Sofala vs Ilford
Ilford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 60 in Sofala. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sofala, most households are people living alone. In Ilford, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Sofala: a median of $462,000, against $375,000 in Ilford, though rent is higher in Ilford. On these figures, Sofala tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Ilford suits 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
Ilford
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (46% vs 31%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 88%)
- But Sofala has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Ilford
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 45%)
- has cheaper houses ($375,000 vs $462,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Sofala
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($194/wk vs $265/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ilford
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (221 km vs 243.8 km)
- has a shorter drive in (188 min vs 205 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sofala
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (41% vs 32%)
Weighs 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 population growth.
Where they sit
Sofala and Ilford 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
Ilford has more residents (165 vs 111); Ilford has higher household incomes ($48,516 vs $34,736).
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 111 | 165 +49% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -15.3% | -11.8% |
| Median age | 60 | 53 |
| Median household income | $34,736/yr | $48,516/yr +40% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $194/wk | $265/wk +37% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.7%).
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 (7.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $462,500 | $375,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $310,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 31 days from 6 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 98% |
| Residential | 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
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 131 across Mid-Western same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -4% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 23% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
Liveability
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Ilford carries more bushfire risk (58 vs 14).
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 14/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Crime | High 72/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Sofala
- Sofala Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Ilford
- Ilford Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Waterways | 19 | 36 |
Mobility
Sofala sits further from the CBD (243.8 km vs 221 km).
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 243.8 km +9% vs other | 221 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 205 min | 188 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2795 | 0.2% postcode 2850 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2795 | 50 postcode 2850 |
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 (66.7%).
Setting
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 674 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 788 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 54 premises | 0% 51 premises |
Climate
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 644 mm | 965 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C | 23.4°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.2°C | 3.0°C |
Council rates
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,083/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Western same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sofala | Ilford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Sofala
Other comparisons with Ilford
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.