Punchbowl vs Padstow

Punchbowl is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 40 in Padstow. In both, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Padstow: a median of $1.67 million, against $1.44 million in Punchbowl, and rent is higher there too. Punchbowl is closer to the city centre: 24.1 km, against 28.2 km. On these figures, Punchbowl tends to suit families with children.

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

Padstow

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 7)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (68% vs 57%)
  • But Punchbowl has more childcare (23 vs 12)

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

First-home buyers

Punchbowl

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($532,000 vs $790,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,440,000 vs $1,670,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Punchbowl

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $470/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

  • Punchbowl sits closer to the CBD (24.1 km vs 28.2 km)
  • Padstow is more walkable (94/100 vs 84/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Punchbowl has more units and townhouses to downsize into (43% vs 32%)
  • Padstow is more walkable (94/100 vs 84/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

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

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

Punchbowl Padstow
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.

Punchbowl Padstow
Walkability 84 / 94
Punchbowl — Walkability: 84/100 Padstow — Walkability: 94/100
Low fire risk 26 / 100
Punchbowl — Low fire risk: 26/100 Padstow — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Punchbowl has more residents (21,384 vs 14,017); Padstow has higher household incomes ($98,332 vs $72,228).

Punchbowl Padstow
Population 21,384
+34% vs other
 14,017
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.7% +5.3%
Median age 33 40
Median household income $72,228/yr $98,332/yr
+36% vs other
Median weekly rent $380/wk $470/wk
+24% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Punchbowl Padstow
0-4 6.9% / 5.6%
Punchbowl — 0-4: 6.9% Padstow — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 14.4% / 11.3%
Punchbowl — 5-14: 14.4% Padstow — 5-14: 11.3%
15-19 7.0% / 5.9%
Punchbowl — 15-19: 7.0% Padstow — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 7.9% / 6.4%
Punchbowl — 20-24: 7.9% Padstow — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 15.7% / 13.3%
Punchbowl — 25-34: 15.7% Padstow — 25-34: 13.3%
35-44 13.0% / 13.6%
Punchbowl — 35-44: 13.0% Padstow — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 11.5% / 12.9%
Punchbowl — 45-54: 11.5% Padstow — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 10.8% / 14.0%
Punchbowl — 55-64: 10.8% Padstow — 55-64: 14.0%
65-74 7.2% / 9.2%
Punchbowl — 65-74: 7.2% Padstow — 65-74: 9.2%
75-84 4.1% / 5.0%
Punchbowl — 75-84: 4.1% Padstow — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 1.6% / 2.7%
Punchbowl — 85+: 1.6% Padstow — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Punchbowl 52.2% couple families
Punchbowl — Couple Families: 52.2% Punchbowl — Lone Person: 22.3% Punchbowl — One Parent Families: 18.8% Punchbowl — Group Household: 4.6% Punchbowl — Other Families: 2.2%
Padstow 50.4% couple families
Padstow — Couple Families: 50.4% Padstow — Lone Person: 26.9% Padstow — One Parent Families: 17.3% Padstow — Group Household: 3.4% Padstow — Other Families: 2.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Punchbowl 40.5% renting
Punchbowl — Owned Outright: 28.4% Punchbowl — Mortgage: 31.0% Punchbowl — Renting: 40.5%
Padstow 33.3% renting
Padstow — Owned Outright: 33.0% Padstow — Mortgage: 33.7% Padstow — Renting: 33.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Punchbowl Padstow
Bachelor Degree 10.2% / 15.2%
Punchbowl — Bachelor Degree: 10.2% Padstow — Bachelor Degree: 15.2%
Certificate III & IV 7.7% / 10.7%
Punchbowl — Certificate III & IV: 7.7% Padstow — Certificate III & IV: 10.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 7.9%
Punchbowl — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Padstow — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.8% / 5.0%
Punchbowl — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8% Padstow — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.7% / 1.5%
Punchbowl — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7% Padstow — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

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.

Punchbowl Padstow
Lebanon 12.3% / 2.4%
Punchbowl — Lebanon: 12.3% Padstow — Lebanon: 2.4%
China 2.8% / 7.3%
Punchbowl — China: 2.8% Padstow — China: 7.3%
Vietnam 5.4% / 4.5%
Punchbowl — Vietnam: 5.4% Padstow — Vietnam: 4.5%
India 1.5% / 1.8%
Punchbowl — India: 1.5% Padstow — India: 1.8%
Bangladesh 3.0% / —
Punchbowl — Bangladesh: 3.0% Padstow — Bangladesh: not among its largest
Pakistan 2.7% / —
Punchbowl — Pakistan: 2.7% Padstow — Pakistan: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.7%
Punchbowl — New Zealand: not among its largest Padstow — New Zealand: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Punchbowl 56.7% houses
Punchbowl — Houses: 56.7% Punchbowl — Townhouses: 18.4% Punchbowl — Flats / Apartments: 24.8%
Padstow 67.6% houses
Padstow — Houses: 67.6% Padstow — Townhouses: 26.0% Padstow — Flats / Apartments: 6.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Punchbowl Padstow
Median house price $1,440,000 $1,670,000
Median unit price $532,000 $790,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 96 sales
 26 days
from 138 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.

