Skip to content
Suburb profile · Waikato · NZ

Hilltop (Taupo District) NZ

Hilltop (Taupo District) is in Waikato, New Zealand, with population 1,950.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median rent
Census rent fallback
Population
1,950
2K local footprint
D5 vs NZ
Income
$41K/yr
Median personal income
D5 vs NZ
NZDep
No deprivation index
Schools
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$750K
+28.6% over 5yr
1.1%YoY
Lower quartile
$604K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
2,751
QV-based HPI
13.6%5yr
Income to buy
8.9x
Years of median income
Annual sales
777
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,479/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
50%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
11.9 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,655
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,317
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,479
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,543

A territorial-authority estimate: the Taupo District 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 Hilltop (Taupo District)-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +0.6%5yr +7.6%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Taupo District 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 Taupo District 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 Hilltop (Taupo District), not a Hilltop (Taupo District)-specific sale price.

Personal income

$41K personal · yr-4.4% vs Waikato suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
162
$10,001-$20,000
180
$20,001-$30,000
297
$30,001-$50,000
297
$50,001-$70,000
279
$70,001-$100,000
189
$100,001 or more
174

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+13.5pp since 2013
2013
65% owned
2018
70% owned
2023
78% owned

24.8% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

13% damp (-1pp vs 2018) and 9% with visible mould larger than A4 (-1pp 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

41,500 people · 202346,100 by 2033 (+11.1%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k6,056
Total incidents2,440· 2026-05
  • Assault30833%
  • Burglary56460%
  • Robbery323%
  • Sexual Assault404%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
2.7 km
Aratiatia Fault
Fault slip rate
Low
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Hilltop (Taupo District)'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.

Short-term rentals

93
active listings · ~47.7 per 1,000 residents
94%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
62%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$398
median nightly (entire home)
22%
estimated occupancy
$28,709
estimated annual revenue (gross)

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.

Livability

15/ 100 livability index

Top 85% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 15% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access0
Public transport (8 stops)50
Schools & hospitals0

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

Dgrade · 25/100 · top 75% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 25% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth70
Rental yield19
Stability14

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

Employment

Full data detail

Hilltop (Taupo District) Waikato — Property Data and Demographics

Hilltop (Taupo District) is a small community in Waikato with a population of 1,950 and a median age of 46. Median personal income is $41K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Waikato population estimates moved +1.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.0% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. 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.

Livability indicators for Hilltop (Taupo District): 8 transport stops (8 bus).

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Transport Access8 stops· Some Access
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,950
Median age46
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$40,800
EthnicityCensus 23
European1,605
Māori444
Asian96
Pacific Peoples75
MELAA21
Top industriesCensus 23
Construction123
Accommodation and Food108
Professional, Scientific and Technical102
Retail Trade96
Health Care and Social Assistance84
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining0
TransportGTFS
Bus stops8
Shortlist workspace

Save suburbs here while you browse. Once the shortlist has two or more names, hand it straight into compare.

Current status
Add Hilltop (Taupo District) if it deserves a shortlist slot.

No saved NZ suburbs yet.

EMPTY SET

No saved suburbs yet. Start with one ranking or suburb page, then compare once you have two candidates.

Open rankings to save the first candidates.

Sources & freshness
Thin evidence

Treat Hilltop (Taupo District) as a thin local read, not a complete suburb verdict.

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
Stats NZ Census 2023 · No linked local rent source
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Missing
Schools
MoE school directory · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 8 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · No linked building consents series
Missing
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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Hilltop (Taupo District) still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is missing a direct local rent signal.

That leaves the page relying more on Census and service context than on a stronger market read.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, deprivation index, and building approvals.

Coverage is thinner on school matches, hospital coverage, deprivation index, and building approvals; don't let a single sparse read define the suburb.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

Begin with the region hub, compare, or better-covered nearby suburbs before making this a full market decision.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Let this page frame the locality, then check the story against compare, the region hub, or a nearby better-covered suburb before treating it as final.

Stronger nearby reads

If Hilltop (Taupo District) feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Ohakuri better covered
similar suburb scale similar income profile better local coverage

pop same · adds rent coverage · income +$6K

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Brentwood (Taupo District) better covered
similar suburb scale similar income profile better local coverage

pop +200 · adds rent coverage · income -$2K

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Bird Area better covered
similar suburb scale similar income profile better local coverage

pop +200 · adds rent coverage · income +$3K

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Hilltop (Taupo District) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the livability profile for Hilltop (Taupo District)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Hilltop (Taupo District) show: Some Access. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  2. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Hilltop (Taupo District)?

    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.

  3. How often is the Hilltop (Taupo District) 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.