Bilambil vs Carool
Bilambil is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 49 in Carool. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bilambil, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Carool: a median of $2 million, against $1.56 million in Bilambil. On these figures, Bilambil tends to suit couples 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bilambil carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 35/100)
- Carool has more separate houses rather than flats (102% vs 81%)
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
- Bilambil has cheaper houses ($1,560,000 vs $2,000,000)
- Carool leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 36%)
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
Bilambil
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (39/100 vs 21/100)
- has a shorter drive in (521 min vs 534 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (813.9 km vs 823.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bilambil
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (39/100 vs 21/100)
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 35/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Carool
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.2% vs 5.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bilambil and Carool 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
Bilambil has more residents (441 vs 204); Carool skews older (49 vs 45).
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 441 +54% vs other | 204 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.8% | +17.2% |
| Median age | 45 | 49 |
| Median household income | $72,020/yr | $79,092/yr +10% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $340/wk | $350/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (5.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,560,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Carool has more rural and farming land (99% vs 86%).
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 99% |
| Other and special use | 9% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 0% |
| Environmental | 2% | 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
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Tweed same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
Liveability
Bilambil is more walkable (39 vs 21).
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Carool carries more crime risk (35 vs 19).
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Low 35/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Gold Coast Airport Development Park - Bilinga, 8.3 km | None |
Schools in Bilambil
- Bilambil Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Carool
- Carool Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 same for both | |
Mobility
Carool sits further from the CBD (823.3 km vs 813.9 km).
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 39/100 | 21/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 813.9 km | 823.3 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 521 min | 534 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2486 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 74 postcode 2486 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 (78.5%).
Setting
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 133 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.8 km | 11.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 176 premises | 0% 86 premises |
Climate
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,637 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 10.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,745/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tweed same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bilambil | Carool | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bilambil
Other comparisons with Carool
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.