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Suburb profile · Auckland · NZ

Hillcrest West (Auckland) NZ

Hillcrest West (Auckland) is in Auckland, New Zealand, with population 3,276.

The read

Livability-led

The page gives you enough to keep this suburb in view, but not enough to make a fast conviction call. Use compare mode or the region hub to see whether the mixed picture still holds up against alternatives.

$680/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$750
$510
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

Median rent
$690/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D8 vs NZ
Population
3,276
3K local footprint
D9 vs NZ
Income
$53K/yr
Median personal income
D9 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 7
Mid-range deprivation
D7 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$945K
+1.1% over 5yr
1.4%YoY
Lower quartile
$757K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,054
QV-based HPI
9.3%5yr
Income to buy
8.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
23,116
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$4,383/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
47%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
11.1 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$4,606
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$4,179
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$4,383
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$4,465

A territorial-authority estimate: the Auckland median sale price on a 20% deposit and 30-year loan, against the TA median household income implied by HUD's income-to-buy ratio, at RBNZ new-mortgage rates. A market-wide guide, not a Hillcrest West (Auckland)-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -2.9%5yr -11.8%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Auckland territorial authority (monthly, Jan 2007 = 1000). A valuation-based index of price movement over time — distinct from the actual median sale price above.

Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Auckland territorial authority (as at 2026-03). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for Hillcrest West (Auckland), not a Hillcrest West (Auckland)-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2025Peak · 2026

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +3.7%/yr · 5-yr +4.9%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

$53K personal · yr+18.8% vs Auckland suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
420
$10,001-$20,000
219
$20,001-$30,000
252
$30,001-$50,000
375
$50,001-$70,000
492
$70,001-$100,000
432
$100,001 or more
507

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure. Distribution covers people aged 15+ with stated income; counts are randomly rounded to base 3.

Housing stock and tenure

Home ownership over three censuses-9.5pp since 2013
2013
77% owned
2018
69% owned
2023
68% owned

6.8% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

26% damp (-4pp vs 2018) and 22% with visible mould larger than A4 (-2pp vs 2018).

Investor-specific data (gearing, investor concentration) is not published for NZ suburbs — the tenure trend above is the available investor signal.

Population outlook

92,800 people · 2023101,200 by 2033 (+9.1%)

Stats NZ subnational projection (2023 base, medium series) for Kaipātiki Local Board — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Crime

Rate · per 100k6,059
Total incidents100,370· 2026-05
  • Assault10,47534%
  • Burglary17,74757%
  • Robbery1,6495%
  • Sexual Assault1,1024%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Low
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
31.9 km
Waikopua Fault
Fault slip rate
Very Low
Higher = more active
Flood exposure
Low
Modelled flood plains (1% AEP)
Area in flood plain
7%
Share of suburb sampled

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Hillcrest West (Auckland)'s centre to the nearest mapped active fault (GNS Science NZ Active Faults Database) — an area estimate, not a site-specific seismic assessment. NZ's full ground-shaking model (NSHM) is not available as a queryable map layer. Flood exposure is the share of an interior sample grid falling within Auckland Council's modelled flood plains (1% annual-exceedance-probability) — an estimate, not a property-level flood certificate. NZ publishes flood data per council; coverage here is Auckland only.

Short-term rentals

9
active listings · ~2.7 per 1,000 residents
67%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
44%
run by multi-listing operators

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Schools

Total2
Students1,625
State : Integrated1
State1
  • St John's College (Hillcrest)Secondary (Year 9-15) · State : Integrated
  • Knighton Normal SchoolContributing · StateZoned

1 of 2 schools here operate published enrolment zones (catchments). Zone boundaries set eligibility — check the official source for the exact catchment. Not enrolment advice.

Livability

83/ 100 livability index

Top 17% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 83% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access50
Public transport (16 stops)83
Schools & hospitals70

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within New Zealand suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Investment grade

Fgrade · 9/100 · top 91% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 9% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth5
Rental yield13
Stability44

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

District-level grade across New Zealand territorial authorities, combining 5-year price growth, rental yield (district median rent vs district median price), and stability (price-to-income level + affordability trajectory) via the same three-pillar method with an imbalance penalty. New Zealand has no free suburb-level prices, so this reflects your area's territorial authority. Within-New-Zealand relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Building activity

Latest consents
9
4 houses · 5 units
12.5%YoY D8 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
3,585
Was 3,294 in 2018
8.8%vs 2018 D10 vs NZ

Full data detail

Hillcrest West (Auckland) Auckland — Property Data and Demographics

Hillcrest West (Auckland) is a small suburb in Auckland with a population of 3,276 and a median age of 35. Median personal income is $53K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. Auckland population estimates moved +1.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.5% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 3,294 in 2018 to 3,585 in 2023 (+8.8%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Median weekly rent in Hillcrest West (Auckland) is $690 (690 houses, 520 units). This represents approximately 67% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Hillcrest West (Auckland): NZDep decile 7 (moderate deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 452; 16 transport stops (16 bus).

In 2026, Hillcrest West (Auckland) recorded 9 building approvals (4 houses, 5 units), up 12.5% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability67% Stretched
School QualityEQI 452· Average
DeprivationDecile 7· Moderate
Transport Access16 stops· Some Access
Development+13%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$690
House · wk$690
Unit · wk$520
Rent / income67.4%
Lodgements84
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)9
Houses 44%Units 56%
YoY change+12.5%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population3,276
Median age35
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$53,200
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived7/10
NZDep score1025

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,962
Asian1,200
Māori240
MELAA93
Pacific Peoples90
Top industriesCensus 23
Professional, Scientific and Technical285
Construction213
Education and Training177
Retail Trade168
Health Care and Social Assistance162
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining0
TransportGTFS
Bus stops16
Hospitals · AucklandMoH
Auckland City HospitalPublic Hospital
Middlemore HospitalPublic Hospital
North Shore HospitalPublic Hospital
Waitakere HospitalPublic Hospital
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Hillcrest West (Auckland) for a first-pass decision.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
MBIE rental bond data · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 2 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Available
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 16 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.

Hillcrest West (Auckland) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Hillcrest West (Auckland)?

    The median weekly rent in Hillcrest West (Auckland) is $690/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Hillcrest West (Auckland)?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 67% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for Hillcrest West (Auckland)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Hillcrest West (Auckland) show: Stretched, Average, Moderate. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Hillcrest West (Auckland)?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  5. How often is the Hillcrest West (Auckland) data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.