Rouse Hill vs Box Hill

Box Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 34 in Rouse Hill. In both, most households own their home and most households are couple families. In Box Hill, the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Rouse Hill: a median of $1.6 million, against $1.28 million in Box Hill, though rent is higher in Box Hill. On these figures, Box Hill tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

  • Rouse Hill has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • Box Hill has more separate houses rather than flats (99% vs 54%)

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

First-home buyers

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($810,000 vs $1,600,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,280,000 vs $1,600,000)
  • But Rouse Hill has cheaper units ($665,000 vs $1,229,990)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Rouse Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 20%)
  • has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $580/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Rouse Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (73/100 vs 31/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Rouse Hill

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (46% vs 1%)
  • has more GPs (10 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (73/100 vs 31/100)
  • But Box Hill carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield.

Where they sit

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

Rouse Hill Box Hill
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.

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Walkability 73 / 31
Rouse Hill — Walkability: 73/100 Box Hill — Walkability: 31/100
Safety 20 / 35
Rouse Hill — Safety: 20/100 Box Hill — Safety: 35/100
Low fire risk 85 / 79
Rouse Hill — Low fire risk: 85/100 Box Hill — Low fire risk: 79/100

Demographics

Rouse Hill has more residents (11,349 vs 6,450); Box Hill rents higher ($580/wk vs $500/wk).

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Population 11,349
+43% vs other
 6,450
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +42.5% —
Median age 34 31
Median household income $137,436/yr $149,812/yr
+9% vs other
Median weekly rent $500/wk $580/wk
+16% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill Box Hill
0-4 6.3% / 11.8%
Rouse Hill — 0-4: 6.3% Box Hill — 0-4: 11.8%
5-14 14.6% / 16.8%
Rouse Hill — 5-14: 14.6% Box Hill — 5-14: 16.8%
15-19 8.2% / 4.2%
Rouse Hill — 15-19: 8.2% Box Hill — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 8.0% / 4.5%
Rouse Hill — 20-24: 8.0% Box Hill — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 14.4% / 20.6%
Rouse Hill — 25-34: 14.4% Box Hill — 25-34: 20.6%
35-44 17.7% / 23.1%
Rouse Hill — 35-44: 17.7% Box Hill — 35-44: 23.1%
45-54 15.1% / 9.0%
Rouse Hill — 45-54: 15.1% Box Hill — 45-54: 9.0%
55-64 8.4% / 5.1%
Rouse Hill — 55-64: 8.4% Box Hill — 55-64: 5.1%
65-74 4.8% / 3.6%
Rouse Hill — 65-74: 4.8% Box Hill — 65-74: 3.6%
75-84 2.1% / 1.0%
Rouse Hill — 75-84: 2.1% Box Hill — 75-84: 1.0%
85+ 0.6% / 0.2%
Rouse Hill — 85+: 0.6% Box Hill — 85+: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill 60.8% couple families
Rouse Hill — Couple Families: 60.8% Rouse Hill — Lone Person: 20.3% Rouse Hill — One Parent Families: 14.1% Rouse Hill — Group Household: 3.4% Rouse Hill — Other Families: 1.4%
Box Hill 77.2% couple families
Box Hill — Couple Families: 77.2% Box Hill — Lone Person: 8.7% Box Hill — One Parent Families: 11.2% Box Hill — Group Household: 1.8% Box Hill — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill 40.1% renting
Rouse Hill — Owned Outright: 16.1% Rouse Hill — Mortgage: 43.9% Rouse Hill — Renting: 40.1%
Box Hill 20.1% renting
Box Hill — Owned Outright: 10.1% Box Hill — Mortgage: 69.8% Box Hill — Renting: 20.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Bachelor Degree 18.6% / 20.6%
Rouse Hill — Bachelor Degree: 18.6% Box Hill — Bachelor Degree: 20.6%
Certificate III & IV 10.5% / 9.8%
Rouse Hill — Certificate III & IV: 10.5% Box Hill — Certificate III & IV: 9.8%
Postgraduate Degree 8.3% / 9.3%
Rouse Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 8.3% Box Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 9.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 8.0%
Rouse Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Box Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.7%
Rouse Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Box Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

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.

Rouse Hill Box Hill
India 6.2% / 12.2%
Rouse Hill — India: 6.2% Box Hill — India: 12.2%
Philippines 3.6% / 5.3%
Rouse Hill — Philippines: 3.6% Box Hill — Philippines: 5.3%
China 4.4% / 1.5%
Rouse Hill — China: 4.4% Box Hill — China: 1.5%
England 2.3% / 1.8%
Rouse Hill — England: 2.3% Box Hill — England: 1.8%
South Africa 2.1% / 1.6%
Rouse Hill — South Africa: 2.1% Box Hill — South Africa: 1.6%
Pakistan 1.3% / 2.3%
Rouse Hill — Pakistan: 1.3% Box Hill — Pakistan: 2.3%
Nepal — / 2.4%
Rouse Hill — Nepal: not among its largest Box Hill — Nepal: 2.4%
Sri Lanka — / 2.0%
Rouse Hill — Sri Lanka: not among its largest Box Hill — Sri Lanka: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Rouse Hill 54.4% houses
Rouse Hill — Houses: 54.4% Rouse Hill — Flats / Apartments: 25.6% Rouse Hill — Townhouses: 19.9%
Box Hill 98.8% houses
Box Hill — Houses: 98.8% Box Hill — Flats / Apartments: 0.5% Box Hill — Townhouses: 0.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Median house price $1,600,000 $1,280,000
Median unit price $665,000 $1,229,990
Median land price $1,600,000 $810,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 181 sales
 44 days
from 354 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.

