Parap vs The Gardens

In both, most households rent. In Parap, most homes are flats or apartments. In The Gardens, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Parap: a median of $1.03 million, against $500,000 in The Gardens, and rent is higher there too. The Gardens is closer to the city centre: 4.2 km, against 5.3 km. On these figures, The Gardens tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

Parap is the larger and more established suburb with a population of 2819, while The Gardens is a smaller, quieter community of 726 residents. Parap scores higher on liveability (73 versus 64) and offers a marginally stronger median household income of $116,012 compared to $112,112, though The Gardens is slightly closer to the CBD at 4.2 km. Both suburbs share the same median age and carry no bushfire, crime, or flood risk, making either a safe choice for families or retirees seeking a low-risk location in Darwin's northern suburbs.

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

Parap

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (31% vs 2%)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • But The Gardens has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Parap has cheaper units ($448,750 vs $497,500)
  • The Gardens has cheaper houses ($500,000 vs $1,030,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

The Gardens

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (98% vs 69%)

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

Investors

Parap

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (7.5% vs 6.3%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Parap The Gardens
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.

Parap The Gardens
Walkability 64 / 69
Parap — Walkability: 64/100 The Gardens — Walkability: 69/100

Demographics

Parap has more residents (2,819 vs 726).

Parap The Gardens
Population 2,819
+74% vs other
 726
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% -0.3%
Median age 36
same for both
Median household income $116,012/yr
+3% vs other
 $112,112/yr
Median weekly rent $415/wk
+7% vs other
 $388/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Parap The Gardens
0-4 5.5% / 5.9%
Parap — 0-4: 5.5% The Gardens — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 11.8% / 9.1%
Parap — 5-14: 11.8% The Gardens — 5-14: 9.1%
15-19 4.2% / 5.1%
Parap — 15-19: 4.2% The Gardens — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 5.1% / 4.7%
Parap — 20-24: 5.1% The Gardens — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 21.1% / 21.9%
Parap — 25-34: 21.1% The Gardens — 25-34: 21.9%
35-44 16.6% / 20.7%
Parap — 35-44: 16.6% The Gardens — 35-44: 20.7%
45-54 12.7% / 11.6%
Parap — 45-54: 12.7% The Gardens — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 12.1% / 10.5%
Parap — 55-64: 12.1% The Gardens — 55-64: 10.5%
65-74 7.6% / 9.6%
Parap — 65-74: 7.6% The Gardens — 65-74: 9.6%
75-84 2.2% / 2.1%
Parap — 75-84: 2.2% The Gardens — 75-84: 2.1%
85+ 0.9% / 0.8%
Parap — 85+: 0.9% The Gardens — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Parap 40.6% lone person
Parap — Lone Person: 40.6% Parap — Couple Families: 34.0% Parap — One Parent Families: 13.2% Parap — Group Household: 11.0% Parap — Other Families: 1.3%
The Gardens 54.3% lone person
The Gardens — Lone Person: 54.3% The Gardens — Couple Families: 21.6% The Gardens — One Parent Families: 12.1% The Gardens — Group Household: 12.1% The Gardens — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Parap 63.0% renting
Parap — Owned Outright: 13.2% Parap — Mortgage: 23.9% Parap — Renting: 63.0%
The Gardens 63.8% renting
The Gardens — Owned Outright: 13.6% The Gardens — Mortgage: 22.6% The Gardens — Renting: 63.8%
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.

Parap The Gardens
England 4.0% / 1.9%
Parap — England: 4.0% The Gardens — England: 1.9%
Philippines 2.8% / 2.1%
Parap — Philippines: 2.8% The Gardens — Philippines: 2.1%
New Zealand 2.2% / 2.5%
Parap — New Zealand: 2.2% The Gardens — New Zealand: 2.5%
India 2.8% / 1.9%
Parap — India: 2.8% The Gardens — India: 1.9%
Nepal 1.8% / 2.3%
Parap — Nepal: 1.8% The Gardens — Nepal: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).

