Parkes vs City
City is the younger of the two, with a median age of 27 against 32 in Parkes. In City, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Parkes: a median of $798,000, against $570,000 in City, though rent is higher in City. City is the city centre itself; Parkes is 5.2 km out. On these figures, City tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Parkes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more parks and reserves (20 vs 5)
Weighs schools, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
City
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper units ($570,000 vs $798,500)
Weighs unit prices.
Renters
Parkes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $550/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
City
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (0.5 km vs 5.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (2 min vs 13 min)
- is more walkable (88/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
City
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
- is more walkable (88/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs GPs and walkability.
Investors
City
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- returns a higher gross yield on units (5.7% vs 4.7%)
Weighs unit yield.
Where they sit
Parkes and City 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
City has more residents (4,835 vs 0); City rents higher ($550/wk vs $0/wk).
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | — | 4,835 (not reported on the other side) |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | +13.1% |
| Median age | 32 | 27 |
| Median household income | — | $116,064/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $550/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Property market
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $520,000 |
| Median unit price | $798,500 | $570,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Unit price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
9 vs 70 sales
14 vs 75 sales
5 vs 9 sales
Development activity
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,750 across Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — same for both | |
| Units | 4.7% $812/wk on $899K | 5.7% $650/wk on $589K |
Ranking within ACT
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 29% of ACT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of ACT | Higher than 97% of ACT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 77% of ACT | Higher than 99% of ACT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 81% of ACT | Higher than 78% of ACT |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 15% of ACT | Higher than 34% of ACT |
Liveability
City is more walkable (88 vs 44).
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | A+ |
| Score | — | 91/100 |
| Socio-economic band | — | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Parkes carries more flood risk (84 vs 0).
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | — | High 95/100 |
| Flood | High 84/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 6 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 UNSW Canberra, 1.1 km | 3 Australian National University, 2.4 km |
Amenities in the suburb
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 3 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 19 | 131 |
| Parks & reserves | 20 | 5 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| GPs | 0 | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 3 |
| Police stations | 0 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 12 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 4 |
| Waterways | 4 | 0 |
Mobility
Parkes sits further from the CBD (5.2 km vs 0.5 km).
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 44/100 | 88/100 |
| Distance to Canberra | 5.2 km +90% vs other | 0.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 13 min | 2 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus | 93/100 Tram · Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 128.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 449.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 4.2% postcode 2600 | 7.1% postcode 2601 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 29 postcode 2600 | 3 postcode 2601 |
Setting
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 563 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 571 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 94/100 | 80/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the building |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 84% 101 premises | 46% 4,885 premises |
Climate
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,105/yr same for both | |
| Council | Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Canberra same for both | |
| Member | Alicia Payne same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Parkes | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | Not offered same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | None same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Parkes
Other comparisons with City
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.