Narrabundah vs Symonston

Narrabundah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 55 in Symonston. In both, most households own their home. In Narrabundah, most homes are detached houses. In Symonston, most homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Narrabundah: a median of $1.42 million, against $380,000 in Symonston, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Symonston tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget.

Narrabundah and Symonston are vastly different in scale and character. Narrabundah is a larger, more established suburb of 6,455 people with a median household income of $122,356 and a walkability score of 84, making it suited to those seeking urban convenience and amenities. Symonston is a much smaller community of 655 people with a median household income of $43,732 and a walkability score of 11, reflecting a quieter, car-dependent setting. Property costs differ dramatically—median house prices are $1,415,500 in Narrabundah versus $380,000 in Symonston—and Narrabundah scores significantly higher on liveability (51 versus 8). Both suburbs are similarly distant from the CBD, though Narrabundah carries higher bushfire and flood risks while Symonston has higher crime risk.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Narrabundah

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 17%)

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

First-home buyers

Symonston

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($380,000 vs $1,415,500)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 24%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Narrabundah leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 33%)
  • Symonston has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Narrabundah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 11/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Narrabundah

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 11/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 87/100)
  • But Symonston has more units and townhouses to downsize into (66% vs 32%)

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

Investors

Symonston

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (17.2% vs 8.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Narrabundah Symonston
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.

Narrabundah Symonston
Walkability 84 / 11
Narrabundah — Walkability: 84/100 Symonston — Walkability: 11/100
Safety 31 / 13
Narrabundah — Safety: 31/100 Symonston — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 13 / 19
Narrabundah — Low fire risk: 13/100 Symonston — Low fire risk: 19/100
Low flood risk 57 / 41
Narrabundah — Low flood risk: 57/100 Symonston — Low flood risk: 41/100

Demographics

Narrabundah has more residents (6,455 vs 655); Narrabundah has higher household incomes ($122,356 vs $43,732).

Narrabundah Symonston
Population 6,455
+90% vs other
 655
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.3% +17.2%
Median age 40 55
Median household income $122,356/yr
+64% vs other
 $43,732/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+38% vs other
 $275/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Narrabundah Symonston
0-4 5.0% / 2.0%
Narrabundah — 0-4: 5.0% Symonston — 0-4: 2.0%
5-14 12.7% / 4.4%
Narrabundah — 5-14: 12.7% Symonston — 5-14: 4.4%
15-19 5.8% / 2.9%
Narrabundah — 15-19: 5.8% Symonston — 15-19: 2.9%
20-24 5.3% / 4.9%
Narrabundah — 20-24: 5.3% Symonston — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 12.5% / 8.9%
Narrabundah — 25-34: 12.5% Symonston — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 14.5% / 11.9%
Narrabundah — 35-44: 14.5% Symonston — 35-44: 11.9%
45-54 13.7% / 14.2%
Narrabundah — 45-54: 13.7% Symonston — 45-54: 14.2%
55-64 12.2% / 22.1%
Narrabundah — 55-64: 12.2% Symonston — 55-64: 22.1%
65-74 9.2% / 17.9%
Narrabundah — 65-74: 9.2% Symonston — 65-74: 17.9%
75-84 5.5% / 9.3%
Narrabundah — 75-84: 5.5% Symonston — 75-84: 9.3%
85+ 3.6% / 1.1%
Narrabundah — 85+: 3.6% Symonston — 85+: 1.1%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Narrabundah 39.3% lone person
Narrabundah — Lone Person: 39.3% Narrabundah — Couple Families: 38.8% Narrabundah — One Parent Families: 14.2% Narrabundah — Group Household: 6.3% Narrabundah — Other Families: 1.3%
Symonston 73.1% lone person
Symonston — Lone Person: 73.1% Symonston — Couple Families: 8.8% Symonston — One Parent Families: 8.3% Symonston — Group Household: 6.9% Symonston — Other Families: 2.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Narrabundah 37.9% renting
Narrabundah — Owned Outright: 27.6% Narrabundah — Mortgage: 34.5% Narrabundah — Renting: 37.9%
Symonston 31.7% renting
Symonston — Owned Outright: 66.7% Symonston — Mortgage: 1.6% Symonston — Renting: 31.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Narrabundah Symonston
Bachelor Degree 20.6% / 5.5%
Narrabundah — Bachelor Degree: 20.6% Symonston — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%
Certificate III & IV 6.8% / 12.4%
Narrabundah — Certificate III & IV: 6.8% Symonston — Certificate III & IV: 12.4%
Postgraduate Degree 14.8% / 2.1%
Narrabundah — Postgraduate Degree: 14.8% Symonston — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.4% / 4.1%
Narrabundah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4% Symonston — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.1% / 1.7%
Narrabundah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.1% Symonston — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

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.

