Aylmerton vs Balaclava
Balaclava is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 51 in Aylmerton. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Balaclava, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Balaclava: a median of $1.08 million, against $820,000 in Aylmerton, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Aylmerton tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Balaclava suits families with children and couples.
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
Balaclava
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 31/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 52%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Aylmerton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($820,000 vs $1,077,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Aylmerton has cheaper rent ($430/wk vs $500/wk)
- Balaclava has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 12%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Aylmerton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (25/100 vs 17/100)
- has a shorter drive in (78 min vs 84 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (106.9 km vs 111.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Aylmerton is more walkable (25/100 vs 17/100)
- Balaclava carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 31/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Balaclava
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.7% vs 0.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Aylmerton and Balaclava drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Balaclava has more residents (574 vs 195); Aylmerton skews older (51 vs 40).
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 195 | 574 +194% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.5% | +15.7% |
| Median age | 51 | 40 |
| Median household income | $94,900/yr | $105,196/yr +11% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $430/wk | $500/wk +16% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $820,000 | $1,077,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 30 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Aylmerton has more land zoned for conservation (60% vs 41%); Balaclava has more rural and farming land (37% vs 25%).
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 60% | 41% |
| Rural and farming | 25% | 37% |
| Residential | 3% | 17% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 11% | 5% |
| 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
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 335 across Wingecarribee same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +6% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 72% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 73% of NSW |
Liveability
Aylmerton is more walkable (25 vs 17).
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 41/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Aylmerton carries more crime risk (31 vs 17).
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 79/100 | High 81/100 |
| Crime | Low 31/100 | Low 17/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Balaclava sits further from the CBD (111.5 km vs 106.9 km).
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 25/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 106.9 km | 111.5 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 78 min | 84 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2575 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2575 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.4%).
Setting
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 587 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 606 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.9 km | 36.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 43/100 | 65/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 98 premises | 36% 276 premises |
Climate
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,072/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wingecarribee same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Whitlam same for both | |
| Member | Carol Berry same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Aylmerton | Balaclava | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Aylmerton
Balaclava
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Aylmerton
Other comparisons with Balaclava
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.