Is there much of a difference between East Tempe and Tempe?

East Tempe is on the eastern side of the Princes Highway and Tempe is on the western side of the highway. The trains, schools, churches, buses and shops are on the western side, so Tempe is more convenient. East Tempe is bordered by Sydney Airport on the East (but it does not get direct aircraft noise), the Tempe Reserve and the river on the south and the highway to the west. East Tempe it is a little quiet (for the Inner West) enclave of about a half dozen streets and about 150 houses. The huge Ikea development is to the north but this won't affect you. It is not easy to get into and out of but once there (and provided you have stocked up) it is an above average place to live in the inner west. A bit quieter than Tempe but with less amenities.