Mount Lofty vs North Toowoomba

North Toowoomba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 43 in Mount Lofty. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Toowoomba, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Mount Lofty: a median of $1.11 million, against $722,000 in North Toowoomba, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, North Toowoomba tends to suit people living alone and 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

Mount Lofty

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 4)
  • carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 78/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 44%)

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

First-home buyers

North Toowoomba

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($722,500 vs $1,105,500)
  • has cheaper land ($450,000 vs $640,000)
  • But Mount Lofty leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

North Toowoomba

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 26%)
  • has cheaper rent ($285/wk vs $340/wk)
  • But Mount Lofty leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 23%)

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

Commuting to the city

North Toowoomba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 21/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Mount Lofty carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 78/100)
  • North Toowoomba is more walkable (84/100 vs 21/100)

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

Investors

North Toowoomba

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (12.8% vs 1.3%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.9% vs 3.2%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
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.

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Walkability 21 / 84
Mount Lofty — Walkability: 21/100 North Toowoomba — Walkability: 84/100
Safety 51 / 22
Mount Lofty — Safety: 51/100 North Toowoomba — Safety: 22/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Mount Lofty — Low fire risk: 100/100 North Toowoomba — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mount Lofty has higher household incomes ($104,104 vs $65,312); Mount Lofty rents higher ($340/wk vs $285/wk).

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Population 3,825
+13% vs other
 3,332
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.3% +12.8%
Median age 43 37
Median household income $104,104/yr
+37% vs other
 $65,312/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk
+16% vs other
 $285/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
0-4 5.3% / 6.1%
Mount Lofty — 0-4: 5.3% North Toowoomba — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 12.9% / 11.7%
Mount Lofty — 5-14: 12.9% North Toowoomba — 5-14: 11.7%
15-19 7.3% / 5.2%
Mount Lofty — 15-19: 7.3% North Toowoomba — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 5.0% / 7.3%
Mount Lofty — 20-24: 5.0% North Toowoomba — 20-24: 7.3%
25-34 10.5% / 16.5%
Mount Lofty — 25-34: 10.5% North Toowoomba — 25-34: 16.5%
35-44 11.7% / 11.3%
Mount Lofty — 35-44: 11.7% North Toowoomba — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 14.6% / 12.1%
Mount Lofty — 45-54: 14.6% North Toowoomba — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 12.2% / 12.5%
Mount Lofty — 55-64: 12.2% North Toowoomba — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 10.5% / 8.8%
Mount Lofty — 65-74: 10.5% North Toowoomba — 65-74: 8.8%
75-84 6.9% / 5.6%
Mount Lofty — 75-84: 6.9% North Toowoomba — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ 3.0% / 3.0%
Mount Lofty — 85+: 3.0% North Toowoomba — 85+: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mount Lofty 38.3% lone person
Mount Lofty — Lone Person: 38.3% Mount Lofty — Couple Families: 44.0% Mount Lofty — One Parent Families: 14.5% Mount Lofty — Group Household: 2.5% Mount Lofty — Other Families: 0.7%
North Toowoomba 47.5% lone person
North Toowoomba — Lone Person: 47.5% North Toowoomba — Couple Families: 26.7% North Toowoomba — One Parent Families: 17.7% North Toowoomba — Group Household: 5.6% North Toowoomba — Other Families: 2.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mount Lofty 26.1% renting
Mount Lofty — Owned Outright: 37.5% Mount Lofty — Mortgage: 36.4% Mount Lofty — Renting: 26.1%
North Toowoomba 44.5% renting
North Toowoomba — Owned Outright: 23.6% North Toowoomba — Mortgage: 31.9% North Toowoomba — Renting: 44.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Bachelor Degree 18.9% / 12.2%
Mount Lofty — Bachelor Degree: 18.9% North Toowoomba — Bachelor Degree: 12.2%
Certificate III & IV 12.9% / 15.0%
Mount Lofty — Certificate III & IV: 12.9% North Toowoomba — Certificate III & IV: 15.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 6.9%
Mount Lofty — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% North Toowoomba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 7.2% / 3.2%
Mount Lofty — Postgraduate Degree: 7.2% North Toowoomba — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 1.8%
Mount Lofty — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% North Toowoomba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Iraq 1.2% / 5.3%
Mount Lofty — Iraq: 1.2% North Toowoomba — Iraq: 5.3%
England 2.6% / 2.4%
Mount Lofty — England: 2.6% North Toowoomba — England: 2.4%
New Zealand 1.6% / 2.0%
Mount Lofty — New Zealand: 1.6% North Toowoomba — New Zealand: 2.0%
South Africa 1.2% / 0.4%
Mount Lofty — South Africa: 1.2% North Toowoomba — South Africa: 0.4%
India 0.6% / 0.7%
Mount Lofty — India: 0.6% North Toowoomba — India: 0.7%
Philippines 0.4% / 0.6%
Mount Lofty — Philippines: 0.4% North Toowoomba — Philippines: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mount Lofty 89.1% houses
Mount Lofty — Houses: 89.1% Mount Lofty — Townhouses: 9.8% Mount Lofty — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
North Toowoomba 79.8% houses
North Toowoomba — Houses: 79.8% North Toowoomba — Townhouses: 19.8% North Toowoomba — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Median house price $1,105,500 $722,500
Median unit price $580,000 $620,000
Median land price $640,000 $450,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 59 sales
 24 days
from 43 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.

