Nowley vs Merah North
Merah North is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 42 in Nowley. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Nowley, the large majority of households are couple families. In Merah North, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Nowley tends to suit families with children and couples, while Merah North suits young adults.
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
Nowley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 12/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 45%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Nowley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($45/wk vs $110/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Merah North
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (415 min vs 434 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (584.5 km vs 604.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Nowley carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 12/100)
- Merah North has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 6%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Nowley and Merah North 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
Merah North has more residents (129 vs 50); Merah North rents higher ($110/wk vs $45/wk).
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 129 +158% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -28.6% | -30.6% |
| Median age | 42 | 36 |
| Median household income | $110,500/yr +13% vs other | $96,564/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $45/wk | $110/wk +144% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
Zoning mix
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 14 across Narrabri same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
Liveability
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Merah North carries more crime risk (12 vs 0).
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | None 0/100 | Low 12/100 |
| 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
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 26 |
Mobility
Nowley sits further from the CBD (604.7 km vs 584.5 km).
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 604.7 km +3% vs other | 584.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 434 min | 415 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2386 | 0.0% postcode 2388 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2386 | 80 postcode 2388 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 166 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 177 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 15 premises | 0% 29 premises |
Council rates
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,140/yr same for both | |
| Council | Narrabri same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Nowley | Merah North | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Nowley
Other comparisons with Merah North
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.