Berowra vs Brooklyn
Berowra is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 48 in Brooklyn. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Berowra, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Berowra: a median of $1.65 million, against $1.15 million in Brooklyn, and rent is higher there too. Berowra is closer to the city centre: 36 km, against 43.4 km. On these figures, Berowra tends to suit families with children and couples, while Brooklyn suits people living alone 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
Berowra
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (7 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 79/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 58%)
- But Brooklyn has more parks and reserves (8 vs 4)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Berowra leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)
- Brooklyn has cheaper houses ($1,150,000 vs $1,652,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Brooklyn
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 12%)
- has cheaper rent ($470/wk vs $580/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Berowra
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (60/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (36 km vs 43.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Berowra
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (60/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Berowra and Brooklyn 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
Berowra has more residents (4,762 vs 737); Berowra has higher household incomes ($144,612 vs $107,224).
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,762 +85% vs other | 737 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.9% | +2.1% |
| Median age | 41 | 48 |
| Median household income | $144,612/yr +26% vs other | $107,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $580/wk +19% vs other | $470/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
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 (18.9%).
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 (7.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,652,500 | $1,150,000 |
| Median unit price | $1,247,500 | — |
| Median land price | $1,375,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 28 days from 41 sales | 77 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Brooklyn has more land zoned for conservation (96% vs 63%).
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 63% | 96% |
| Residential | 23% | 1% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 2% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 1% |
| 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
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 260 across Hornsby same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -79% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.7% $1,125/wk on $1.57M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 79% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 73% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 85% of NSW | Higher than 23% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 91% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 81% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 58% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Berowra is more walkable (60 vs 0); Berowra scores higher overall (60 vs 36).
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | C |
| Score | 60/100 | 36/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Brooklyn carries more crime risk (79 vs 32).
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 | High 71/100 |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | High 79/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Berowra
- Berowra Public School Government · Primary at peers
- Pacific Berowra Christian School Independent · Primary below peers
Schools in Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 5 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 8 |
| Childcare | 7 | 1 |
| GPs | 1 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 9 | 8 |
Mobility
Brooklyn sits further from the CBD (43.4 km vs 36 km).
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 60/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 36 km | 43.4 km +21% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 38 min | 42 min |
| Public transport score | 93/100 Rail · Bus | 75/100 Rail · Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 100.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 35.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.6% postcode 2081 | 1.1% postcode 2083 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 2081 | 36 postcode 2083 |
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 (53.3%).
Setting
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 201 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 171 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.3 km | 1.6 km 1.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 74/100 | 45/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 53% 1,736 premises | 0% 398 premises |
Climate
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,488/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hornsby same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Berowra same for both | |
| Member | Julian Leeser same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Berowra | Brooklyn | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Berowra
Other comparisons with Brooklyn
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.