Mortdale vs Oatley

Mortdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 43 in Oatley. In both, most households own their home. In Mortdale, about half of households are couple families. In Oatley, most homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Oatley: a median of $2.61 million, against $1.83 million in Mortdale, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mortdale tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Oatley 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

Oatley

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (28 vs 15)
  • carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 50/100)

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

First-home buyers

Mortdale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,832,500 vs $2,612,500)
  • has cheaper units ($782,222 vs $977,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mortdale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $490/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Mortdale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (11% vs 3%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Mortdale has more units and townhouses to downsize into (57% vs 29%)
  • Oatley carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 50/100)

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

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

Mortdale Oatley
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.

Mortdale Oatley
Walkability 93 / 92
Mortdale — Walkability: 93/100 Oatley — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 50 / 72
Mortdale — Safety: 50/100 Oatley — Safety: 72/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Mortdale — Low fire risk: 100/100 Oatley — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Oatley has higher household incomes ($131,924 vs $103,740); Oatley rents higher ($490/wk vs $420/wk).

Mortdale Oatley
Population 10,745 10,664
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.1% +1.7%
Median age 38 43
Median household income $103,740/yr $131,924/yr
+27% vs other
Median weekly rent $420/wk $490/wk
+17% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mortdale Oatley
0-4 5.8% / 5.0%
Mortdale — 0-4: 5.8% Oatley — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 11.2% / 13.6%
Mortdale — 5-14: 11.2% Oatley — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 5.0% / 6.3%
Mortdale — 15-19: 5.0% Oatley — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 6.5% / 5.5%
Mortdale — 20-24: 6.5% Oatley — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 15.0% / 8.7%
Mortdale — 25-34: 15.0% Oatley — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 15.7% / 13.4%
Mortdale — 35-44: 15.7% Oatley — 35-44: 13.4%
45-54 13.1% / 13.9%
Mortdale — 45-54: 13.1% Oatley — 45-54: 13.9%
55-64 12.0% / 13.5%
Mortdale — 55-64: 12.0% Oatley — 55-64: 13.5%
65-74 8.7% / 11.3%
Mortdale — 65-74: 8.7% Oatley — 65-74: 11.3%
75-84 4.3% / 6.2%
Mortdale — 75-84: 4.3% Oatley — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 2.6% / 2.7%
Mortdale — 85+: 2.6% Oatley — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mortdale 46.0% couple families
Mortdale — Couple Families: 46.0% Mortdale — Lone Person: 34.1% Mortdale — One Parent Families: 13.7% Mortdale — Group Household: 4.3% Mortdale — Other Families: 2.0%
Oatley 57.9% couple families
Oatley — Couple Families: 57.9% Oatley — Lone Person: 26.4% Oatley — One Parent Families: 12.8% Oatley — Group Household: 2.0% Oatley — 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.

Mortdale 37.5% renting
Mortdale — Owned Outright: 30.6% Mortdale — Mortgage: 31.9% Mortdale — Renting: 37.5%
Oatley 20.8% renting
Oatley — Owned Outright: 46.2% Oatley — Mortgage: 33.1% Oatley — Renting: 20.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mortdale Oatley
Bachelor Degree 18.9% / 22.1%
Mortdale — Bachelor Degree: 18.9% Oatley — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Certificate III & IV 9.8% / 8.9%
Mortdale — Certificate III & IV: 9.8% Oatley — Certificate III & IV: 8.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 8.5%
Mortdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Oatley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 7.6% / 9.0%
Mortdale — Postgraduate Degree: 7.6% Oatley — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 2.8%
Mortdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Oatley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

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.

Mortdale Oatley
China 8.8% / 6.6%
Mortdale — China: 8.8% Oatley — China: 6.6%
England 1.9% / 2.6%
Mortdale — England: 1.9% Oatley — England: 2.6%
Nepal 4.4% / —
Mortdale — Nepal: 4.4% Oatley — Nepal: not among its largest
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.0%
Mortdale — New Zealand: 1.7% Oatley — New Zealand: 1.0%
Philippines 2.0% / 0.6%
Mortdale — Philippines: 2.0% Oatley — Philippines: 0.6%
Malaysia 0.7% / 0.9%
Mortdale — Malaysia: 0.7% Oatley — Malaysia: 0.9%
Greece 0.8% / 0.8%
Mortdale — Greece: 0.8% Oatley — Greece: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mortdale 42.7% houses
Mortdale — Houses: 42.7% Mortdale — Flats / Apartments: 41.1% Mortdale — Townhouses: 16.2%
Oatley 70.8% houses
Oatley — Houses: 70.8% Oatley — Flats / Apartments: 17.9% Oatley — Townhouses: 11.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Mortdale Oatley
Median house price $1,832,500 $2,612,500
Median unit price $782,222 $977,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 47 sales
 24 days
from 95 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Mortdale Oatley
2 bed $765K / $930K
Mortdale — 2 bed: $765K (81 sales) Oatley — 2 bed: $930K (27 sales)

81 vs 27 sales

3 bed $1.27M / $1.2M
Mortdale — 3 bed: $1.27M (11 sales) Oatley — 3 bed: $1.2M (13 sales)

11 vs 13 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.

