Old Toongabbie vs Northmead

In both, most households own their home. In Old Toongabbie, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Northmead: a median of $1.71 million, against $1.45 million in Old Toongabbie, though rent is higher in Old Toongabbie. On these figures, Old Toongabbie tends to suit couples, while Northmead suits people living alone.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Old Toongabbie has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 49%)
  • Northmead has more parks and reserves (12 vs 3)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Old Toongabbie has cheaper houses ($1,451,250 vs $1,705,000)
  • Northmead has cheaper units ($602,500 vs $821,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Northmead

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 23%)

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

Commuting to the city

Northmead

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (27.2 km vs 29.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Old Toongabbie carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 51/100)
  • Northmead has more units and townhouses to downsize into (51% vs 17%)

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

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

Old Toongabbie Northmead
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.

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Walkability 84 / 84
Old Toongabbie — Walkability: 84/100 Northmead — Walkability: 84/100
Safety 70 / 49
Old Toongabbie — Safety: 70/100 Northmead — Safety: 49/100
Low fire risk 100 / 76
Old Toongabbie — Low fire risk: 100/100 Northmead — Low fire risk: 76/100

Demographics

Northmead has more residents (11,261 vs 3,276); Old Toongabbie has higher household incomes ($112,944 vs $100,048).

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Population 3,276 11,261
+244% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.6% +0.4%
Median age 38 39
Median household income $112,944/yr
+11% vs other
 $100,048/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+7% vs other
 $420/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Old Toongabbie Northmead
0-4 6.4% / 6.2%
Old Toongabbie — 0-4: 6.4% Northmead — 0-4: 6.2%
5-14 14.5% / 13.0%
Old Toongabbie — 5-14: 14.5% Northmead — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 6.3% / 5.1%
Old Toongabbie — 15-19: 6.3% Northmead — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 5.3% / 4.8%
Old Toongabbie — 20-24: 5.3% Northmead — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 12.0% / 13.1%
Old Toongabbie — 25-34: 12.0% Northmead — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 13.9% / 16.3%
Old Toongabbie — 35-44: 13.9% Northmead — 35-44: 16.3%
45-54 14.1% / 13.4%
Old Toongabbie — 45-54: 14.1% Northmead — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 11.9% / 9.8%
Old Toongabbie — 55-64: 11.9% Northmead — 55-64: 9.8%
65-74 8.0% / 8.4%
Old Toongabbie — 65-74: 8.0% Northmead — 65-74: 8.4%
75-84 6.0% / 6.7%
Old Toongabbie — 75-84: 6.0% Northmead — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 1.6% / 3.1%
Old Toongabbie — 85+: 1.6% Northmead — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Old Toongabbie 56.1% couple families
Old Toongabbie — Couple Families: 56.1% Old Toongabbie — Lone Person: 25.1% Old Toongabbie — One Parent Families: 14.5% Old Toongabbie — Group Household: 2.9% Old Toongabbie — Other Families: 1.2%
Northmead 44.2% couple families
Northmead — Couple Families: 44.2% Northmead — Lone Person: 36.0% Northmead — One Parent Families: 14.4% Northmead — Group Household: 3.9% Northmead — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Old Toongabbie 23.0% renting
Old Toongabbie — Owned Outright: 35.5% Old Toongabbie — Mortgage: 41.5% Old Toongabbie — Renting: 23.0%
Northmead 34.5% renting
Northmead — Owned Outright: 27.7% Northmead — Mortgage: 37.7% Northmead — Renting: 34.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Bachelor Degree 15.0% / 18.7%
Old Toongabbie — Bachelor Degree: 15.0% Northmead — Bachelor Degree: 18.7%
Certificate III & IV 12.4% / 10.3%
Old Toongabbie — Certificate III & IV: 12.4% Northmead — Certificate III & IV: 10.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 8.5%
Old Toongabbie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Northmead — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 5.6% / 7.8%
Old Toongabbie — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6% Northmead — Postgraduate Degree: 7.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 2.0%
Old Toongabbie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Northmead — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).

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.

