West Pennant Hills vs Baulkham Hills

Baulkham Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 43 in West Pennant Hills. 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 West Pennant Hills: a median of $2.54 million, against $1.96 million in Baulkham Hills, and rent is higher there too. West Pennant Hills is closer to the city centre: 28.2 km, against 31.9 km. On these figures, Baulkham Hills tends to suit 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

Baulkham Hills

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (7 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (28 vs 11)
  • But West Pennant Hills has more separate houses rather than flats (91% vs 75%)

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

First-home buyers

Baulkham Hills

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($1,410,000 vs $2,375,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,955,000 vs $2,542,500)
  • has cheaper units ($815,000 vs $985,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Baulkham Hills

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($520/wk vs $641/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • West Pennant Hills sits closer to the CBD (28.2 km vs 31.9 km)
  • Baulkham Hills is more walkable (83/100 vs 72/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Baulkham Hills

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (25% vs 9%)
  • is more walkable (83/100 vs 72/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

West Pennant Hills and Baulkham Hills drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
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.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Walkability 72 / 83
West Pennant Hills — Walkability: 72/100 Baulkham Hills — Walkability: 83/100
Safety 83 / 74
West Pennant Hills — Safety: 83/100 Baulkham Hills — Safety: 74/100
Low fire risk 86 / 100
West Pennant Hills — Low fire risk: 86/100 Baulkham Hills — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Baulkham Hills has more residents (37,415 vs 16,620); West Pennant Hills has higher household incomes ($160,056 vs $128,648).

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Population 16,620 37,415
+125% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.5% +1.0%
Median age 43 39
Median household income $160,056/yr
+20% vs other
 $128,648/yr
Median weekly rent $641/wk
+19% vs other
 $520/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
0-4 4.7% / 5.9%
West Pennant Hills — 0-4: 4.7% Baulkham Hills — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 13.6% / 15.8%
West Pennant Hills — 5-14: 13.6% Baulkham Hills — 5-14: 15.8%
15-19 6.6% / 5.9%
West Pennant Hills — 15-19: 6.6% Baulkham Hills — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 6.1% / 4.9%
West Pennant Hills — 20-24: 6.1% Baulkham Hills — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 8.1% / 9.6%
West Pennant Hills — 25-34: 8.1% Baulkham Hills — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 12.8% / 17.5%
West Pennant Hills — 35-44: 12.8% Baulkham Hills — 35-44: 17.5%
45-54 13.4% / 13.8%
West Pennant Hills — 45-54: 13.4% Baulkham Hills — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 14.8% / 10.4%
West Pennant Hills — 55-64: 14.8% Baulkham Hills — 55-64: 10.4%
65-74 12.9% / 9.0%
West Pennant Hills — 65-74: 12.9% Baulkham Hills — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 5.3% / 5.3%
West Pennant Hills — 75-84: 5.3% Baulkham Hills — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 1.8% / 1.9%
West Pennant Hills — 85+: 1.8% Baulkham Hills — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills 72.1% couple families
West Pennant Hills — Couple Families: 72.1% West Pennant Hills — Lone Person: 15.4% West Pennant Hills — One Parent Families: 10.4% West Pennant Hills — Group Household: 1.1% West Pennant Hills — Other Families: 1.0%
Baulkham Hills 64.7% couple families
Baulkham Hills — Couple Families: 64.7% Baulkham Hills — Lone Person: 19.8% Baulkham Hills — One Parent Families: 12.5% Baulkham Hills — Group Household: 2.1% Baulkham Hills — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills 12.5% renting
West Pennant Hills — Owned Outright: 45.0% West Pennant Hills — Mortgage: 42.5% West Pennant Hills — Renting: 12.5%
Baulkham Hills 22.8% renting
Baulkham Hills — Owned Outright: 33.3% Baulkham Hills — Mortgage: 43.9% Baulkham Hills — Renting: 22.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Bachelor Degree 24.1% / 20.0%
West Pennant Hills — Bachelor Degree: 24.1% Baulkham Hills — Bachelor Degree: 20.0%
Postgraduate Degree 11.4% / 10.2%
West Pennant Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4% Baulkham Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 10.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 8.0%
West Pennant Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Baulkham Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Certificate III & IV 6.5% / 9.0%
West Pennant Hills — Certificate III & IV: 6.5% Baulkham Hills — Certificate III & IV: 9.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.7% / 2.0%
West Pennant Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7% Baulkham Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).

