Hillcrest vs St Marys

The median house price is $460K in Hillcrest and $400K in St Marys, so St Marys is the cheaper entry point, with Hillcrest houses about 15% dearer.

For units, Hillcrest sits at a median of $445K against $455K in St Marys, which makes Hillcrest the more affordable unit market and St Marys the pricier one.

Gross rental yield on houses is effectively level, at 5.00% in Hillcrest and 4.99% in St Marys, so neither suburb has a cash flow edge on houses.

Over the past year house prices moved +11.5% in Hillcrest (an estimate) and +7.7% in St Marys (an estimate), so recent momentum favours Hillcrest, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Rental vacancy is 0.4% in Hillcrest and 1.2% in St Marys, so landlords in Hillcrest face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Hillcrest is the bigger suburb, with a population of 1,088 against 738, larger than St Marys; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: St Marys for a lower purchase price, Hillcrest for recent price momentum, Hillcrest for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.