Saddleback Mountain vs Rose Valley
Rose Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 59 in Saddleback Mountain. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rose Valley: a median of $4.7 million, against $1.57 million in Saddleback Mountain, though rent is higher in Saddleback Mountain. On these figures, Saddleback Mountain tends to suit older residents and buyers on a tighter budget, while Rose Valley suits 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, 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 $4,700,000)
- Rose Valley leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 52%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rose Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Saddleback Mountain sits closer to the CBD (127.6 km vs 131.2 km)
- Rose Valley is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Saddleback Mountain has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 18%)
- Rose Valley is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Rose Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.5% vs -8.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Saddleback Mountain and Rose Valley 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
Saddleback Mountain skews older (59 vs 43); Rose Valley has more residents (87 vs 67).
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 67 | 87 +30% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.2% | +14.5% |
| Median age | 59 | 43 |
| Median household income | $99,632/yr | $111,800/yr +12% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +14% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.4%).
Property market
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,568,750 | $4,700,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $4,050,000 |
Zoning mix
Saddleback Mountain has more land zoned for conservation (55% vs 34%); Rose Valley has more rural and farming land (64% vs 45%).
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 45% | 64% |
| Environmental | 55% | 34% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 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
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 159 across Kiama same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 98% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 2% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
Liveability
Rose Valley is more walkable (12 vs 0).
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 77/100 | — |
| 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 | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 5 |
Mobility
Rose Valley sits further from the CBD (131.2 km vs 127.6 km).
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 12/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 127.6 km | 131.2 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 110 min | 112 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 (66.0%).
Setting
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 393 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 36 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.2 km 4.6 km to a named beach | 3.0 km 3.0 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 34 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,898/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kiama same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Saddleback Mountain | Rose Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Rose Valley
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.