Narrabundah Symonston
England 3.4% / 3.1%
Narrabundah — England: 3.4% Symonston — England: 3.1%
Philippines 1.0% / 3.5%
Narrabundah — Philippines: 1.0% Symonston — Philippines: 3.5%
New Zealand 1.3% / 2.3%
Narrabundah — New Zealand: 1.3% Symonston — New Zealand: 2.3%
India 2.6% / 0.5%
Narrabundah — India: 2.6% Symonston — India: 0.5%
Nepal 1.4% / —
Narrabundah — Nepal: 1.4% Symonston — Nepal: not among its largest
China 1.2% / —
Narrabundah — China: 1.2% Symonston — China: not among its largest
Thailand — / 0.8%
Narrabundah — Thailand: not among its largest Symonston — Thailand: 0.8%
Zimbabwe — / 0.8%
Narrabundah — Zimbabwe: not among its largest Symonston — Zimbabwe: 0.8%

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Narrabundah 68.2% houses
Narrabundah — Houses: 68.2% Narrabundah — Flats / Apartments: 19.1% Narrabundah — Townhouses: 12.7%
Symonston 33.6% houses
Symonston — Houses: 33.6% Symonston — Flats / Apartments: 58.4% Symonston — Townhouses: 8.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Narrabundah Symonston
Median house price $1,415,500 $380,000
Median unit price $570,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 74 sales
 22 days
from 4 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.

Narrabundah Symonston
2 bed $1.03M / $265K
Narrabundah — 2 bed: $1.03M (16 sales) Symonston — 2 bed: $265K (6 sales)

16 vs 6 sales

3 bed $1.3M / $399K
Narrabundah — 3 bed: $1.3M (46 sales) Symonston — 3 bed: $399K (6 sales)

46 vs 6 sales

Development activity

Narrabundah Symonston
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
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.

Narrabundah Symonston
Houses 3.8%
$778/wk on $1.06M
 —
Units 5.1%
$585/wk on $594K
 —

Ranking within ACT

Narrabundah Symonston
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 48% of ACT Higher than 1% of ACT
Schools Higher than 68% of ACT —
Walkability Higher than 89% of ACT Higher than 10% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 52% of ACT Higher than 95% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 48% of ACT Higher than 46% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 25% of ACT —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 22% of ACT —

Liveability

Narrabundah is more walkable (84 vs 11); Narrabundah scores higher overall (51 vs 8).

Narrabundah Symonston
Grade B D
Score 51/100 8/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Symonston carries more flood risk (59 vs 43); Symonston carries more crime risk (87 vs 69).

Narrabundah Symonston
Bushfire High
87/100
 High
81/100
Crime Moderate
69/100
 High
87/100
Flood Moderate
43/100
 Moderate
59/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Narrabundah Symonston
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
UNSW Canberra, 3.3 km
 1
UNSW Canberra, 5.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.5% 0.0%

Schools in Narrabundah

  • St Benedict's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Narrabundah College Government · Secondary
  • Narrabundah Early Childhood School Government · Primary

Schools in Symonston

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

Amenities in the suburb

Narrabundah Symonston
Cafes & restaurants 6 3
Parks & reserves 8 0
Childcare 4 2
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Waterways 3 2

Mobility

Narrabundah Symonston
Walkability score 84/100 11/100
Distance to Canberra 13.3 km
+2% vs other
 13.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 19 min 18 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 43/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 142.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 9.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.6%
postcode 2604
 5.0%
postcode 2609
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 16
postcode 2604
 88
postcode 2609

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.

Narrabundah Symonston
Car (driver) 66.3% / 79.9%
Narrabundah — Car (driver): 66.3% Symonston — Car (driver): 79.9%
Worked from Home 13.8% / 5.0%
Narrabundah — Worked from Home: 13.8% Symonston — Worked from Home: 5.0%
Car (passenger) 7.0% / 10.1%
Narrabundah — Car (passenger): 7.0% Symonston — Car (passenger): 10.1%
Walked Only 2.6% / 5.0%
Narrabundah — Walked Only: 2.6% Symonston — Walked Only: 5.0%
Bus 5.6% / —
Narrabundah — Bus: 5.6% Symonston — Bus: not among its largest
Bicycle 4.6% / —
Narrabundah — Bicycle: 4.6% Symonston — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.9%).

Setting

Narrabundah Symonston
Elevation 581 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 579 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Narrabundah Symonston
Connectivity score 54/100 53/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
3,273 premises
 11%
270 premises

Climate

Narrabundah Symonston
Annual rainfall 622 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Narrabundah Symonston
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Narrabundah Symonston
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Narrabundah Symonston
Division Canberra Bean
Member Alicia Payne David Smith
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Narrabundah Symonston
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Narrabundah

Inner Parks Premium Professionals

Symonston

Affordable Middle-Ring Multicultural Quiet Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Narrabundah

Narrabundah vs Griffith Narrabundah vs Red Hill Narrabundah vs Fyshwick

Other comparisons with Symonston

Symonston vs Garran Symonston vs Red Hill Symonston vs O'Malley Symonston vs Fyshwick
Full data on Narrabundah Full data on Symonston
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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