Sun Valley vs Valley Heights
Valley Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 47 in Sun Valley. 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 Sun Valley: a median of $1.49 million, against $1.06 million in Valley Heights. On these figures, Sun Valley tends to suit couples, while Valley Heights 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
Sun Valley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 44/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 69%)
- But Valley Heights 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
Valley Heights
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($1,059,000 vs $1,487,500)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 29%)
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
Valley Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (53/100 vs 20/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sun Valley
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 44/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 21%)
- But Valley Heights is more walkable (53/100 vs 20/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Sun Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.1% vs -1.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sun Valley and Valley Heights 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
Valley Heights has more residents (1,188 vs 234); Sun Valley has higher household incomes ($123,448 vs $111,488).
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 234 | 1,188 +408% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.1% | -1.9% |
| Median age | 47 | 44 |
| Median household income | $123,448/yr +10% vs other | $111,488/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).
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 (7.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,487,500 | $1,059,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $710,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 33 days from 8 sales |
Zoning mix
Sun Valley has more rural and farming land (59% vs 0%); Valley Heights has more land zoned for conservation (91% vs 33%).
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 33% | 91% |
| Rural and farming | 59% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 5% | 6% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 1% |
| Industrial | 0% | 3% |
| 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
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 123 across Blue Mountains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +14% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| Income | — | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 84% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
Liveability
Valley Heights is more walkable (53 vs 20).
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 46/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Valley Heights carries more crime risk (44 vs 34); Valley Heights carries more bushfire risk (96 vs 84).
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 96/100 |
| Crime | Low 34/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Sun Valley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Valley Heights
- Blue Mountains Grammar Preparatory School campus Independent · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 3 | 0 |
Mobility
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 53/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 69.2 km | 69.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 58 min | 57 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 2777 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2777 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.7%).
Setting
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 193 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 312 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 98/100 | 92/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 92% 84 premises | 58% 491 premises |
Climate
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 822 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 16.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.6 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,080/yr same for both | |
| Council | Blue Mountains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Macquarie same for both | |
| Member | Susan Templeman same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sun Valley | Valley Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Sun Valley
Valley Heights
More comparisons
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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.