Old Toongabbie Northmead
India 5.3% / 5.2%
Old Toongabbie — India: 5.3% Northmead — India: 5.2%
China 1.8% / 3.1%
Old Toongabbie — China: 1.8% Northmead — China: 3.1%
Sri Lanka 3.0% / 1.0%
Old Toongabbie — Sri Lanka: 3.0% Northmead — Sri Lanka: 1.0%
England 2.2% / 1.6%
Old Toongabbie — England: 2.2% Northmead — England: 1.6%
New Zealand 2.1% / 1.6%
Old Toongabbie — New Zealand: 2.1% Northmead — New Zealand: 1.6%
Philippines 1.0% / 1.8%
Old Toongabbie — Philippines: 1.0% Northmead — Philippines: 1.8%
Iran — / 2.2%
Old Toongabbie — Iran: not among its largest Northmead — Iran: 2.2%

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Old Toongabbie 83.5% houses
Old Toongabbie — Houses: 83.5% Old Toongabbie — Flats / Apartments: 7.8% Old Toongabbie — Townhouses: 8.8%
Northmead 49.0% houses
Northmead — Houses: 49.0% Northmead — Flats / Apartments: 31.6% Northmead — Townhouses: 19.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Median house price $1,451,250 $1,705,000
Median unit price $821,000 $602,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 26 sales
 28 days
from 98 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.

Old Toongabbie Northmead
3 bed $1.32M / $1.55M
Old Toongabbie — 3 bed: $1.32M (20 sales) Northmead — 3 bed: $1.55M (47 sales)

20 vs 47 sales

4 bed $1.5M / $1.74M
Old Toongabbie — 4 bed: $1.5M (17 sales) Northmead — 4 bed: $1.74M (56 sales)

17 vs 56 sales

5 bed $1.45M / $1.85M
Old Toongabbie — 5 bed: $1.45M (13 sales) Northmead — 5 bed: $1.85M (14 sales)

13 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Northmead has more land zoned for conservation (15% vs 4%).

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Residential 72% 65%
Environmental 4% 15%
Industrial 8% 9%
Parks and recreation 8% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 4%
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

Old Toongabbie Northmead
New dwellings approved 2,888
across Parramatta
same for both
Approvals change year on year +154%
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.

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Houses 3.3%
$850/wk on $1.35M
 3.2%
$850/wk on $1.4M
Units — 5.5%
$640/wk on $605K

Ranking within NSW

Old Toongabbie Northmead
House price Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Income Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 69% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 94% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 85% of NSW

Liveability

Old Toongabbie scores higher overall (80 vs 70).

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Grade A
same for both
Score 80/100 70/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Northmead carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0); Northmead carries more crime risk (51 vs 30).

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
24/100
Crime Low
30/100
 Moderate
51/100
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 9
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 4.5 km
 2
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 3.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 2.5%

Schools in Old Toongabbie

  • Toongabbie Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Northmead

  • Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Northmead Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • The Hills School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 2
same for both
Parks & reserves 3 12
Childcare 3 9
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 1 4
Waterways 1 8

Mobility

Old Toongabbie sits further from the CBD (29.9 km vs 27.2 km).

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Walkability score 84/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 29.9 km
+9% vs other
 27.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 32 min 29 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 67.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 304.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2146
 1.6%
postcode 2152
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 34
postcode 2146
 23
postcode 2152

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.

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Worked from Home 48.9% / 52.9%
Old Toongabbie — Worked from Home: 48.9% Northmead — Worked from Home: 52.9%
Car (driver) 42.5% / 37.3%
Old Toongabbie — Car (driver): 42.5% Northmead — Car (driver): 37.3%
Car (passenger) 3.6% / 2.9%
Old Toongabbie — Car (passenger): 3.6% Northmead — Car (passenger): 2.9%
Bus 2.8% / 2.5%
Old Toongabbie — Bus: 2.8% Northmead — Bus: 2.5%
Train 1.5% / 1.7%
Old Toongabbie — Train: 1.5% Northmead — Train: 1.7%
Walked Only 0.6% / 2.3%
Old Toongabbie — Walked Only: 0.6% Northmead — Walked Only: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.9%).

Setting

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Elevation 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 49 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 25.4 km 23.5 km

NBN connectivity

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Connectivity score 75/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
1,245 premises
 10%
5,264 premises

Climate

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Annual rainfall 932 mm 1,021 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 28.4°C
Winter min (Jul) — 7.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Old Toongabbie Northmead
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.83 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Average residential rate $1,103/yr
same for both
Council Parramatta
same for both

Federal electorate

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Division Parramatta Mitchell
Member Andrew Charlton Alex Hawke
Party Australian Labor Party Liberal

First Home Owner Grant

Old Toongabbie Northmead
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Old Toongabbie

Outer Parks

Northmead

Apartments Outer Parks Professionals River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Old Toongabbie

Old Toongabbie vs Seven Hills Old Toongabbie vs Toongabbie Old Toongabbie vs Wentworthville Old Toongabbie vs Winston Hills Old Toongabbie vs Pendle Hill Old Toongabbie vs Constitution Hill

Other comparisons with Northmead

Northmead vs Baulkham Hills Northmead vs Westmead Northmead vs Wentworthville Northmead vs Winston Hills Northmead vs North Parramatta Northmead vs North Rocks
Full data on Old Toongabbie Full data on Northmead
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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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