Pennant Hills vs West Pennant Hills

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 West Pennant Hills: a median of $2.54 million, against $2.03 million in Pennant Hills, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Pennant Hills tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while West Pennant Hills suits 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

West Pennant Hills

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 9)
  • carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 31/100)
  • has more childcare (11 vs 7)
  • But Pennant Hills has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 2)

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 $985,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,033,388 vs $2,542,500)

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 $641/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Pennant Hills

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 72/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (25.5 km vs 28.2 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Pennant Hills

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (27% vs 9%)
  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 72/100)
  • But West Pennant Hills carries lower crime risk (17/100 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 West Pennant Hills 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 West Pennant Hills
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 West Pennant Hills
Walkability 88 / 72
Pennant Hills — Walkability: 88/100 West Pennant Hills — Walkability: 72/100
Safety 69 / 83
Pennant Hills — Safety: 69/100 West Pennant Hills — Safety: 83/100
Low fire risk 30 / 86
Pennant Hills — Low fire risk: 30/100 West Pennant Hills — Low fire risk: 86/100

Demographics

West Pennant Hills has more residents (16,620 vs 7,588); West Pennant Hills rents higher ($641/wk vs $500/wk).

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Population 7,588 16,620
+119% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.1% +1.5%
Median age 43
same for both
Median household income $126,516/yr $160,056/yr
+27% vs other
Median weekly rent $500/wk $641/wk
+28% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
0-4 4.3% / 4.7%
Pennant Hills — 0-4: 4.3% West Pennant Hills — 0-4: 4.7%
5-14 12.9% / 13.6%
Pennant Hills — 5-14: 12.9% West Pennant Hills — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 6.4% / 6.6%
Pennant Hills — 15-19: 6.4% West Pennant Hills — 15-19: 6.6%
20-24 6.6% / 6.1%
Pennant Hills — 20-24: 6.6% West Pennant Hills — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 9.2% / 8.1%
Pennant Hills — 25-34: 9.2% West Pennant Hills — 25-34: 8.1%
35-44 13.4% / 12.8%
Pennant Hills — 35-44: 13.4% West Pennant Hills — 35-44: 12.8%
45-54 14.5% / 13.4%
Pennant Hills — 45-54: 14.5% West Pennant Hills — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 14.0% / 14.8%
Pennant Hills — 55-64: 14.0% West Pennant Hills — 55-64: 14.8%
65-74 10.1% / 12.9%
Pennant Hills — 65-74: 10.1% West Pennant Hills — 65-74: 12.9%
75-84 6.1% / 5.3%
Pennant Hills — 75-84: 6.1% West Pennant Hills — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 2.6% / 1.8%
Pennant Hills — 85+: 2.6% West Pennant Hills — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

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%
West Pennant Hills 72.1% couple families
West Pennant Hills — Couple Families: 72.1% West Pennant Hills — Lone Person: 15.4% West Pennant Hills — One Parent Families: 10.4% West Pennant Hills — Group Household: 1.1% West Pennant Hills — Other Families: 1.0%
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%
West Pennant Hills 12.5% renting
West Pennant Hills — Owned Outright: 45.0% West Pennant Hills — Mortgage: 42.5% West Pennant Hills — Renting: 12.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Bachelor Degree 24.5% / 24.1%
Pennant Hills — Bachelor Degree: 24.5% West Pennant Hills — Bachelor Degree: 24.1%
Postgraduate Degree 12.7% / 11.4%
Pennant Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 12.7% West Pennant Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 8.0%
Pennant Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% West Pennant Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Certificate III & IV 6.2% / 6.5%
Pennant Hills — Certificate III & IV: 6.2% West Pennant Hills — Certificate III & IV: 6.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 2.7%
Pennant Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% West Pennant Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

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 West Pennant Hills
China 8.4% / 8.6%
Pennant Hills — China: 8.4% West Pennant Hills — China: 8.6%
India 4.4% / 4.3%
Pennant Hills — India: 4.4% West Pennant Hills — India: 4.3%
England 3.1% / 2.9%
Pennant Hills — England: 3.1% West Pennant Hills — England: 2.9%
Sri Lanka 1.5% / 1.9%
Pennant Hills — Sri Lanka: 1.5% West Pennant Hills — Sri Lanka: 1.9%
Malaysia 1.1% / 1.6%
Pennant Hills — Malaysia: 1.1% West Pennant Hills — Malaysia: 1.6%
Philippines 1.4% / —
Pennant Hills — Philippines: 1.4% West Pennant Hills — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Pennant Hills 73.3% houses
Pennant Hills — Houses: 73.3% Pennant Hills — Townhouses: 11.5% Pennant Hills — Flats / Apartments: 15.2%
West Pennant Hills 90.8% houses
West Pennant Hills — Houses: 90.8% West Pennant Hills — Townhouses: 6.5% West Pennant Hills — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Median house price $2,033,388 $2,542,500
Median unit price $660,000 $985,000
Median land price — $2,375,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 75 sales
 25 days
from 196 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 West Pennant Hills
3 bed $1.81M / $1.8M
Pennant Hills — 3 bed: $1.81M (34 sales) West Pennant Hills — 3 bed: $1.8M (55 sales)