Qualifications

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

Parap The Gardens
Bachelor Degree 20.4% / 19.8%
Parap — Bachelor Degree: 20.4% The Gardens — Bachelor Degree: 19.8%
Certificate III & IV 12.8% / 11.0%
Parap — Certificate III & IV: 12.8% The Gardens — Certificate III & IV: 11.0%
Postgraduate Degree 8.5% / 10.1%
Parap — Postgraduate Degree: 8.5% The Gardens — Postgraduate Degree: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 9.5%
Parap — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% The Gardens — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 3.0%
Parap — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% The Gardens — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Parap 58.9% flats / apartments
Parap — Flats / Apartments: 58.9% Parap — Townhouses: 10.3% Parap — Houses: 30.7%
The Gardens 24.8% flats / apartments
The Gardens — Flats / Apartments: 24.8% The Gardens — Townhouses: 73.1% The Gardens — Houses: 2.1%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Parap The Gardens
Median house price $1,030,000 $500,000
Median unit price $448,750 $497,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 11 sales
 —

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Parap The Gardens
2 bed $440K / $485K
Parap — 2 bed: $440K (62 sales) The Gardens — 2 bed: $485K (31 sales)

62 vs 31 sales

3 bed $615K / $646K
Parap — 3 bed: $615K (24 sales) The Gardens — 3 bed: $646K (8 sales)

24 vs 8 sales

Development activity

Parap The Gardens
New dwellings approved 171
across Darwin
same for both
Approvals change year on year +47%
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.

Parap The Gardens
Houses 3.7%
$750/wk on $1.05M
 3.8%
$725/wk on $980K
Units 7.5%
$628/wk on $435K
 6.3%
$485/wk on $399K

Ranking within NT

Parap The Gardens
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 78% of NT Higher than 73% of NT
Schools — Higher than 38% of NT
Walkability Higher than 90% of NT Higher than 93% of NT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 95% of NT Higher than 98% of NT
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NT Higher than 90% of NT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 5% of NT Higher than 9% of NT
Rental yield (units) Higher than 81% of NT Higher than 31% of NT

Liveability

Parap scores higher overall (84 vs 69).

Parap The Gardens
Grade A B
Score 84/100 69/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Parap The Gardens
Bushfire Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Parap The Gardens
Inside the suburb 1 5
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Danala Education and Community Precinct, 3.4 km
 2
Danala Education and Community Precinct, 2.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.3% 0.4%

Schools in Parap

  • Parap Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in The Gardens

  • Darwin High School Government · Secondary
  • Darwin Middle School Government · Secondary
  • Northern Territory School of Distance Education Government · Secondary
  • SEDA College NT - Waratah Club campus Independent · Secondary
  • St John's Catholic College Catholic · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Parap The Gardens
Cafes & restaurants 8 4
Parks & reserves 9 24
Childcare 4 0
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 0 6

Mobility

Parap The Gardens
Walkability score 64/100 69/100
Distance to Darwin 5.3 km
+21% vs other
 4.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min
same for both
Public transport score 92/100
Bus
 68/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 56.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 13.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 0820
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 19
postcode 0820
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.

Parap The Gardens
Car (driver) 77.7% / 70.1%
Parap — Car (driver): 77.7% The Gardens — Car (driver): 70.1%
Worked from Home 5.7% / 7.5%
Parap — Worked from Home: 5.7% The Gardens — Worked from Home: 7.5%
Car (passenger) 6.4% / 6.7%
Parap — Car (passenger): 6.4% The Gardens — Car (passenger): 6.7%
Walked Only 3.9% / 8.9%
Parap — Walked Only: 3.9% The Gardens — Walked Only: 8.9%
Bicycle 3.3% / 4.7%
Parap — Bicycle: 3.3% The Gardens — Bicycle: 4.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.7%).

Setting

Parap The Gardens
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.1 km
1.2 km to a named beach
 266 m
360 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Parap The Gardens
Connectivity score 98/100 100/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 94%
1,441 premises
 100%
419 premises

Climate

Parap The Gardens
Annual rainfall 1,836 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 32.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 19.8°C
same for both

Council rates

Parap The Gardens
Average residential rate $1,870/yr
same for both
Council Darwin
same for both

Federal electorate

Parap The Gardens
Division Solomon
same for both
Member Luke John Gosling
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Parap The Gardens
Grant amount $50,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Parap

Apartments Beach Coastal Easy Commute Inner Parks Transport Hub

The Gardens

Beach Beachfront Coastal Easy Commute Inner Parks Premium Professionals River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Parap

Parap vs Stuart Park Parap vs Fannie Bay Parap vs Ludmilla Parap vs Woolner

Other comparisons with The Gardens

The Gardens vs Darwin City The Gardens vs Stuart Park The Gardens vs Larrakeyah The Gardens vs Fannie Bay
Full data on Parap Full data on The Gardens
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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