Pennant Hills vs North Epping

In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in North Epping: a median of $2.37 million, against $2.03 million in Pennant Hills, and rent is higher there too. North Epping is closer to the city centre: 21.5 km, against 25.5 km. On these figures, North Epping tends to suit couples.

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

  • Pennant Hills has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • North Epping carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 31/100)

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

First-home buyers

Pennant Hills

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($660,000 vs $1,680,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,033,388 vs $2,365,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Pennant Hills

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $615/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Pennant Hills is more walkable (88/100 vs 80/100)
  • North Epping sits closer to the CBD (21.5 km vs 25.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Pennant Hills

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (27% vs 8%)
  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 80/100)
  • But North Epping carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 31/100)

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

Pennant Hills and North Epping drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Pennant Hills North Epping
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.

Pennant Hills North Epping
Walkability 88 / 80
Pennant Hills — Walkability: 88/100 North Epping — Walkability: 80/100
Safety 69 / 82
Pennant Hills — Safety: 69/100 North Epping — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 30 / 22
Pennant Hills — Low fire risk: 30/100 North Epping — Low fire risk: 22/100

Demographics

Pennant Hills has more residents (7,588 vs 4,657); North Epping has higher household incomes ($159,224 vs $126,516).

Pennant Hills North Epping
Population 7,588
+39% vs other
 4,657
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.1% +2.9%
Median age 43 44
Median household income $126,516/yr $159,224/yr
+26% vs other
Median weekly rent $500/wk $615/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Pennant Hills North Epping
0-4 4.3% / 4.0%
Pennant Hills — 0-4: 4.3% North Epping — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 12.9% / 14.9%
Pennant Hills — 5-14: 12.9% North Epping — 5-14: 14.9%
15-19 6.4% / 7.9%
Pennant Hills — 15-19: 6.4% North Epping — 15-19: 7.9%
20-24 6.6% / 5.8%
Pennant Hills — 20-24: 6.6% North Epping — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 9.2% / 7.0%
Pennant Hills — 25-34: 9.2% North Epping — 25-34: 7.0%
35-44 13.4% / 11.3%
Pennant Hills — 35-44: 13.4% North Epping — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 14.5% / 15.9%
Pennant Hills — 45-54: 14.5% North Epping — 45-54: 15.9%
55-64 14.0% / 14.5%
Pennant Hills — 55-64: 14.0% North Epping — 55-64: 14.5%
65-74 10.1% / 9.0%
Pennant Hills — 65-74: 10.1% North Epping — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 6.1% / 6.9%
Pennant Hills — 75-84: 6.1% North Epping — 75-84: 6.9%
85+ 2.6% / 2.7%
Pennant Hills — 85+: 2.6% North Epping — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Pennant Hills 56.8% couple families
Pennant Hills — Couple Families: 56.8% Pennant Hills — Lone Person: 25.3% Pennant Hills — One Parent Families: 13.9% Pennant Hills — Group Household: 2.6% Pennant Hills — Other Families: 1.4%
North Epping 70.0% couple families
North Epping — Couple Families: 70.0% North Epping — Lone Person: 17.7% North Epping — One Parent Families: 10.4% North Epping — Group Household: 1.4% North Epping — Other Families: 0.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Pennant Hills 24.0% renting
Pennant Hills — Owned Outright: 39.1% Pennant Hills — Mortgage: 36.9% Pennant Hills — Renting: 24.0%
North Epping 11.7% renting
North Epping — Owned Outright: 47.7% North Epping — Mortgage: 40.7% North Epping — Renting: 11.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Pennant Hills North Epping
Bachelor Degree 24.5% / 23.4%
Pennant Hills — Bachelor Degree: 24.5% North Epping — Bachelor Degree: 23.4%
Postgraduate Degree 12.7% / 13.7%
Pennant Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 12.7% North Epping — Postgraduate Degree: 13.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 7.2%
Pennant Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% North Epping — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Certificate III & IV 6.2% / 6.0%
Pennant Hills — Certificate III & IV: 6.2% North Epping — Certificate III & IV: 6.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 3.3%
Pennant Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% North Epping — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.5%).

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.

Pennant Hills North Epping
China 8.4% / 6.9%
Pennant Hills — China: 8.4% North Epping — China: 6.9%
India 4.4% / 4.3%
Pennant Hills — India: 4.4% North Epping — India: 4.3%
England 3.1% / 3.2%
Pennant Hills — England: 3.1% North Epping — England: 3.2%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.7%
Pennant Hills — New Zealand: 1.1% North Epping — New Zealand: 1.7%
Malaysia 1.1% / 1.7%
Pennant Hills — Malaysia: 1.1% North Epping — Malaysia: 1.7%
Sri Lanka 1.5% / 1.1%
Pennant Hills — Sri Lanka: 1.5% North Epping — Sri Lanka: 1.1%
Philippines 1.4% / —
Pennant Hills — Philippines: 1.4% North Epping — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Pennant Hills 73.3% houses
Pennant Hills — Houses: 73.3% Pennant Hills — Flats / Apartments: 15.2% Pennant Hills — Townhouses: 11.5%
North Epping 92.0% houses
North Epping — Houses: 92.0% North Epping — Flats / Apartments: 2.6% North Epping — Townhouses: 5.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Pennant Hills North Epping
Median house price $2,033,388 $2,365,000
Median unit price $660,000 $1,680,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 75 sales
 22 days
from 36 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.

