Spring Grove vs Caniaba
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 Spring Grove: a median of $1.14 million, against $1.04 million in Caniaba.
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
Caniaba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Caniaba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Spring Grove sits closer to the CBD (721 km vs 731.4 km)
- Caniaba has a shorter drive in (479 min vs 486 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Spring Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
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
Spring Grove and Caniaba 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
Caniaba has more residents (804 vs 532); Caniaba has higher household incomes ($116,012 vs $95,524).
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 532 | 804 +51% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +23.4% | +22.7% |
| Median age | 43 | 41 |
| Median household income | $95,524/yr | $116,012/yr +21% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
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 (1.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,135,000 | $1,040,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 148 days from 4 sales |
Zoning mix
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 99% |
| Residential | 4% | 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
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley | 138 across Lismore |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 52% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
Liveability
Caniaba scores higher overall (54 vs 45).
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | B |
| Score | 45/100 | 54/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Spring Grove carries more bushfire risk (39 vs 0).
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 39/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Low 20/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | None | 1 Lismore, 7.6 km |
Schools in Spring Grove
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Caniaba
- Caniaba Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 2 |
Mobility
Caniaba sits further from the CBD (731.4 km vs 721 km).
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 721 km | 731.4 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 486 min | 479 min |
| Public transport score | 22/100 Bus | 25/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 4.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 7.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2470 | 0.6% postcode 2480 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2470 | 69 postcode 2480 |
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 (82.8%).
Setting
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 114 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 90 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 38.8 km | 31.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 185 premises | 0% 279 premises |
Council rates
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr | $1,487/yr |
| Council | Richmond Valley | Lismore |
Federal electorate
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Spring Grove | Caniaba | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Spring Grove
Other comparisons with Caniaba
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.