Top Camp vs Preston
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Preston: a median of $1.6 million, against $895,000 in Top Camp, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Top Camp tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Preston 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
Top Camp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Top Camp
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($570,000 vs $1,600,000)
- has cheaper houses ($895,000 vs $1,600,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Top Camp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($360/wk vs $420/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Top Camp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (132.8 km vs 136.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Top Camp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 73/100)
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
Top Camp and Preston 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
Top Camp has more residents (902 vs 644); Preston rents higher ($420/wk vs $360/wk).
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 902 +29% vs other | 644 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.9% | +4.9% |
| Median age | 42 | 40 |
| Median household income | $131,560/yr +2% vs other | $128,544/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $360/wk | $420/wk +17% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (3.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $895,000 | $1,600,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $570,000 | $1,600,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 42 days from 11 sales | 62 days from 8 sales |
Development activity
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 94% of QLD | Higher than 93% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 57% of QLD | Higher than 8% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 71% of QLD | Higher than 66% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of QLD | Higher than 70% of QLD |
Liveability
Top Camp scores higher overall (70 vs 54).
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | B |
| Score | 70/100 | 54/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Preston carries more crime risk (73 vs 22).
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 22/100 | High 73/100 |
| 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
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 USQ (Toowoomba), 8.4 km | None |
Amenities in the suburb
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Preston sits further from the CBD (136.6 km vs 132.8 km).
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 132.8 km | 136.6 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 107 min | 111 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 4350 | 0.6% postcode 4352 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 4350 | 84 postcode 4352 |
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 (81.6%).
Setting
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 594 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 572 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 | 55/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 31% 314 premises | 33% 238 premises |
Climate
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 2.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 3.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Groom same for both | |
| Member | Garth Hamilton same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Top Camp | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Top Camp
Other comparisons with Preston
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.