Penshurst vs Oatley

Penshurst is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 43 in Oatley. In both, most households own their home. In Penshurst, about half of homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are couple families. In Oatley, most homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Oatley: a median of $2.61 million, against $1.98 million in Penshurst, and rent is higher there too. Penshurst is closer to the city centre: 25.9 km, against 28.9 km. On these figures, Penshurst tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Oatley 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

Oatley

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (28 vs 9)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (71% vs 41%)
  • carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 41/100)
  • But Penshurst has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Penshurst

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($689,000 vs $977,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,980,000 vs $2,612,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Penshurst

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $490/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Penshurst

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (14% vs 3%)
  • has a shorter drive in (29 min vs 36 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (25.9 km vs 28.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Penshurst has more units and townhouses to downsize into (59% vs 29%)
  • Oatley carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 41/100)

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

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

Penshurst Oatley
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.

Penshurst Oatley
Walkability 93 / 92
Penshurst — Walkability: 93/100 Oatley — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 59 / 72
Penshurst — Safety: 59/100 Oatley — Safety: 72/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Penshurst — Low fire risk: 100/100 Oatley — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Oatley has higher household incomes ($131,924 vs $95,420); Oatley rents higher ($490/wk vs $400/wk).

Penshurst Oatley
Population 12,592
+15% vs other
 10,664
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.5% +1.7%
Median age 38 43
Median household income $95,420/yr $131,924/yr
+38% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $490/wk
+22% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Penshurst Oatley
0-4 5.2% / 5.0%
Penshurst — 0-4: 5.2% Oatley — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 10.0% / 13.6%
Penshurst — 5-14: 10.0% Oatley — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 4.9% / 6.3%
Penshurst — 15-19: 4.9% Oatley — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 7.7% / 5.5%
Penshurst — 20-24: 7.7% Oatley — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 16.8% / 8.7%
Penshurst — 25-34: 16.8% Oatley — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 13.9% / 13.4%
Penshurst — 35-44: 13.9% Oatley — 35-44: 13.4%
45-54 12.5% / 13.9%
Penshurst — 45-54: 12.5% Oatley — 45-54: 13.9%
55-64 12.7% / 13.5%
Penshurst — 55-64: 12.7% Oatley — 55-64: 13.5%
65-74 9.3% / 11.3%
Penshurst — 65-74: 9.3% Oatley — 65-74: 11.3%
75-84 4.8% / 6.2%
Penshurst — 75-84: 4.8% Oatley — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 2.3% / 2.7%
Penshurst — 85+: 2.3% Oatley — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Penshurst 45.5% couple families
Penshurst — Couple Families: 45.5% Penshurst — Lone Person: 32.8% Penshurst — One Parent Families: 14.7% Penshurst — Group Household: 4.5% Penshurst — Other Families: 2.6%
Oatley 57.9% couple families
Oatley — Couple Families: 57.9% Oatley — Lone Person: 26.4% Oatley — One Parent Families: 12.8% Oatley — Group Household: 2.0% Oatley — 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.

Penshurst 37.7% renting
Penshurst — Owned Outright: 31.1% Penshurst — Mortgage: 31.2% Penshurst — Renting: 37.7%
Oatley 20.8% renting
Oatley — Owned Outright: 46.2% Oatley — Mortgage: 33.1% Oatley — Renting: 20.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Penshurst Oatley
Bachelor Degree 19.2% / 22.1%
Penshurst — Bachelor Degree: 19.2% Oatley — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Certificate III & IV 8.6% / 8.9%
Penshurst — Certificate III & IV: 8.6% Oatley — Certificate III & IV: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 8.5% / 9.0%
Penshurst — Postgraduate Degree: 8.5% Oatley — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 8.5%
Penshurst — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Oatley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 2.8%
Penshurst — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Oatley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

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.

Penshurst Oatley
China 13.0% / 6.6%
Penshurst — China: 13.0% Oatley — China: 6.6%
Nepal 8.7% / —
Penshurst — Nepal: 8.7% Oatley — Nepal: not among its largest
England 1.1% / 2.6%
Penshurst — England: 1.1% Oatley — England: 2.6%
Philippines 2.6% / 0.6%
Penshurst — Philippines: 2.6% Oatley — Philippines: 0.6%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.0%
Penshurst — New Zealand: 1.5% Oatley — New Zealand: 1.0%
Greece 1.4% / 0.8%
Penshurst — Greece: 1.4% Oatley — Greece: 0.8%
India 1.5% / 0.6%
Penshurst — India: 1.5% Oatley — India: 0.6%
Malaysia — / 0.9%
Penshurst — Malaysia: not among its largest Oatley — Malaysia: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Penshurst 40.9% houses
Penshurst — Houses: 40.9% Penshurst — Flats / Apartments: 46.0% Penshurst — Townhouses: 13.1%
Oatley 70.8% houses
Oatley — Houses: 70.8% Oatley — Flats / Apartments: 17.9% Oatley — Townhouses: 11.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Penshurst Oatley
Median house price $1,980,000 $2,612,500
Median unit price $689,000 $977,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 58 sales
 24 days
from 95 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.

