Maitland vs Gillieston Heights
Gillieston Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 43 in Maitland. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Maitland, about half of households are people living alone. In Gillieston Heights, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Gillieston Heights: a median of $820,000, against $712,000 in Maitland, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Maitland tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Gillieston Heights suits young adults, families with children, and 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
Gillieston Heights
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 98/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 43%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (86% vs 72%)
- But Maitland has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 2)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Gillieston Heights
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- has cheaper units ($295,000 vs $740,000)
- has cheaper land ($458,000 vs $1,075,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 28%)
- But Maitland has cheaper houses ($712,500 vs $820,500)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Maitland
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $430/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Maitland
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (85/100 vs 19/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Maitland
ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (11 vs 1)
- is more walkable (85/100 vs 19/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 9%)
- But Gillieston Heights carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 98/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gillieston Heights
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- is growing faster (52.3% vs 4.6%)
- returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.4%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Maitland and Gillieston Heights 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
Gillieston Heights has more residents (4,796 vs 1,972); Gillieston Heights has higher household incomes ($103,272 vs $64,532).
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,972 | 4,796 +143% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.6% | +52.3% |
| Median age | 43 | 30 |
| Median household income | $64,532/yr | $103,272/yr +60% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk | $430/wk +34% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
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 (20.6%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $712,500 | $820,500 |
| Median unit price | $740,000 | $295,000 |
| Median land price | $1,075,000 | $458,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 21 days from 17 sales | 23 days from 83 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.
36 vs 29 sales
7 vs 109 sales
Zoning mix
Gillieston Heights has more land zoned for conservation (33% vs 2%); Maitland has more rural and farming land (51% vs 39%).
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 51% | 39% |
| Environmental | 2% | 33% |
| Residential | 27% | 26% |
| Parks and recreation | 9% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 8% | 1% |
| Industrial | 3% | 0% |
| 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
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,413 across Maitland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +20% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.4% $590/wk on $912K | 4.0% $650/wk on $850K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 23% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 31% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 98% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
Liveability
Maitland is more walkable (85 vs 19); Gillieston Heights scores higher overall (40 vs 35).
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 35/100 | 40/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Gillieston Heights carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 0); Maitland carries more crime risk (98 vs 58).
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | High 98/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 4 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 same for both | |
Schools in Maitland
- All Saints College Catholic · Secondary at peers
- St John the Baptist Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Maitland Public School Government · Primary below peers
- All Saints College (St Peter's) Catholic · Secondary
Schools in Gillieston Heights
- Gillieston Public School Government · Primary below peers
- The Heights Learning Community Independent · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 11 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 4 |
| Childcare | 6 | 3 |
| GPs | 11 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 2 | 1 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 4 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 85/100 | 19/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 164.9 km | 163.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 122 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Rail · Bus | 76/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 254.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 34.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2320 | 0.6% postcode 2321 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2320 | 69 postcode 2321 |
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 (75.6%).
Setting
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.8 km | 25.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 73/100 | 99/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 49% 2,033 premises | 99% 2,339 premises |
Climate
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 996 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.72 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,908/yr same for both | |
| Council | Maitland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Paterson same for both | |
| Member | Meryl Swanson same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Maitland | Gillieston Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Maitland
Gillieston Heights
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Maitland
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.