Galston - Laughtondale is well-off — but expensive to rent
Galston - Laughtondale 2157 · Dural - Wisemans Ferry, Greater Sydney, NSW
Galston - Laughtondale is among the more advantaged parts of Australia (SEIFA decile 9 of 10); well served for the everyday — 4 schools and 2 supermarkets. The trade-offs: renting is expensive, a median of $780 a week (DCJ, 2026-Q1); the population is barely moving — in fact it is shrinking.
Mostly free-standing houses, with a median age of 47 and households on a median $2,364 a week at the 2021 Census.
Compiled from ABS regional population (SA2), the 2021 Census, SEIFA 2021, NSW DCJ median rents, NSW DCJ median sale prices, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reported offences, OpenStreetMap and ACARA Schools NSW / NSW Dept of Education · figures current to September 2026.
What it costs to buy
NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report · 2025-Q4Median sale price from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice's recorded property sales. Compare year-on-year — quarter-to-quarter moves are mostly seasonal noise.
Too few properties sold in Galston - Laughtondale's postcode this quarter to report its own median, so the Greater Sydney median is shown instead.
Too few properties sold in Galston - Laughtondale's postcode this quarter to report its own median, so the Greater Sydney median of $1,200,000 is shown instead.
This is the median price of properties recorded as sold this quarter — settlement can lag a purchase decision by weeks, so the most recent quarter can revise slightly as more sales are recorded.
Show every quarter, with the year-on-year change
| Quarter | Median price | Year on year | Greater Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-Q4 | $1,200,000 | — | $1,200,000 |
Sale price data © NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Rent and Sales Report, December 2025 release. Figures are the median for properties sold in the quarter. DCJ suppresses a median where too few properties sold.
What it costs to rent
NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report · 2026-Q1Median weekly rent for new tenancies, from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice's bond lodgements. Compare year-on-year — quarter-to-quarter moves are mostly seasonal noise.
Too few new bonds were lodged in Galston - Laughtondale's postcode this quarter to report its own median, so the Greater Sydney median is shown instead.
Too few new bonds were lodged in Galston - Laughtondale's postcode this quarter to report its own median, so the Greater Sydney median of $780 is shown instead.
This is the median rent on new leases signed this quarter, not what existing tenants pay. It usually runs higher than the Census figure.
Show every quarter, with the year-on-year change
| Quarter | Median rent | Year on year | Greater Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-Q1 | $780 | — | $930 |
Rent data © NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Rent and Sales Report, March 2026 release. Figures are the median for new bonds lodged in the quarter, not all tenancies. DCJ suppresses a median where too few bonds were lodged.
Galston - Laughtondale on the map
The Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Area 2 outline for Galston - Laughtondale, NSW.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Boundary: ABS SA2 (ASGS 2021), simplified — an SA2 can differ from the gazetted suburb, and detached parts such as islands may not all be shown.
How the population has changed
Galston - Laughtondale against the New South Wales average, both set to 100 in the first year shown so the growth rates compare.
Galston - Laughtondale population grew from 5,367 in 2016 to 5,472 in 2025, a change of 2.0% over the period, against the New South Wales average.
Show the data table
| Year | Galston - Laughtondale | New South Wales average |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5,367 | 7,732,858 |
| 2017 | 5,425 | 7,855,316 |
| 2018 | 5,480 | 7,954,476 |
| 2019 | 5,472 | 8,046,748 |
| 2020 | 5,434 | 8,110,610 |
| 2021 | 5,438 | 8,097,062 |
| 2022 | 5,461 | 8,182,098 |
| 2023 | 5,451 | 8,356,387 |
| 2024 | 5,481 | 8,492,050 |
| 2025 | 5,472 | 8,592,524 |
Where the growth is coming from
Galston - Laughtondale gained 322 residents from internal migration and 50 from overseas in the year to June 2025, while 357 people moved away — a net addition of 15 before natural increase.
- Internal migration in+322
- Internal migration out+338
- Overseas migration in+50
- Natural increase-24Natural decrease — deaths exceeded births.
Components of population change over the sample year. Natural increase is shown apart from migration so the two are not read as one figure.
How it has changed
Census · five-yearlyThe 2016 Census against 2021. Older figures are mapped onto today's boundaries via the ABS Time Series Profile, so comparisons are approximate where borders moved.
| Measure | 2016 | 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,210 | 5,436 | +4.3% |
| Median age | 44 | 47 | +3 yrs |
| Median household income | $1,942/wk | $2,364/wk | +22% |
| Median weekly rent | $470/wk | $460/wk | -2.1% |
| Born overseas | 19.1% | 19.6% | +0.5 pts |
Who lives here
Census · five-yearlyFrom the 2021 Census — the most recent available; 2026 Census data isn't expected until mid-2027. Each figure carries its definition, so you know what is being counted.
People
Income
Housing
Work
Household
Country of birth
Language at home
How homes are held
- Owned outright 44.6%
- Mortgaged 35.8%
- Rented 12.5%
- Other / not stated 7.1%
How well-off the area is
Census · five-yearlyThe ABS SEIFA indexes rank every area by relative advantage and disadvantage. Decile 1 is the lowest tenth of Australia; decile 10 is the highest.