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.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
China 8.6% / 8.2%
West Pennant Hills — China: 8.6% Baulkham Hills — China: 8.2%
India 4.3% / 7.5%
West Pennant Hills — India: 4.3% Baulkham Hills — India: 7.5%
England 2.9% / 2.3%
West Pennant Hills — England: 2.9% Baulkham Hills — England: 2.3%
Sri Lanka 1.9% / 1.6%
West Pennant Hills — Sri Lanka: 1.9% Baulkham Hills — Sri Lanka: 1.6%
Iran 1.2% / 1.7%
West Pennant Hills — Iran: 1.2% Baulkham Hills — Iran: 1.7%
Malaysia 1.6% / 1.1%
West Pennant Hills — Malaysia: 1.6% Baulkham Hills — Malaysia: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

West Pennant Hills 90.8% houses
West Pennant Hills — Houses: 90.8% West Pennant Hills — Townhouses: 6.5% West Pennant Hills — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Baulkham Hills 75.4% houses
Baulkham Hills — Houses: 75.4% Baulkham Hills — Townhouses: 13.3% Baulkham Hills — Flats / Apartments: 11.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Median house price $2,542,500 $1,955,000
Median unit price $985,000 $815,000
Median land price $2,375,000 $1,410,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 196 sales
 23 days
from 409 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.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
3 bed $1.8M / $1.8M
West Pennant Hills — 3 bed: $1.8M (55 sales) Baulkham Hills — 3 bed: $1.8M (140 sales)

55 vs 140 sales

4 bed $2.42M / $2M
West Pennant Hills — 4 bed: $2.42M (101 sales) Baulkham Hills — 4 bed: $2M (225 sales)

101 vs 225 sales

5 bed $2.94M / $2.12M
West Pennant Hills — 5 bed: $2.94M (114 sales) Baulkham Hills — 5 bed: $2.12M (69 sales)

114 vs 69 sales

6 bed $3.48M / $2.25M
West Pennant Hills — 6 bed: $3.48M (26 sales) Baulkham Hills — 6 bed: $2.25M (21 sales)

26 vs 21 sales

Zoning mix

West Pennant Hills has more land zoned for conservation (22% vs 1%).

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Residential 66% 82%
Environmental 22% 1%
Parks and recreation 6% 13%
Rural and farming 5% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
New dwellings approved 2,648
across The Hills
same for both
Approvals change year on year -4%
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.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Houses 2.9%
$1,250/wk on $2.23M
 2.7%
$885/wk on $1.68M
Units — 4.8%
$650/wk on $704K

Ranking within NSW

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
House price Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Income Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 94% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 57% of NSW

Liveability

Baulkham Hills is more walkable (83 vs 72).

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Grade A+
same for both
Score 87/100 88/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

West Pennant Hills carries more bushfire risk (14 vs 0).

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Bushfire Low
14/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
17/100
 Low
26/100
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 3
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Inside the suburb 2 10
Rated above peers 1 7
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 7.7 km
 2
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 6.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.3% 2.9%

Schools in West Pennant Hills

  • West Pennant Hills Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Hills Montessori School Independent · Primary

Schools in Baulkham Hills

  • Baulkham Hills High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Baulkham Hills North Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Crestwood High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Crestwood Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Jasper Road Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Matthew Pearce Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Supermarkets 2 4
Cafes & restaurants 3 5
Parks & reserves 27
same for both
Childcare 11 28
GPs 4 5
Pharmacies 2 4
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
Fuel stations 2 3
Waterways 17
same for both

Mobility

Baulkham Hills sits further from the CBD (31.9 km vs 28.2 km).

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Walkability score 72/100 83/100
Distance to Sydney 28.2 km 31.9 km
+13% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 30 min 33 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 715.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 1220.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.4%
postcode 2125
 2.6%
postcode 2153
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2125
 44
postcode 2153

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.

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Worked from Home 58.1% / 53.4%
West Pennant Hills — Worked from Home: 58.1% Baulkham Hills — Worked from Home: 53.4%
Car (driver) 35.7% / 38.9%
West Pennant Hills — Car (driver): 35.7% Baulkham Hills — Car (driver): 38.9%
Bus 1.9% / 3.0%
West Pennant Hills — Bus: 1.9% Baulkham Hills — Bus: 3.0%
Car (passenger) 2.2% / 2.5%
West Pennant Hills — Car (passenger): 2.2% Baulkham Hills — Car (passenger): 2.5%
Train 1.5% / 1.3%
West Pennant Hills — Train: 1.5% Baulkham Hills — Train: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.1%).

Setting

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Elevation 100 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 79 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 20.9 km 25.2 km

NBN connectivity

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Connectivity score 74/100 79/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
5,842 premises
 16%
13,559 premises

Climate

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Annual rainfall 1,021 mm 932 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.4°C —
Winter min (Jul) 7.2°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.83 pphm
same for both

Council rates

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Average residential rate $1,204/yr
same for both
Council The Hills
same for both

Federal electorate

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Division Mitchell
same for both
Member Alex Hawke
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

West Pennant Hills Baulkham Hills
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

West Pennant Hills

Easy Commute Large Blocks Multicultural Outer Parks Premium Professionals Quiet River Transport Hub

Baulkham Hills

Multicultural Outer Parks Premium Professionals River

More comparisons

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West Pennant Hills vs Castle Hill West Pennant Hills vs Carlingford West Pennant Hills vs Cherrybrook West Pennant Hills vs Beecroft West Pennant Hills vs North Rocks West Pennant Hills vs Pennant Hills

Other comparisons with Baulkham Hills

Baulkham Hills vs Castle Hill Baulkham Hills vs Seven Hills Baulkham Hills vs Winston Hills Baulkham Hills vs Northmead Baulkham Hills vs Kings Langley Baulkham Hills vs North Rocks
Full data on West Pennant Hills Full data on Baulkham Hills
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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.

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