34 vs 55 sales

4 bed $2.06M / $2.42M
Pennant Hills — 4 bed: $2.06M (40 sales) West Pennant Hills — 4 bed: $2.42M (101 sales)

40 vs 101 sales

5 bed $2.28M / $2.94M
Pennant Hills — 5 bed: $2.28M (37 sales) West Pennant Hills — 5 bed: $2.94M (114 sales)

37 vs 114 sales

6 bed $2.13M / $3.48M
Pennant Hills — 6 bed: $2.13M (6 sales) West Pennant Hills — 6 bed: $3.48M (26 sales)

6 vs 26 sales

Zoning mix

Pennant Hills has more land zoned for conservation (39% vs 22%).

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Residential 42% 66%
Environmental 39% 22%
Parks and recreation 13% 6%
Rural and farming 0% 5%
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 West Pennant Hills
New dwellings approved 260
across Hornsby
 2,648
across The Hills
Approvals change year on year -79% -4%

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 West Pennant Hills
Houses 2.5%
$948/wk on $1.95M
 2.9%
$1,250/wk on $2.23M
Units 4.5%
$665/wk on $772K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 92% 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 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 42% of NSW —

Liveability

West Pennant Hills scores higher overall (87 vs 66); Pennant Hills is more walkable (88 vs 72).

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Grade B A+
Score 66/100 87/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Pennant Hills carries more bushfire risk (70 vs 14); Pennant Hills carries more crime risk (31 vs 17).

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Bushfire High
70/100
 Low
14/100
Crime Low
31/100
 Low
17/100
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
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Inside the suburb 4 2
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
 3
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 7.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.0% 4.3%

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 West Pennant Hills

  • West Pennant Hills Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Hills Montessori School Independent · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 1 3
Parks & reserves 9 27
Childcare 7 11
GPs 5 4
Pharmacies 3 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 2
same for both
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 11 17

Mobility

West Pennant Hills sits further from the CBD (28.2 km vs 25.5 km).

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Walkability score 88/100 72/100
Distance to Sydney 25.5 km 28.2 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 28 min 30 min
Public transport score 91/100
Rail · Bus
 94/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 204.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 715.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.8%
postcode 2120
 3.4%
postcode 2125
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 2120
 56
postcode 2125

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 West Pennant Hills
Worked from Home 56.5% / 58.1%
Pennant Hills — Worked from Home: 56.5% West Pennant Hills — Worked from Home: 58.1%
Car (driver) 32.2% / 35.7%
Pennant Hills — Car (driver): 32.2% West Pennant Hills — Car (driver): 35.7%
Train 4.9% / 1.5%
Pennant Hills — Train: 4.9% West Pennant Hills — Train: 1.5%
Car (passenger) 3.0% / 2.2%
Pennant Hills — Car (passenger): 3.0% West Pennant Hills — Car (passenger): 2.2%
Walked Only 2.5% / 0.6%
Pennant Hills — Walked Only: 2.5% West Pennant Hills — Walked Only: 0.6%
Bus 0.7% / 1.9%
Pennant Hills — Bus: 0.7% West Pennant Hills — Bus: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.1%).

Setting

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Elevation 174 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 100 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.9 km 20.9 km

NBN connectivity

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Connectivity score 74/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 6%
3,165 premises
 3%
5,842 premises

Climate

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm 1,021 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 28.4°C
Winter min (Jul) — 7.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ 6.1 µg/m³
PM10 14.2 µg/m³ 16.9 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.23 pphm 0.83 pphm

Council rates

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Average residential rate $1,488/yr $1,204/yr
Council Hornsby The Hills

Federal electorate

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
Division Berowra Mitchell
Member Julian Leeser Alex Hawke
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Pennant Hills West Pennant Hills
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

West Pennant Hills

Easy Commute Large Blocks Multicultural Outer Parks Premium Professionals Quiet River Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Pennant Hills

Pennant Hills vs Cherrybrook Pennant Hills vs Wahroonga Pennant Hills vs Beecroft Pennant Hills vs Thornleigh Pennant Hills vs North Epping Pennant Hills vs Westleigh

Other comparisons with West Pennant Hills

West Pennant Hills vs Castle Hill West Pennant Hills vs Baulkham Hills West Pennant Hills vs Carlingford West Pennant Hills vs Cherrybrook West Pennant Hills vs Beecroft West Pennant Hills vs North Rocks
Full data on Pennant Hills Full data on West Pennant Hills
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or