Punchbowl Padstow
2 bed $1.37M / $1.41M
Punchbowl — 2 bed: $1.37M (11 sales) Padstow — 2 bed: $1.41M (14 sales)

11 vs 14 sales

3 bed $1.36M / $1.5M
Punchbowl — 3 bed: $1.36M (65 sales) Padstow — 3 bed: $1.5M (75 sales)

65 vs 75 sales

4 bed $1.42M / $1.65M
Punchbowl — 4 bed: $1.42M (48 sales) Padstow — 4 bed: $1.65M (61 sales)

48 vs 61 sales

5 bed $1.73M / $1.85M
Punchbowl — 5 bed: $1.73M (20 sales) Padstow — 5 bed: $1.85M (64 sales)

20 vs 64 sales

Zoning mix

Padstow has more industrially zoned land (19% vs 5%).

Punchbowl Padstow
Residential 81% 59%
Industrial 5% 19%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 9%
Parks and recreation 5% 7%
Environmental 0% 3%
Commercial 3%
same for both
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

Punchbowl Padstow
New dwellings approved 1,785
across Canterbury-Bankstown
same for both
Approvals change year on year +50%
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.

Punchbowl Padstow
Houses 3.6%
$880/wk on $1.25M
 3.5%
$1,050/wk on $1.55M
Units 5.2%
$560/wk on $561K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Punchbowl Padstow
House price Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Income Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Schools Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 73% of NSW —

Liveability

Padstow scores higher overall (76 vs 40); Padstow is more walkable (94 vs 84).

Punchbowl Padstow
Grade C A
Score 40/100 76/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Punchbowl carries more bushfire risk (74 vs 0).

Punchbowl Padstow
Bushfire High
74/100
 None
0/100
Crime — Moderate
55/100
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 18
within 5 km
 10
within 5 km

Schools

Punchbowl Padstow
Inside the suburb 4
same for both
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 3 0
Universities within 10 km 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 2.0 km
 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 3.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.5% 3.2%

Schools in Punchbowl

  • St Jerome's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Punchbowl Boys High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Punchbowl Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • St Charbel's College Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Padstow

  • Padstow North Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Therese Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Padstow Park Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Caroline Chisholm School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Punchbowl Padstow
Supermarkets 1 4
Cafes & restaurants 3 23
Parks & reserves 7 18
Childcare 23 12
GPs 7 6
Pharmacies 4 3
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 2 4
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Padstow sits further from the CBD (28.2 km vs 24.1 km).

Punchbowl Padstow
Walkability score 84/100 94/100
Distance to Sydney 24.1 km 28.2 km
+17% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 30 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 92/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 369.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 314.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2196
 1.2%
postcode 2211
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 22
postcode 2196
 31
postcode 2211

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.

Punchbowl Padstow
Car (driver) 55.4% / 41.0%
Punchbowl — Car (driver): 55.4% Padstow — Car (driver): 41.0%
Worked from Home 29.6% / 47.6%
Punchbowl — Worked from Home: 29.6% Padstow — Worked from Home: 47.6%
Train 6.0% / 5.8%
Punchbowl — Train: 6.0% Padstow — Train: 5.8%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 3.2%
Punchbowl — Car (passenger): 5.6% Padstow — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only 2.2% / 1.4%
Punchbowl — Walked Only: 2.2% Padstow — Walked Only: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.4%).

Setting

Punchbowl Padstow
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.4 km 10.8 km

NBN connectivity

Punchbowl Padstow
Connectivity score 77/100 88/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 14%
7,356 premises
 47%
6,148 premises

Climate

Punchbowl Padstow
Annual rainfall 909 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.4°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Punchbowl Padstow
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.9 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Punchbowl Padstow
Average residential rate $1,322/yr
same for both
Council Canterbury-Bankstown
same for both

Federal electorate

Punchbowl Padstow
Division Watson Banks
Member Tony Burke Zhi Soon
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Punchbowl Padstow
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Punchbowl

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Urban

Padstow

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Punchbowl

Punchbowl vs Bankstown Punchbowl vs Greenacre Punchbowl vs Lakemba Punchbowl vs Riverwood Punchbowl vs Roselands Punchbowl vs Wiley Park

Other comparisons with Padstow

Padstow vs Bankstown Padstow vs Revesby Padstow vs Riverwood Padstow vs Peakhurst Padstow vs Padstow Heights Padstow vs Revesby Heights
Full data on Punchbowl Full data on Padstow
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.

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