- Relative disadvantage (IRSD)Lower decile means more relative disadvantageDecile 10score 1,090
- Advantage & disadvantage (IRSAD)Higher decile means more relative advantageDecile 9score 1,103
- Economic resources (IER)Income and housing capacityDecile 10score 1,124
- Education & occupation (IEO)Education and occupational skill levelsDecile 8score 1,080
Safety context
NSW BOCSAR · June 2026How much crime is reported in Galston - Laughtondale, from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).
Most-reported offences · Galston - Laughtondale, last 12 months
- Theft183 /100k+375% vs Greater Sydney↓ 41%
- Malicious damage to property146 /100k−49% vs Greater Sydney↓ 27%
- Intimidation, stalking and harassment110 /100k−65% vs Greater Sydney↑ 20%
- Assault91 /100k+73% vs Greater Sydney↓ 44%
- Drug offences37 /100k+123% vs Greater Sydney↓ 0%
Rate per 100,000 people in Galston - Laughtondale; the arrow compares the last 12 months with the 12 before.
Of these categories, theft is reported most in Galston - Laughtondale over the last 12 months, running 375% above the Greater Sydney rate and down on the year before.
Show the data table
| Offence category | Suburb | Greater Sydney | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 183 per 100k | 38 per 100k | ↓ 41% vs prior year |
| Malicious damage to property | 146 per 100k | 287 per 100k | ↓ 27% vs prior year |
| Intimidation, stalking and harassment | 110 per 100k | 312 per 100k | ↑ 20% vs prior year |
| Assault | 91 per 100k | 53 per 100k | ↓ 44% vs prior year |
| Drug offences | 37 per 100k | 16 per 100k | ↑ 0% vs prior year |
Crime statistics © State of New South Wales (NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research), used under CC BY 4.0, updated June 2026. Matched to this suburb from BOCSAR’s own locality-level data — see the safest/highest-crime rankings’ methodology for the locality-to-suburb matching used. Monthly counts are volatile — the 12-month figures above smooth that noise.
Getting around, and what's nearby
OpenStreetMap · quarterlyWhat OpenStreetMap records inside the suburb boundary. Counts reflect what is tagged in OSM and can undercount a real but less-mapped area. The park count here is OpenStreetMap green space of any kind, including privately held land — it is a different measure from the council parks below.
Within the Galston - Laughtondale SA2, OpenStreetMap records 4 schools, 3 GP or clinic locations, 2 supermarkets and 7 green spaces. For families: 1 library and 6 playgrounds. Eating out and socialising: 5 cafés and 3 restaurants. Staying active: 2 gyms and 30 sports fields. The nearest train station, Cowan, is about 9,900 m from the suburb centre. OpenStreetMap also maps 55 bus stops here.
List every mapped place
Schools
- Northholm Grammar School
- Arcadia Public School
- Galston Public School
- Galston High School
Libraries
- Galston Library
Gyms & fitness
- Mixtape Motion
- Eliit
GPs & clinics
- Galston Medical Centre
- Galston Child and Family Health Centre
- Galston Family Practice
Supermarkets
- ALDI
- IGA
Green spaces
- Windeyer Scout Camp
- Fagan Park
- Hayes Park
- Galston Recreation Reserve
Schools
Every open NSW school whose campus sits inside the SA2 boundary, with the average ICSEA across them. Open a school for its own ICSEA, student background and a link to My School.
The Galston - Laughtondale SA2 contains 4 schools — 2 primary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 combined school, of which 3 are government and 1 non-government. Its schools with a published ICSEA average 1072 (1000 is the national average); each school's own figure and student background are on its page. NAPLAN results for each school are on its My School profile (ACARA). For area context, Galston - Laughtondale sits in decile 8 of the ABS SEIFA index of education and occupation nationally and 65% of adults here completed Year 12 (Census 2021).
The centre of this SA2 is zoned for Galston High School (secondary).
Parts of this SA2 also fall in the catchment of Brooklyn Public School (primary), Maroota Public School (primary), Arcadia Public School (primary), Hornsby Heights Public School (primary), Galston Public School (primary), Middle Dural Public School (primary), Mount Kuring-gai Public School (primary), Asquith Boys High School (secondary), Asquith Girls High School (secondary).
Catchments can divide a suburb — confirm your address on EdMap.
Want another suburb? Search the catchment finder.
Show school list
- Arcadia Public School · State
- Galston Public School · State
- Galston High School · State
- Northholm Grammar School · Non-Government
School list: NSW Government open data — ACARA Schools NSW, via the NSW data portal, CC BY 4.0. Catchments: NSW Department of Education “School intake zones” dataset, CC BY 4.0. ICSEA: ACARA School Profile. NAPLAN: myschool.edu.au (ACARA).
Nearby, in Dural - Wisemans Ferry
Others in the same ABS district, by population growth. If this one doesn't fit, one of these might.
- HereGalston - Laughtondale-0.2%
- 01Dural - Kenthurst - Wisemans Ferry+0.2%
Dots place each suburb's growth on the same scale, slowest at left.
Galston - Laughtondale: common questions
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