Mortdale Oatley
2 bed $1.66M / $2.56M
Mortdale — 2 bed: $1.66M (10 sales) Oatley — 2 bed: $2.56M (7 sales)

10 vs 7 sales

3 bed $1.68M / $2.25M
Mortdale — 3 bed: $1.68M (29 sales) Oatley — 3 bed: $2.25M (35 sales)

29 vs 35 sales

4 bed $1.95M / $2.54M
Mortdale — 4 bed: $1.95M (17 sales) Oatley — 4 bed: $2.54M (46 sales)

17 vs 46 sales

5 bed $2.19M / $3.27M
Mortdale — 5 bed: $2.19M (14 sales) Oatley — 5 bed: $3.27M (37 sales)

14 vs 37 sales

Zoning mix

Mortdale has more industrially zoned land (12% vs 0%).

Mortdale Oatley
Residential 61% 70%
Parks and recreation 19% 21%
Industrial 12% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 6%
same for both
Commercial 2% 1%
Environmental 0% 2%
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

Mortdale Oatley
New dwellings approved 920
across Georges River
same for both
Approvals change year on year +91%
same for both

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.

Mortdale Oatley
Houses 3.2%
$880/wk on $1.45M
 3.1%
$1,200/wk on $2M
Units 4.1%
$650/wk on $825K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Mortdale Oatley
House price Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Income Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Schools Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 93% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 26% of NSW —

Liveability

Oatley scores higher overall (88 vs 72).

Mortdale Oatley
Grade A A+
Score 72/100 88/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Mortdale carries more crime risk (50 vs 28).

Mortdale Oatley
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
50/100
 Low
28/100
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 4
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Mortdale Oatley
Inside the suburb 4
same for both
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 6.6 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 8.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.2% 3.7%

Schools in Mortdale

  • Mortdale Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Marist Catholic College Penshurst Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Penshurst West Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Carinya School Government · Combined · Special school below peers

Schools in Oatley

  • Oatley West Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Oatley Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Georges River College Oatley Senior Campus Government · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Mortdale Oatley
Supermarkets 2
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 20 3
Parks & reserves 15 28
Childcare 9 8
GPs 3
same for both
Pharmacies 3
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 2
same for both
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Mortdale Oatley
Walkability score 93/100 92/100
Distance to Sydney 27.4 km 28.9 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 32 min 36 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 80/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 151.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 43.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.0%
postcode 2223
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 24
postcode 2223
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.

Mortdale Oatley
Worked from Home 50.7% / 59.6%
Mortdale — Worked from Home: 50.7% Oatley — Worked from Home: 59.6%
Car (driver) 32.7% / 32.4%
Mortdale — Car (driver): 32.7% Oatley — Car (driver): 32.4%
Train 10.7% / 3.4%
Mortdale — Train: 10.7% Oatley — Train: 3.4%
Car (passenger) 2.8% / 2.4%
Mortdale — Car (passenger): 2.8% Oatley — Car (passenger): 2.4%
Walked Only 2.6% / 1.7%
Mortdale — Walked Only: 2.6% Oatley — Walked Only: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.6%).

Setting

Mortdale Oatley
Elevation 35 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.6 km 5.7 km

NBN connectivity

Mortdale Oatley
Connectivity score 76/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
4,904 premises
 1%
4,310 premises

Climate

Mortdale Oatley
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Mortdale Oatley
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

Mortdale Oatley
Average residential rate $1,381/yr
same for both
Council Georges River
same for both

Federal electorate

Mortdale Oatley
Division Banks
same for both
Member Zhi Soon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mortdale Oatley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mortdale

Apartments Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks River Urban

Oatley

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mortdale

Mortdale vs Penshurst Mortdale vs Peakhurst Mortdale vs Peakhurst Heights

Other comparisons with Oatley

Oatley vs Penshurst Oatley vs Illawong Oatley vs Lugarno Oatley vs Oyster Bay Oatley vs Como Oatley vs Connells Point
Full data on Mortdale Full data on Oatley
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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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