Penshurst Oatley
2 bed $678K / $930K
Penshurst — 2 bed: $678K (122 sales) Oatley — 2 bed: $930K (27 sales)

122 vs 27 sales

3 bed $900K / $1.2M
Penshurst — 3 bed: $900K (15 sales) Oatley — 3 bed: $1.2M (13 sales)

15 vs 13 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.

Penshurst Oatley
3 bed $1.89M / $2.25M
Penshurst — 3 bed: $1.89M (34 sales) Oatley — 3 bed: $2.25M (35 sales)

34 vs 35 sales

4 bed $2.06M / $2.54M
Penshurst — 4 bed: $2.06M (17 sales) Oatley — 4 bed: $2.54M (46 sales)

17 vs 46 sales

5 bed $2.17M / $3.27M
Penshurst — 5 bed: $2.17M (25 sales) Oatley — 5 bed: $3.27M (37 sales)

25 vs 37 sales

Zoning mix

Penshurst Oatley
Residential 81% 70%
Parks and recreation 9% 21%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 6%
Commercial 2% 1%
Environmental 0% 2%
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

Penshurst Oatley
New dwellings approved 920
across Georges River
same for both
Approvals change year on year +91%
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.

Penshurst Oatley
Houses 3.1%
$975/wk on $1.65M
 3.1%
$1,200/wk on $2M
Units 4.5%
$600/wk on $692K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Penshurst Oatley
House price Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Income Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Schools Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 90% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 24% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 44% of NSW —

Liveability

Oatley scores higher overall (88 vs 82).

Penshurst Oatley
Grade A A+
Score 82/100 88/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Penshurst carries more crime risk (41 vs 28).

Penshurst Oatley
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
41/100
 Low
28/100
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 3
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Penshurst Oatley
Inside the suburb 4
same for both
Rated above peers 3 2
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 7.0 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 8.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.6% 3.7%

Schools in Penshurst

  • Georges River College Penshurst Campus Government · Secondary above peers
  • Penshurst Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Declan's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Hurstville Grove Infants School Government · Primary

Schools in Oatley

  • Oatley West Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Oatley Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Georges River College Oatley Senior Campus Government · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Penshurst Oatley
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 14 3
Parks & reserves 9 28
Childcare 9 8
GPs 2 3
Pharmacies 2 3
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 3 2
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Oatley sits further from the CBD (28.9 km vs 25.9 km).

Penshurst Oatley
Walkability score 93/100 92/100
Distance to Sydney 25.9 km 28.9 km
+12% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 29 min 36 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 80/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 216.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 43.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 2222
 2.0%
postcode 2223
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 15
postcode 2222
 24
postcode 2223

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.

Penshurst Oatley
Worked from Home 43.7% / 59.6%
Penshurst — Worked from Home: 43.7% Oatley — Worked from Home: 59.6%
Car (driver) 35.7% / 32.4%
Penshurst — Car (driver): 35.7% Oatley — Car (driver): 32.4%
Train 13.9% / 3.4%
Penshurst — Train: 13.9% Oatley — Train: 3.4%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 2.4%
Penshurst — Car (passenger): 3.1% Oatley — Car (passenger): 2.4%
Walked Only 1.9% / 1.7%
Penshurst — Walked Only: 1.9% Oatley — Walked Only: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.6%).

Setting

Penshurst Oatley
Elevation 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.1 km 5.7 km

NBN connectivity

Penshurst Oatley
Connectivity score 75/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
5,309 premises
 1%
4,310 premises

Climate

Penshurst Oatley
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Penshurst Oatley
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Penshurst Oatley
Average residential rate $1,381/yr
same for both
Council Georges River
same for both

Federal electorate

Penshurst Oatley
Division Banks
same for both
Member Zhi Soon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Penshurst Oatley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Penshurst

Affordable Apartments Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Urban

Oatley

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Penshurst

Penshurst vs Hurstville Penshurst vs Peakhurst Penshurst vs Mortdale Penshurst vs Beverly Hills Penshurst vs Hurstville Grove

Other comparisons with Oatley

Oatley vs Mortdale Oatley vs Illawong Oatley vs Lugarno Oatley vs Oyster Bay Oatley vs Como Oatley vs Connells Point
Full data on Penshurst Full data on Oatley
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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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