Avalon Beach vs Clareville

Avalon Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 57 in Clareville. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Avalon Beach, most households are couple families. In Clareville, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Clareville: a median of $3.25 million, against $2.87 million in Avalon Beach, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Avalon Beach tends to suit families with children, while Clareville suits older residents.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Avalon Beach

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (20 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (8 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • But Clareville has more separate houses rather than flats (99% vs 81%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Avalon Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($2,872,500 vs $3,250,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Avalon Beach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($700/wk vs $1,125/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 40%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Avalon Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 43/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Avalon Beach

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (19% vs 1%)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 43/100)
  • But Clareville has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 22%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Clareville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.8% vs 4.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Avalon Beach and Clareville drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Avalon Beach Clareville
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Avalon Beach Clareville
Walkability 81 / 43
Avalon Beach — Walkability: 81/100 Clareville — Walkability: 43/100
Safety 76 / 79
Avalon Beach — Safety: 76/100 Clareville — Safety: 79/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Avalon Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Clareville — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Avalon Beach has more residents (10,379 vs 822); Clareville rents higher ($1,125/wk vs $700/wk).

Avalon Beach Clareville
Population 10,379
+92% vs other
 822
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.8% +10.8%
Median age 46 57
Median household income $129,012/yr $145,704/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $700/wk $1,125/wk
+61% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Avalon Beach Clareville
0-4 4.6% / 2.4%
Avalon Beach — 0-4: 4.6% Clareville — 0-4: 2.4%
5-14 14.4% / 10.3%
Avalon Beach — 5-14: 14.4% Clareville — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 6.8% / 3.8%
Avalon Beach — 15-19: 6.8% Clareville — 15-19: 3.8%
20-24 5.1% / 4.0%
Avalon Beach — 20-24: 5.1% Clareville — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 6.3% / 5.0%
Avalon Beach — 25-34: 6.3% Clareville — 25-34: 5.0%
35-44 11.0% / 5.6%
Avalon Beach — 35-44: 11.0% Clareville — 35-44: 5.6%
45-54 14.7% / 13.5%
Avalon Beach — 45-54: 14.7% Clareville — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 15.4% / 19.6%
Avalon Beach — 55-64: 15.4% Clareville — 55-64: 19.6%
65-74 12.6% / 20.9%
Avalon Beach — 65-74: 12.6% Clareville — 65-74: 20.9%
75-84 6.2% / 10.6%
Avalon Beach — 75-84: 6.2% Clareville — 75-84: 10.6%
85+ 2.8% / 3.3%
Avalon Beach — 85+: 2.8% Clareville — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Avalon Beach 55.7% couple families
Avalon Beach — Couple Families: 55.7% Avalon Beach — Lone Person: 28.0% Avalon Beach — One Parent Families: 13.2% Avalon Beach — Group Household: 2.3% Avalon Beach — Other Families: 0.7%
Clareville 53.9% couple families
Clareville — Couple Families: 53.9% Clareville — Lone Person: 33.1% Clareville — One Parent Families: 9.1% Clareville — Group Household: 3.9% Clareville — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Avalon Beach 16.0% renting
Avalon Beach — Owned Outright: 45.9% Avalon Beach — Mortgage: 38.1% Avalon Beach — Renting: 16.0%
Clareville 8.6% renting
Clareville — Owned Outright: 60.5% Clareville — Mortgage: 30.9% Clareville — Renting: 8.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Avalon Beach Clareville
Bachelor Degree 19.4% / 23.1%
Avalon Beach — Bachelor Degree: 19.4% Clareville — Bachelor Degree: 23.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.6% / 11.4%
Avalon Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.6% Clareville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.4%
Certificate III & IV 10.6% / 8.2%
Avalon Beach — Certificate III & IV: 10.6% Clareville — Certificate III & IV: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 6.4% / 9.9%
Avalon Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4% Clareville — Postgraduate Degree: 9.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 2.4%
Avalon Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Clareville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Avalon Beach Clareville
England 9.5% / 9.4%
Avalon Beach — England: 9.5% Clareville — England: 9.4%
New Zealand 1.9% / 1.5%
Avalon Beach — New Zealand: 1.9% Clareville — New Zealand: 1.5%
South Africa 0.8% / 1.7%
Avalon Beach — South Africa: 0.8% Clareville — South Africa: 1.7%
Germany 1.0% / 0.5%
Avalon Beach — Germany: 1.0% Clareville — Germany: 0.5%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.5%
Avalon Beach — Scotland: 0.8% Clareville — Scotland: 0.5%
Netherlands 0.4% / 0.6%
Avalon Beach — Netherlands: 0.4% Clareville — Netherlands: 0.6%
China — / 0.9%
Avalon Beach — China: not among its largest Clareville — China: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Avalon Beach 81.2% houses
Avalon Beach — Houses: 81.2% Avalon Beach — Flats / Apartments: 14.1% Avalon Beach — Townhouses: 4.7%
Clareville 99.4% houses
Clareville — Houses: 99.4% Clareville — Flats / Apartments: 0.6% Clareville — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Avalon Beach Clareville
Median house price $2,872,500 $3,250,000
Median unit price $1,220,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 118 sales
 48 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Clareville has more land zoned for conservation (96% vs 54%).

