Balgowlah Heights vs Clontarf

Balgowlah Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Clontarf. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Clontarf: a median of $5.46 million, against $4.23 million in Balgowlah Heights, though rent is higher in Balgowlah Heights. On these figures, Balgowlah Heights tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Balgowlah Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more childcare (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Balgowlah Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($4,230,000 vs $5,465,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Balgowlah Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.1% vs 0.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
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.

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Walkability 71 / 74
Balgowlah Heights — Walkability: 71/100 Clontarf — Walkability: 74/100
Safety 77 / 71
Balgowlah Heights — Safety: 77/100 Clontarf — Safety: 71/100
Low fire risk 36 / 29
Balgowlah Heights — Low fire risk: 36/100 Clontarf — Low fire risk: 29/100

Demographics

Balgowlah Heights has more residents (3,546 vs 1,746); Clontarf skews older (47 vs 43).

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Population 3,546
+51% vs other
 1,746
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.1% +0.5%
Median age 43 47
Median household income $243,724/yr
+2% vs other
 $239,668/yr
Median weekly rent $1,320/wk
+5% vs other
 $1,250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
0-4 3.4% / 2.6%
Balgowlah Heights — 0-4: 3.4% Clontarf — 0-4: 2.6%
5-14 20.6% / 14.7%
Balgowlah Heights — 5-14: 20.6% Clontarf — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 8.5% / 8.9%
Balgowlah Heights — 15-19: 8.5% Clontarf — 15-19: 8.9%
20-24 4.9% / 6.6%
Balgowlah Heights — 20-24: 4.9% Clontarf — 20-24: 6.6%
25-34 3.9% / 5.4%
Balgowlah Heights — 25-34: 3.9% Clontarf — 25-34: 5.4%
35-44 10.8% / 8.1%
Balgowlah Heights — 35-44: 10.8% Clontarf — 35-44: 8.1%
45-54 19.0% / 17.4%
Balgowlah Heights — 45-54: 19.0% Clontarf — 45-54: 17.4%
55-64 13.6% / 18.3%
Balgowlah Heights — 55-64: 13.6% Clontarf — 55-64: 18.3%
65-74 8.9% / 9.0%
Balgowlah Heights — 65-74: 8.9% Clontarf — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 3.8% / 6.1%
Balgowlah Heights — 75-84: 3.8% Clontarf — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 2.5% / 2.5%
Balgowlah Heights — 85+: 2.5% Clontarf — 85+: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Balgowlah Heights 77.1% couple families
Balgowlah Heights — Couple Families: 77.1% Balgowlah Heights — Lone Person: 13.6% Balgowlah Heights — One Parent Families: 8.0% Balgowlah Heights — Group Household: 0.4% Balgowlah Heights — Other Families: 1.0%
Clontarf 67.8% couple families
Clontarf — Couple Families: 67.8% Clontarf — Lone Person: 18.9% Clontarf — One Parent Families: 9.8% Clontarf — Group Household: 3.4% Clontarf — 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.

Balgowlah Heights 8.5% renting
Balgowlah Heights — Owned Outright: 48.2% Balgowlah Heights — Mortgage: 43.4% Balgowlah Heights — Renting: 8.5%
Clontarf 7.8% renting
Clontarf — Owned Outright: 55.7% Clontarf — Mortgage: 36.6% Clontarf — Renting: 7.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Bachelor Degree 26.3% / 29.0%
Balgowlah Heights — Bachelor Degree: 26.3% Clontarf — Bachelor Degree: 29.0%
Postgraduate Degree 10.0% / 11.7%
Balgowlah Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 10.0% Clontarf — Postgraduate Degree: 11.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 7.3%
Balgowlah Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Clontarf — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Certificate III & IV 3.9% / 4.1%
Balgowlah Heights — Certificate III & IV: 3.9% Clontarf — Certificate III & IV: 4.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 2.3%
Balgowlah Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Clontarf — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.0%).

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.

