St Leonards vs Waverley

Waverley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in St Leonards. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in St Leonards: a median of $596,000, against $468,000 in Waverley, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Waverley tends to suit people living alone 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

St Leonards

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 53%)

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

First-home buyers

Waverley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($468,000 vs $595,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Waverley

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($237/wk vs $290/wk)
  • But St Leonards leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 24%)

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

  • St Leonards sits closer to the CBD (199.8 km vs 204.8 km)
  • Waverley has a shorter drive in (148 min vs 157 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

St Leonards

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (17.0% vs 5.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

St Leonards Waverley
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.

St Leonards Waverley
Walkability 0 / 0
St Leonards — Walkability: 0/100 Waverley — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 61 / 53
St Leonards — Low fire risk: 61/100 Waverley — Low fire risk: 53/100

Demographics

St Leonards has higher household incomes ($81,744 vs $52,364); St Leonards has more residents (2,351 vs 1,583).

St Leonards Waverley
Population 2,351
+33% vs other
 1,583
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +17.0% +5.5%
Median age 38 35
Median household income $81,744/yr
+36% vs other
 $52,364/yr
Median weekly rent $290/wk
+18% vs other
 $237/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

St Leonards Waverley
0-4 5.7% / 5.9%
St Leonards — 0-4: 5.7% Waverley — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 14.8% / 13.4%
St Leonards — 5-14: 14.8% Waverley — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 5.6% / 4.9%
St Leonards — 15-19: 5.6% Waverley — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 5.7% / 7.2%
St Leonards — 20-24: 5.7% Waverley — 20-24: 7.2%
25-34 13.3% / 17.1%
St Leonards — 25-34: 13.3% Waverley — 25-34: 17.1%
35-44 14.8% / 13.1%
St Leonards — 35-44: 14.8% Waverley — 35-44: 13.1%
45-54 12.0% / 11.0%
St Leonards — 45-54: 12.0% Waverley — 45-54: 11.0%
55-64 11.5% / 12.6%
St Leonards — 55-64: 11.5% Waverley — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 9.3% / 8.9%
St Leonards — 65-74: 9.3% Waverley — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 4.3% / 4.7%
St Leonards — 75-84: 4.3% Waverley — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 2.9% / 1.0%
St Leonards — 85+: 2.9% Waverley — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

St Leonards 31.3% lone person
St Leonards — Lone Person: 31.3% St Leonards — Couple Families: 43.9% St Leonards — One Parent Families: 21.9% St Leonards — Group Household: 2.0% St Leonards — Other Families: 1.0%
Waverley 39.6% lone person
Waverley — Lone Person: 39.6% Waverley — Couple Families: 25.5% Waverley — One Parent Families: 27.8% Waverley — Group Household: 4.1% Waverley — Other Families: 2.9%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

St Leonards 21.9% renting
St Leonards — Owned Outright: 32.2% St Leonards — Mortgage: 45.8% St Leonards — Renting: 21.9%
Waverley 39.5% renting
Waverley — Owned Outright: 27.5% Waverley — Mortgage: 33.0% Waverley — Renting: 39.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

St Leonards Waverley
Certificate III & IV 20.3% / 17.0%
St Leonards — Certificate III & IV: 20.3% Waverley — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Bachelor Degree 9.0% / 3.2%
St Leonards — Bachelor Degree: 9.0% Waverley — Bachelor Degree: 3.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.3% / 3.5%
St Leonards — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3% Waverley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.5%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / 1.3%
St Leonards — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Waverley — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 0.3%
St Leonards — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Waverley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

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.

St Leonards Waverley
England 2.0% / 0.9%
St Leonards — England: 2.0% Waverley — England: 0.9%
New Zealand 0.8% / 0.9%
St Leonards — New Zealand: 0.8% Waverley — New Zealand: 0.9%
India 0.6% / 0.8%
St Leonards — India: 0.6% Waverley — India: 0.8%
Philippines 0.5% / 0.3%
St Leonards — Philippines: 0.5% Waverley — Philippines: 0.3%
Germany 0.5% / —
St Leonards — Germany: 0.5% Waverley — Germany: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 0.4%
St Leonards — Netherlands: not among its largest Waverley — Netherlands: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

St Leonards 93.5% houses
St Leonards — Houses: 93.5% St Leonards — Townhouses: 2.4% St Leonards — Flats / Apartments: 4.1%
Waverley 84.3% houses
Waverley — Houses: 84.3% Waverley — Townhouses: 14.0% Waverley — Flats / Apartments: 1.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

St Leonards Waverley
Median house price $595,500 $468,000
Median unit price $580,000 —
Median land price $306,250 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 9 days
from 26 sales
 32 days
from 10 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.

