North St Marys vs Whalan

In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North St Marys, most households rent. In Whalan, about half of households rent. Houses cost more in North St Marys: a median of $1.05 million, against $920,000 in Whalan, and rent is higher there too.

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

Whalan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more childcare (7 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Whalan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($920,000 vs $1,050,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Whalan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $340/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Whalan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (44.9 km vs 49 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • North St Marys is growing faster (5.2% vs -0.7%)
  • Whalan returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.4% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

North St Marys Whalan
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.

North St Marys Whalan
Walkability 74 / 79
North St Marys — Walkability: 74/100 Whalan — Walkability: 79/100
Safety 6 / 13
North St Marys — Safety: 6/100 Whalan — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 67 / 100
North St Marys — Low fire risk: 67/100 Whalan — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Whalan has more residents (5,929 vs 4,123); North St Marys rents higher ($340/wk vs $300/wk).

North St Marys Whalan
Population 4,123 5,929
+44% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.2% -0.7%
Median age 35 34
Median household income $65,260/yr
+8% vs other
 $60,320/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk
+12% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North St Marys Whalan
0-4 6.7% / 7.6%
North St Marys — 0-4: 6.7% Whalan — 0-4: 7.6%
5-14 14.7% / 16.8%
North St Marys — 5-14: 14.7% Whalan — 5-14: 16.8%
15-19 6.7% / 7.7%
North St Marys — 15-19: 6.7% Whalan — 15-19: 7.7%
20-24 7.3% / 6.1%
North St Marys — 20-24: 7.3% Whalan — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 14.5% / 12.3%
North St Marys — 25-34: 14.5% Whalan — 25-34: 12.3%
35-44 11.7% / 12.4%
North St Marys — 35-44: 11.7% Whalan — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 11.9% / 11.4%
North St Marys — 45-54: 11.9% Whalan — 45-54: 11.4%
55-64 10.8% / 10.8%
North St Marys — 55-64: 10.8% Whalan — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 7.3% / 9.0%
North St Marys — 65-74: 7.3% Whalan — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 5.1% / 5.0%
North St Marys — 75-84: 5.1% Whalan — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 3.4% / 1.0%
North St Marys — 85+: 3.4% Whalan — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North St Marys 31.9% couple families
North St Marys — Couple Families: 31.9% North St Marys — Lone Person: 31.7% North St Marys — One Parent Families: 29.0% North St Marys — Group Household: 5.6% North St Marys — Other Families: 1.9%
Whalan 32.8% couple families
Whalan — Couple Families: 32.8% Whalan — Lone Person: 30.6% Whalan — One Parent Families: 31.0% Whalan — Group Household: 2.8% Whalan — Other Families: 2.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

North St Marys 55.9% renting
North St Marys — Owned Outright: 21.7% North St Marys — Mortgage: 22.4% North St Marys — Renting: 55.9%
Whalan 54.3% renting
Whalan — Owned Outright: 22.7% Whalan — Mortgage: 22.9% Whalan — Renting: 54.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

North St Marys Whalan
New Zealand 3.1% / 3.7%
North St Marys — New Zealand: 3.1% Whalan — New Zealand: 3.7%
Philippines 2.6% / 3.5%
North St Marys — Philippines: 2.6% Whalan — Philippines: 3.5%
England 1.7% / 1.1%
North St Marys — England: 1.7% Whalan — England: 1.1%
Fiji 0.9% / 1.8%
North St Marys — Fiji: 0.9% Whalan — Fiji: 1.8%
India 0.9% / 1.1%
North St Marys — India: 0.9% Whalan — India: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

Qualifications

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

North St Marys Whalan
Certificate III & IV 12.2% / 10.3%
North St Marys — Certificate III & IV: 12.2% Whalan — Certificate III & IV: 10.3%
Bachelor Degree 4.7% / 4.1%
North St Marys — Bachelor Degree: 4.7% Whalan — Bachelor Degree: 4.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.4% / 4.1%
North St Marys — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.4% Whalan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / 1.5%
North St Marys — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% Whalan — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.5% / 0.4%
North St Marys — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.5% Whalan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North St Marys 96.6% houses
North St Marys — Houses: 96.6% North St Marys — Flats / Apartments: 1.7% North St Marys — Townhouses: 1.7%
Whalan 88.6% houses
Whalan — Houses: 88.6% Whalan — Flats / Apartments: 6.0% Whalan — Townhouses: 5.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

North St Marys Whalan
Median house price $1,050,000 $920,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 12 sales
 22 days
from 31 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.