Pennant Hills North Epping
3 bed $1.81M / $2.06M
Pennant Hills — 3 bed: $1.81M (34 sales) North Epping — 3 bed: $2.06M (27 sales)

34 vs 27 sales

4 bed $2.06M / $2.28M
Pennant Hills — 4 bed: $2.06M (40 sales) North Epping — 4 bed: $2.28M (32 sales)

40 vs 32 sales

5 bed $2.28M / $2.75M
Pennant Hills — 5 bed: $2.28M (37 sales) North Epping — 5 bed: $2.75M (36 sales)

37 vs 36 sales

Zoning mix

Pennant Hills has more land zoned for conservation (39% vs 21%).

Pennant Hills North Epping
Residential 42% 70%
Environmental 39% 21%
Parks and recreation 13% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 1%
Industrial 1% 0%
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

Pennant Hills North Epping
New dwellings approved 260
across Hornsby
same for both
Approvals change year on year -79%
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.

Pennant Hills North Epping
Houses 2.5%
$948/wk on $1.95M
 2.8%
$1,025/wk on $1.88M
Units 4.5%
$665/wk on $772K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Pennant Hills North Epping
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Income Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Schools Higher than 56% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 42% of NSW —

Liveability

North Epping scores higher overall (73 vs 66); Pennant Hills is more walkable (88 vs 80).

Pennant Hills North Epping
Grade B A
Score 66/100 73/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Pennant Hills carries more crime risk (31 vs 18).

Pennant Hills North Epping
Bushfire High
70/100
 High
78/100
Crime Low
31/100
 Low
18/100
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 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Pennant Hills North Epping
Inside the suburb 4 1
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 6.7 km
 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 3.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.0% 4.7%

Schools in Pennant Hills

  • Pennant Hills Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Pennant Hills High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Agatha's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • EOC Broken Bay - Pennant Hills Catholic · Primary · Special school

Schools in North Epping

  • Epping North Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Pennant Hills North Epping
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 1 4
Parks & reserves 9 4
Childcare 7 2
GPs 5 1
Pharmacies 3 1
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 11 5

Mobility

Pennant Hills sits further from the CBD (25.5 km vs 21.5 km).

Pennant Hills North Epping
Walkability score 88/100 80/100
Distance to Sydney 25.5 km
+16% vs other
 21.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 28 min
same for both
Public transport score 91/100
Rail · Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 204.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 106.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.8%
postcode 2120
 2.8%
postcode 2121
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 2120
 22
postcode 2121

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.

Pennant Hills North Epping
Worked from Home 56.5% / 61.4%
Pennant Hills — Worked from Home: 56.5% North Epping — Worked from Home: 61.4%
Car (driver) 32.2% / 31.2%
Pennant Hills — Car (driver): 32.2% North Epping — Car (driver): 31.2%
Train 4.9% / 3.1%
Pennant Hills — Train: 4.9% North Epping — Train: 3.1%
Car (passenger) 3.0% / 2.3%
Pennant Hills — Car (passenger): 3.0% North Epping — Car (passenger): 2.3%
Walked Only 2.5% / 1.2%
Pennant Hills — Walked Only: 2.5% North Epping — Walked Only: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.4%).

Setting

Pennant Hills North Epping
Elevation 174 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 94 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.9 km 15.3 km

NBN connectivity

Pennant Hills North Epping
Connectivity score 74/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 6%
3,165 premises
 0%
1,634 premises

Climate

Pennant Hills North Epping
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Pennant Hills North Epping
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.23 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Pennant Hills North Epping
Average residential rate $1,488/yr
same for both
Council Hornsby
same for both

Federal electorate

Pennant Hills North Epping
Division Berowra
same for both
Member Julian Leeser
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Pennant Hills North Epping
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Pennant Hills

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals River Transport Hub

North Epping

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Pennant Hills

Pennant Hills vs Cherrybrook Pennant Hills vs Wahroonga Pennant Hills vs West Pennant Hills Pennant Hills vs Beecroft Pennant Hills vs Thornleigh Pennant Hills vs Westleigh

Other comparisons with North Epping

North Epping vs Epping North Epping vs Marsfield North Epping vs South Turramurra North Epping vs Cheltenham
Full data on Pennant Hills Full data on North Epping
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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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