Saddleback Mountain vs Foxground
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Saddleback Mountain, most households are couple families. In Foxground, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Foxground: a median of $2.3 million, against $1.57 million in Saddleback Mountain, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Saddleback Mountain tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget, while Foxground suits 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
- Saddleback Mountain is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 50%)
- Foxground carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 77/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Saddleback Mountain has cheaper houses ($1,568,750 vs $2,300,000)
- Foxground leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 52%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Saddleback Mountain
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $570/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 26%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Saddleback Mountain
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (127.6 km vs 140.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (110 min vs 119 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Foxground
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 77/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 30%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Foxground
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.6% vs -8.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Saddleback Mountain and Foxground 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
Foxground has more residents (164 vs 67); Foxground rents higher ($570/wk vs $350/wk).
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 67 | 164 +145% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.2% | +11.6% |
| Median age | 59 | 60 |
| Median household income | $99,632/yr | $112,632/yr +13% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $570/wk +63% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (7.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,568,750 | $2,300,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Saddleback Mountain has more rural and farming land (45% vs 30%); Foxground has more land zoned for conservation (70% vs 55%).
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 55% | 70% |
| Rural and farming | 45% | 30% |
| 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
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 159 across Kiama same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 78% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 16% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
Liveability
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Foxground carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 0); Saddleback Mountain carries more crime risk (77 vs 13).
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| Crime | High 77/100 | Low 13/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
Foxground sits further from the CBD (140.4 km vs 127.6 km).
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 127.6 km | 140.4 km +10% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 110 min | 119 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 2533 | 1.2% postcode 2534 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2533 | 46 postcode 2534 |
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 (61.5%).
Setting
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 393 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 92 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.2 km 4.6 km to a named beach | 7.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 34 premises | 0% 100 premises |
Climate
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.37 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,898/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kiama same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Saddleback Mountain | Foxground | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Saddleback Mountain
Other comparisons with Foxground
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.