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
England 10.6% / 11.2%
Balgowlah Heights — England: 10.6% Clontarf — England: 11.2%
South Africa 2.7% / 1.6%
Balgowlah Heights — South Africa: 2.7% Clontarf — South Africa: 1.6%
New Zealand 2.2% / 1.9%
Balgowlah Heights — New Zealand: 2.2% Clontarf — New Zealand: 1.9%
China 1.0% / 3.0%
Balgowlah Heights — China: 1.0% Clontarf — China: 3.0%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.9%
Balgowlah Heights — Scotland: 0.8% Clontarf — Scotland: 0.9%
Italy — / 1.0%
Balgowlah Heights — Italy: not among its largest Clontarf — Italy: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Balgowlah Heights 96.1% houses
Balgowlah Heights — Houses: 96.1% Balgowlah Heights — Townhouses: 2.8% Balgowlah Heights — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Clontarf 94.3% houses
Clontarf — Houses: 94.3% Clontarf — Townhouses: 4.5% Clontarf — Flats / Apartments: 1.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Median house price $4,230,000 $5,465,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 21 sales
 26 days
from 9 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
4 bed $4.2M / $4.94M
Balgowlah Heights — 4 bed: $4.2M (30 sales) Clontarf — 4 bed: $4.94M (12 sales)

30 vs 12 sales

5 bed $5.12M / $5.19M
Balgowlah Heights — 5 bed: $5.12M (26 sales) Clontarf — 5 bed: $5.19M (12 sales)

26 vs 12 sales

Zoning mix

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Residential 56% 59%
Environmental 33% 28%
Parks and recreation 8%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 2% 1%
Planning zones cover 99% of Balgowlah Heights and 96% of Clontarf. 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

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
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.

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Houses 2.0%
$1,800/wk on $4.65M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
House price Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
Income Higher than 100% of NSW
same for both
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 17% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 97% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 2% of NSW —

Liveability

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Grade A
same for both
Score 75/100 72/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Bushfire Moderate
64/100
 High
71/100
Crime Low
23/100
 Low
29/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
42/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 6.2 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 5.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.2% 5.2%

Schools in Balgowlah Heights

  • Balgowlah Heights Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Clontarf

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

Amenities in the suburb

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2
same for both
Parks & reserves 4 2
Childcare 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Beaches 2 1

Mobility

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Walkability score 71/100 74/100
Distance to Sydney 14.2 km
+9% vs other
 12.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 23 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 101.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 45.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.9%
postcode 2093
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 2093
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.

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Worked from Home 69.0% / 64.8%
Balgowlah Heights — Worked from Home: 69.0% Clontarf — Worked from Home: 64.8%
Car (driver) 25.8% / 29.5%
Balgowlah Heights — Car (driver): 25.8% Clontarf — Car (driver): 29.5%
Car (passenger) 2.1% / 2.7%
Balgowlah Heights — Car (passenger): 2.1% Clontarf — Car (passenger): 2.7%
Walked Only 1.3% / 1.4%
Balgowlah Heights — Walked Only: 1.3% Clontarf — Walked Only: 1.4%
Bus 1.0% / 1.6%
Balgowlah Heights — Bus: 1.0% Clontarf — Bus: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.0%).

Setting

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Elevation 69 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 585 m
593 m to a named beach
 360 m
570 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Connectivity score 75/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
1,182 premises
 0%
624 premises

Climate

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 13.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.84 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Average residential rate $1,696/yr
same for both
Council Northern Beaches
same for both

Federal electorate

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Division Warringah
same for both
Member Zali Steggall
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Balgowlah Heights Clontarf
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Balgowlah Heights

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Family Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Quiet Transport Hub

Clontarf

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Quiet Transport Hub

More comparisons

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Balgowlah Heights vs Balgowlah

Other comparisons with Clontarf

Clontarf vs Balgowlah Clontarf vs Seaforth
Full data on Balgowlah Heights Full data on Clontarf
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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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