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
2 bed $860K / $635K
Mount Lofty — 2 bed: $860K (8 sales) North Toowoomba — 2 bed: $635K (23 sales)

8 vs 23 sales

3 bed $902K / $723K
Mount Lofty — 3 bed: $902K (50 sales) North Toowoomba — 3 bed: $723K (81 sales)

50 vs 81 sales

4 bed $1.35M / $850K
Mount Lofty — 4 bed: $1.35M (54 sales) North Toowoomba — 4 bed: $850K (21 sales)

54 vs 21 sales

Development activity

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
New dwellings approved 1,513
across Toowoomba
same for both
Approvals change year on year -25%
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.

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Houses 3.2%
$650/wk on $1.05M
 3.9%
$565/wk on $750K
Units 3.9%
$440/wk on $582K
 3.8%
$505/wk on $687K

Ranking within QLD

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 77% of QLD Higher than 31% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 79% of QLD Higher than 97% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 71% of QLD Higher than 70% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 98% of QLD Higher than 97% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 15% of QLD Higher than 49% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 28% of QLD Higher than 24% of QLD

Liveability

North Toowoomba is more walkable (84 vs 21); Mount Lofty scores higher overall (66 vs 48).

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Grade B C
Score 66/100 48/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

North Toowoomba carries more crime risk (78 vs 49).

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
49/100
 High
78/100
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
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
USQ (Toowoomba), 3.7 km
 1
USQ (Toowoomba), 1.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.4% 0.8%

Schools in Mount Lofty

  • Toowoomba State High School Government · Secondary at peers

Schools in North Toowoomba

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 3 1
Parks & reserves 8 4
Childcare 1 3
Pharmacies 0 1
Fuel stations 1 2
Waterways 1 3

Mobility

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Walkability score 21/100 84/100
Distance to Brisbane 126.5 km 126 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 104 min 101 min
Public transport score 61/100
Bus
 67/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 18.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 24.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 4350
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 41
postcode 4350
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.

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Car (driver) 78.8% / 77.4%
Mount Lofty — Car (driver): 78.8% North Toowoomba — Car (driver): 77.4%
Worked from Home 11.8% / 9.2%
Mount Lofty — Worked from Home: 11.8% North Toowoomba — Worked from Home: 9.2%
Car (passenger) 5.9% / 6.5%
Mount Lofty — Car (passenger): 5.9% North Toowoomba — Car (passenger): 6.5%
Walked Only 2.0% / 5.3%
Mount Lofty — Walked Only: 2.0% North Toowoomba — Walked Only: 5.3%
Bicycle 1.2% / 1.3%
Mount Lofty — Bicycle: 1.2% North Toowoomba — Bicycle: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.8%).

Setting

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Elevation 537 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 599 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Connectivity score 99/100 96/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 98%
1,760 premises
 92%
1,832 premises

Climate

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Annual rainfall 643 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.0 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Average residential rate $1,618/yr
same for both
Council Toowoomba
same for both

Federal electorate

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Division Groom
same for both
Member Garth Hamilton
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mount Lofty North Toowoomba
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mount Lofty

Acreage Professionals

North Toowoomba

Parks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mount Lofty

Mount Lofty vs East Toowoomba Mount Lofty vs Harlaxton Mount Lofty vs Withcott Mount Lofty vs Prince Henry Heights Mount Lofty vs Ballard Mount Lofty vs Redwood

Other comparisons with North Toowoomba

North Toowoomba vs Newtown North Toowoomba vs East Toowoomba North Toowoomba vs Rockville North Toowoomba vs Harlaxton North Toowoomba vs Toowoomba City
Full data on Mount Lofty Full data on North Toowoomba
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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