno vs Peakhurst Heights

Other comparisons with Illawong

Illawong vs Oatley Illawong vs Menai Illawong vs Bangor Illawong vs Como Illawong vs Alfords Point Illawong vs Bonnet Bay
Full data on Lugarno Full data on Illawong
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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