Avalon Beach Clareville
Environmental 54% 96%
Residential 32% 0%
Parks and recreation 9% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 0%
Commercial 1% 0%
Planning zones cover 99% of Avalon Beach and 100% of Clareville. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Avalon Beach Clareville
New dwellings approved 620
across Northern Beaches
same for both
Approvals change year on year +51%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Avalon Beach Clareville
Houses 3.0%
$1,572/wk on $2.7M
 —
Units 4.1%
$822/wk on $1.05M
 —

Ranking within NSW

Avalon Beach Clareville
House price Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Income Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools Higher than 21% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 95% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 23% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 26% of NSW —

Liveability

Avalon Beach is more walkable (81 vs 43); Clareville scores higher overall (83 vs 69).

Avalon Beach Clareville
Grade B A
Score 69/100 83/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Avalon Beach Clareville
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
21/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
17/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Avalon Beach Clareville
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 2 0

Schools in Avalon Beach

  • Avalon Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Barrenjoey High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Barrenjoey Montessori School Independent · Primary below peers
  • Maria Regina Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Clareville

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Avalon Beach Clareville
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 21 0
Parks & reserves 20 2
Childcare 8 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 3 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

Avalon Beach Clareville
Walkability score 81/100 43/100
Distance to Sydney 38.8 km 40.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 53 min 57 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 69/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 277.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 33.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.5%
postcode 2107
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 27
postcode 2107
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Avalon Beach Clareville
Worked from Home 48.8% / 58.6%
Avalon Beach — Worked from Home: 48.8% Clareville — Worked from Home: 58.6%
Car (driver) 44.0% / 37.7%
Avalon Beach — Car (driver): 44.0% Clareville — Car (driver): 37.7%
Walked Only 3.3% / 1.4%
Avalon Beach — Walked Only: 3.3% Clareville — Walked Only: 1.4%
Car (passenger) 2.1% / 1.4%
Avalon Beach — Car (passenger): 2.1% Clareville — Car (passenger): 1.4%
Bus 1.0% / 1.0%
Avalon Beach — Bus: 1.0% Clareville — Bus: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.6%).

Setting

Avalon Beach Clareville
Elevation 34 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 812 m
1.1 km to a named beach
 1.9 km
198 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Avalon Beach Clareville
Connectivity score 46/100 56/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 2%
4,491 premises
 20%
396 premises

Climate

Avalon Beach Clareville
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Avalon Beach Clareville
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.23 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Avalon Beach Clareville
Average residential rate $1,696/yr
same for both
Council Northern Beaches
same for both

Federal electorate

Avalon Beach Clareville
Division Mackellar
same for both
Member Sophie Scamps
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Avalon Beach Clareville
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Avalon Beach

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Outer Parks Premium River Transport Hub

Clareville

Beach Beachfront Coastal Large Blocks Outer Parks Premium Professionals Quiet Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Avalon Beach

Avalon Beach vs Bilgola Plateau Avalon Beach vs Palm Beach Avalon Beach vs Whale Beach Avalon Beach vs Bilgola Beach

Other comparisons with Clareville

Clareville vs Newport Clareville vs Bilgola Plateau
Full data on Avalon Beach Full data on Clareville
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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