Paynes Crossing vs Howes Valley
Howes Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 61 in Paynes Crossing. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Paynes Crossing: a median of $615,000, against $475,000 in Howes Valley, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Paynes Crossing tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Howes Valley suits 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
Howes Valley
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
Howes Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($475,000 vs $615,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Howes Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Paynes Crossing
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (149.5 km vs 179.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Paynes Crossing has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 20%)
- Howes Valley carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Paynes Crossing and Howes Valley 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
Paynes Crossing rents higher ($330/wk vs $175/wk); Paynes Crossing has higher household incomes ($71,448 vs $38,948).
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 80 +60% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | -35.5% |
| Median age | 61 | 51 |
| Median household income | $71,448/yr +45% vs other | $38,948/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk +47% vs other | $175/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
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 (20.0%).
Property market
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $615,000 | $475,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $335,500 | — |
Zoning mix
Paynes Crossing has more land zoned for conservation (71% vs 54%); Howes Valley has more rural and farming land (46% vs 29%).
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 71% | 54% |
| Rural and farming | 29% | 46% |
| 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
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 121 across Singleton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +46% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 8% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
Liveability
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Paynes Crossing carries more crime risk (88 vs 42).
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 86/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 88/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| 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
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 22 | 96 |
Mobility
Howes Valley sits further from the CBD (179.4 km vs 149.5 km).
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 149.5 km | 179.4 km +20% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 159 min | 163 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2325 | 0.2% postcode 2330 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 2325 | 54 postcode 2330 |
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 (66.7%).
Setting
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 165 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 301 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 60 premises | 0% 55 premises |
Climate
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 804 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 16.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,287/yr same for both | |
| Council | Singleton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Paynes Crossing | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Paynes Crossing
Howes Valley
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Paynes Crossing
Other comparisons with Howes Valley
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.