North St Marys Whalan
3 bed $1.05M / $895K
North St Marys — 3 bed: $1.05M (28 sales) Whalan — 3 bed: $895K (38 sales)

28 vs 38 sales

4 bed $1.01M / $920K
North St Marys — 4 bed: $1.01M (8 sales) Whalan — 4 bed: $920K (17 sales)

8 vs 17 sales

Zoning mix

North St Marys has more industrially zoned land (18% vs 0%); North St Marys has more land zoned for conservation (19% vs 2%).

North St Marys Whalan
Residential 42% 63%
Parks and recreation 17% 27%
Environmental 19% 2%
Industrial 18% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 9%
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

North St Marys Whalan
New dwellings approved 1,063
across Penrith
 2,325
across Blacktown
Approvals change year on year -78% -18%

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.

North St Marys Whalan
Houses 2.9%
$565/wk on $1.01M
 3.4%
$550/wk on $850K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

North St Marys Whalan
House price Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
Schools Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 2% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 90% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW

Liveability

Whalan scores higher overall (36 vs 27).

North St Marys Whalan
Grade D C
Score 27/100 36/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

North St Marys carries more bushfire risk (33 vs 0).

North St Marys Whalan
Bushfire Low
33/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
94/100
 High
87/100
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 5
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

North St Marys Whalan
Inside the suburb 3
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 5.6 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 7.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.3% 1.2%

Schools in North St Marys

  • Chifley College Dunheved Campus Government · Secondary below peers
  • St Marys North Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • St Mary's Flexible School Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Whalan

  • Madang Avenue Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Whalan Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Halinda School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

North St Marys Whalan
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 4
same for both
Childcare 2 7
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Fuel stations 2 0
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

North St Marys sits further from the CBD (49 km vs 44.9 km).

North St Marys Whalan
Walkability score 74/100 79/100
Distance to Sydney 49 km
+8% vs other
 44.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 46 min 44 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 68.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 119.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2760
 0.3%
postcode 2770
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 34
postcode 2760
 37
postcode 2770

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.

North St Marys Whalan
Car (driver) 65.4% / 62.7%
North St Marys — Car (driver): 65.4% Whalan — Car (driver): 62.7%
Worked from Home 20.2% / 20.6%
North St Marys — Worked from Home: 20.2% Whalan — Worked from Home: 20.6%
Car (passenger) 6.2% / 8.1%
North St Marys — Car (passenger): 6.2% Whalan — Car (passenger): 8.1%
Train 4.6% / 5.5%
North St Marys — Train: 4.6% Whalan — Train: 5.5%
Walked Only 2.2% / 1.0%
North St Marys — Walked Only: 2.2% Whalan — Walked Only: 1.0%
Bus 0.9% / 1.8%
North St Marys — Bus: 0.9% Whalan — Bus: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.4%).

Setting

North St Marys Whalan
Elevation 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 41.3 km 39.6 km

NBN connectivity

North St Marys Whalan
Connectivity score 76/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
1,866 premises
 9%
2,202 premises

Climate

North St Marys Whalan
Annual rainfall 822 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

North St Marys Whalan
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.55 pphm
same for both

Council rates

North St Marys Whalan
Average residential rate $1,547/yr $1,157/yr
Council Penrith Blacktown

Federal electorate

North St Marys Whalan
Division Lindsay Chifley
Member Melissa Mcintosh Ed Husic
Party Liberal Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

North St Marys Whalan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

North St Marys

Easy Commute Large Blocks Outer Parks Transport Hub

Whalan

Family Outer Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North St Marys

North St Marys vs Mount Druitt North St Marys vs St Marys North St Marys vs Ropes Crossing North St Marys vs Oxley Park North St Marys vs Tregear

Other comparisons with Whalan

Whalan vs Mount Druitt Whalan vs Tregear Whalan vs Dharruk Whalan vs Emerton
Full data on North St Marys Full data on Whalan
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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