Hornsby vs Thornleigh
Property investment comparison - Hornsby, NSW 2077 vs Thornleigh, NSW 2120
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Hornsby wins 2, Thornleigh wins 2. The better choice depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow, growth, affordability, or liquidity, the table below highlights the winner on each metric.
| Metric | Hornsby | Thornleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.9M | $1.9M |
| Median unit price | $735K | $795K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | - | 2.52% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 4.62% | 4.70% |
| 1-year house growth | -2.7%estimate | -4.7% |
| 3-year house growth | - | -4.4% |
| Vacancy rate | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Population | 22,462 | 8,898 |
Hornsby vs Thornleigh: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.9M in Hornsby and $1.9M in Thornleigh.
For units, Hornsby sits at a median of $735K against $795K in Thornleigh, which makes Hornsby the more affordable unit market and Thornleigh the pricier one.
Over the past year house prices moved -2.7% in Hornsby (an estimate) and -4.7% in Thornleigh, so recent momentum favours Hornsby, while Thornleigh went backwards.
Rental vacancy is 0.7% in Thornleigh and 0.9% in Hornsby, so landlords in Thornleigh face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Hornsby is the bigger suburb, with a population of 22,462 against 8,898, roughly 2.5 times the size of Thornleigh; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Hornsby for recent price momentum, Thornleigh for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.
Keep exploring
- National investment guide - top suburbs across every metric
- Take the suburb finder quiz - 5 questions to match your goals
- How our investment score works
- Property investment glossary - every term defined
Compare any 2-4 Australian suburbs
Build your own multi-suburb comparison with the full interactive tool.
Open interactive comparison