St Leonards Waverley
2 bed $552K / $351K
St Leonards — 2 bed: $552K (9 sales) Waverley — 2 bed: $351K (7 sales)

9 vs 7 sales

3 bed $608K / $480K
St Leonards — 3 bed: $608K (20 sales) Waverley — 3 bed: $480K (46 sales)

20 vs 46 sales

Zoning mix

St Leonards Waverley
Rural and farming 91% 85%
Residential 4% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 2%
Industrial 1% 2%
Parks and recreation 1% 2%
Other and special use 1% 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

St Leonards Waverley
New dwellings approved 208
across Launceston
same for both
Approvals change year on year -29%
same for both

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.

St Leonards Waverley
Houses 4.7%
$710/wk on $792K
 5.0%
$520/wk on $545K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within TAS

St Leonards Waverley
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 74% of TAS Higher than 23% of TAS
Schools Higher than 96% of TAS —
Walkability Higher than 46% of TAS Higher than 39% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 74% of TAS
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 91% of TAS Higher than 94% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 75% of TAS Higher than 89% of TAS

Liveability

St Leonards scores higher overall (55 vs 25).

St Leonards Waverley
Grade B D
Score 55/100 25/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

St Leonards Waverley
Bushfire Low
39/100
 Moderate
47/100
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
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 1
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

St Leonards Waverley
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Launceston, 8.7 km
 1
Launceston, 5.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 0.5% 0.3%

Schools in St Leonards

  • Larmenier Catholic School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Leonards Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Tamar Valley Steiner School Independent · Primary at peers

Schools in Waverley

  • Waverley Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

St Leonards Waverley
Supermarkets 1 0
Parks & reserves 6 5
Childcare 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Beaches 0 2
Waterways 1 8

Mobility

Waverley sits further from the CBD (204.8 km vs 199.8 km).

St Leonards Waverley
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Hobart 199.8 km 204.8 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 157 min 148 min
Public transport score 65/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 27.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 24.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 7250
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 7250
same for both

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.

St Leonards Waverley
Car (driver) 88.2% / 85.4%
St Leonards — Car (driver): 88.2% Waverley — Car (driver): 85.4%
Car (passenger) 2.5% / 8.6%
St Leonards — Car (passenger): 2.5% Waverley — Car (passenger): 8.6%
Worked from Home 6.1% / 2.3%
St Leonards — Worked from Home: 6.1% Waverley — Worked from Home: 2.3%
Walked Only 1.9% / 1.6%
St Leonards — Walked Only: 1.9% Waverley — Walked Only: 1.6%
Bus 1.3% / 1.6%
St Leonards — Bus: 1.3% Waverley — Bus: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.2%).

Setting

St Leonards Waverley
Elevation 210 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 134 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

St Leonards Waverley
Connectivity score 93/100 98/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 90%
1,086 premises
 97%
788 premises

Climate

St Leonards Waverley
Annual rainfall 676 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.1°C
same for both

Council rates

St Leonards Waverley
Average residential rate $2,075/yr
same for both
Council Launceston
same for both

Federal electorate

St Leonards Waverley
Division Bass
same for both
Member Jess Teesdale
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

St Leonards Waverley
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

St Leonards

Acreage

Waverley

Affordable River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with St Leonards

St Leonards vs Newstead St Leonards vs Norwood St Leonards vs Ravenswood St Leonards vs Relbia St Leonards vs Nunamara St Leonards vs White Hills

Other comparisons with Waverley

Waverley vs Ravenswood Waverley vs Nunamara
Full data on St Leonards Full data on Waverley
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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