Ropes Crossing vs St Marys
Ropes Crossing is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 34 in St Marys. In Ropes Crossing, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. In St Marys, about half of households rent. On these figures, Ropes Crossing tends to suit families with children and couples, while St Marys suits renters and people living alone.
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
- Ropes Crossing carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 92/100)
- St Marys has more parks and reserves (17 vs 2)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Ropes Crossing leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 30%)
- St Marys has cheaper units ($535,000 vs $600,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
St Marys
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (54% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($365/wk vs $480/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
St Marys
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (79/100 vs 69/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
St Marys
ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (6 vs 1)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (49% vs 22%)
- has more residents already 65 and over (13% vs 7%)
- But Ropes Crossing carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 92/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ropes Crossing
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.0% vs 8.7%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Ropes Crossing and St Marys 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
St Marys has more residents (13,256 vs 7,280); Ropes Crossing has higher household incomes ($115,232 vs $74,724).
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,280 | 13,256 +82% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.0% | +8.7% |
| Median age | 31 | 34 |
| Median household income | $115,232/yr +35% vs other | $74,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $480/wk +24% vs other | $365/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.1%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,050,000 same for both | |
| Median unit price | $600,000 | $535,000 |
| Median land price | — | $820,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 58 sales | 20 days from 121 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.
13 vs 94 sales
23 vs 17 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.
31 vs 103 sales
61 vs 39 sales
13 vs 9 sales
Zoning mix
St Marys has more industrially zoned land (28% vs 0%).
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Other and special use | 95% | 5% |
| Residential | 0% | 38% |
| Industrial | 0% | 28% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 7% |
| Environmental | 0% | 5% |
| Rural and farming | 3% | 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
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2,325 across Blacktown | 1,063 across Penrith |
| Approvals change year on year | -18% | -78% |
Gross rental yield
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.5% $765/wk on $1.13M | 3.7% $600/wk on $850K |
| Units | — | 5.0% $480/wk on $502K |
Ranking within NSW
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 79% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 92% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 62% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 92% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| Rental yield (units) | — | Higher than 66% of NSW |
Liveability
Ropes Crossing scores higher overall (66 vs 34); St Marys is more walkable (79 vs 69).
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | C |
| Score | 66/100 | 34/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
St Marys carries more bushfire risk (19 vs 0); St Marys carries more crime risk (92 vs 57).
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 57/100 | High 92/100 |
| 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 | 5 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 4 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 2 |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Western Sydney University - Penrith, 6.4 km | 1 Western Sydney University - Penrith, 4.4 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 1.9% | 1.3% |
Schools in Ropes Crossing
- Ropes Crossing Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in St Marys
- Our Lady of The Rosary Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
- St Marys Public School Government · Primary below peers
- St Marys South Public School Government · Primary below peers
- St Marys Senior High School Government · Secondary
Amenities in the suburb
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 7 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 23 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 17 |
| Childcare | 3 | 16 |
| GPs | 1 | 6 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 8 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 6 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 5 |
| Waterways | 2 | 13 |
Mobility
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 69/100 | 79/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 52.1 km +3% vs other | 50.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 51 min | 50 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus | 79/100 Rail · Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 71.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 417.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 0 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2760 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 34 postcode 2760 same for both | |
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 (60.7%).
Setting
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 40 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 35 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 43.2 km | 42.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 89/100 | 85/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the curb |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 58% 1,125 premises | 35% 7,260 premises |
Climate
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 822 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.2 µg/m³ | 5.6 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 16.3 µg/m³ | 17.6 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.6 pphm | 0.55 pphm |
Council rates
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,157/yr | $1,547/yr |
| Council | Blacktown | Penrith |
Federal electorate
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Chifley | Lindsay |
| Member | Ed Husic | Melissa Mcintosh |
| Party | Australian Labor Party | Liberal |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ropes Crossing | St Marys | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Ropes Crossing
St Marys
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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.