Rouse Hill Box Hill
3 bed $1.36M / $1.15M
Rouse Hill — 3 bed: $1.36M (20 sales) Box Hill — 3 bed: $1.15M (29 sales)

20 vs 29 sales

4 bed $1.59M / $1.22M
Rouse Hill — 4 bed: $1.59M (136 sales) Box Hill — 4 bed: $1.22M (309 sales)

136 vs 309 sales

5 bed $1.75M / $1.44M
Rouse Hill — 5 bed: $1.75M (38 sales) Box Hill — 5 bed: $1.44M (280 sales)

38 vs 280 sales

6 bed $2.33M / $1.53M
Rouse Hill — 6 bed: $2.33M (5 sales) Box Hill — 6 bed: $1.53M (15 sales)

5 vs 15 sales

Zoning mix

Rouse Hill has more industrially zoned land (13% vs 1%).

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Residential 49% 69%
Industrial 13% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 13% 8%
Other and special use 11% 0%
Parks and recreation 10% 6%
Commercial 3% 9%
Environmental 0% 7%
Rural and farming 2% 1%
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

Rouse Hill Box Hill
New dwellings approved 2,325
across Blacktown
 2,648
across The Hills
Approvals change year on year -18% -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.

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Houses 3.5%
$900/wk on $1.35M
 3.7%
$890/wk on $1.25M
Units 5.7%
$700/wk on $640K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Rouse Hill Box Hill
House price Higher than 65% of NSW
same for both
Income Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Schools Higher than 49% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 42% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 89% of NSW —

Liveability

Rouse Hill is more walkable (73 vs 31).

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Grade B
same for both
Score 63/100
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Rouse Hill carries more crime risk (80 vs 65).

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Bushfire Low
15/100
 Low
21/100
Crime High
80/100
 Moderate
65/100
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 2
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Inside the suburb 4 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Rouse Hill

  • Ironbark Ridge Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Rouse Hill Anglican College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Rouse Hill High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Rouse Hill Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Box Hill

  • Box Hill Public School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Supermarkets 4 2
Cafes & restaurants 23 0
Parks & reserves 16 4
Childcare 15 7
GPs 10 1
Pharmacies 4 1
Banks & Bank@Post 8 0
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 11 0

Mobility

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Walkability score 73/100 31/100
Distance to Sydney 45.4 km 47.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 50 min 46 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 805.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 251.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.1%
postcode 2155
 2.7%
postcode 2765
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2155
 —
postcode 2765

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.

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Worked from Home 49.8% / 48.5%
Rouse Hill — Worked from Home: 49.8% Box Hill — Worked from Home: 48.5%
Car (driver) 41.2% / 44.8%
Rouse Hill — Car (driver): 41.2% Box Hill — Car (driver): 44.8%
Train 3.7% / 3.3%
Rouse Hill — Train: 3.7% Box Hill — Train: 3.3%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 2.4%
Rouse Hill — Car (passenger): 3.1% Box Hill — Car (passenger): 2.4%
Walked Only 1.2% / 0.4%
Rouse Hill — Walked Only: 1.2% Box Hill — Walked Only: 0.4%
Bus 0.9% / 0.7%
Rouse Hill — Bus: 0.9% Box Hill — Bus: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.8%).

Setting

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Elevation 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 31.1 km 31.4 km

NBN connectivity

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Connectivity score 88/100 99/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 76%
6,011 premises
 99%
7,397 premises

Climate

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Annual rainfall 932 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Rouse Hill Box Hill
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.53 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Average residential rate $1,157/yr $1,204/yr
Council Blacktown The Hills

Federal electorate

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Division Greenway
same for both
Member Michelle Rowland
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Rouse Hill Box Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Rouse Hill

Outer Parks River

Box Hill

Family Large Blocks Multicultural Outer Professionals Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Rouse Hill

Rouse Hill vs North Kellyville Rouse Hill vs The Ponds Rouse Hill vs Kellyville Ridge Rouse Hill vs Beaumont Hills Rouse Hill vs Riverstone Rouse Hill vs Tallawong

Other comparisons with Box Hill

Box Hill vs Grantham Farm Box Hill vs Gables Box Hill vs Oakville Box Hill vs Vineyard Box Hill vs Nelson
Full data on Rouse Hill Full data on Box Hill
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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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