Medway vs Sutton Forest
Medway is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Sutton Forest. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Medway, most households are couple families. In Sutton Forest, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Medway tends to suit families with children and couples, while Sutton Forest suits older residents.
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
- Medway is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 56%)
- Sutton Forest has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Medway
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sutton Forest
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $375/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Medway
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (90 min vs 108 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (128.1 km vs 139 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Medway is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
- Sutton Forest has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Medway
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.2% vs 5.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Medway and Sutton Forest 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
Sutton Forest has more residents (504 vs 143); Medway rents higher ($375/wk vs $300/wk).
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 143 | 504 +252% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +20.2% | +5.7% |
| Median age | 47 | 50 |
| Median household income | $98,748/yr | $107,588/yr +9% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $375/wk +20% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
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 (18.2%).
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 (7.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,973,750 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 85 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Sutton Forest has more land zoned for conservation (90% vs 74%); Medway has more rural and farming land (21% vs 6%).
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 74% | 90% |
| Rural and farming | 21% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 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
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 335 across Wingecarribee same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +6% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 73% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
Liveability
Medway is more walkable (12 vs 0).
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 52/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 18/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 59/100 | 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 3 | 13 |
Mobility
Sutton Forest sits further from the CBD (139 km vs 128.1 km).
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 12/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 128.1 km | 139 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 90 min | 108 min |
| Public transport score | 21/100 Bus | 27/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 2.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 7.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 2577 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2577 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 (81.0%).
Setting
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 659 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 681 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 46 premises | 0% 221 premises |
Climate
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,072/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wingecarribee same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Whitlam same for both | |
| Member | Carol Berry same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Medway | Sutton Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Medway
Other comparisons with Sutton Forest
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.