Caringbah South vs Dolans Bay

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 Dolans Bay: a median of $3.17 million, against $2.38 million in Caringbah South, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Caringbah South tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Dolans Bay suits 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

Caringbah South

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (12 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
  • But Dolans Bay has more separate houses rather than flats (92% vs 77%)

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

First-home buyers

Caringbah South

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($1,300,000 vs $3,010,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,380,000 vs $3,165,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Caringbah South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($730/wk vs $800/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Caringbah South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (23% vs 9%)

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

Investors

Dolans Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.9% vs 7.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Caringbah South and Dolans Bay drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
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.

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Walkability 71 / 69
Caringbah South — Walkability: 71/100 Dolans Bay — Walkability: 69/100
Safety 80 / 86
Caringbah South — Safety: 80/100 Dolans Bay — Safety: 86/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Caringbah South — Low fire risk: 100/100 Dolans Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Caringbah South has more residents (13,168 vs 699); Dolans Bay has higher household incomes ($184,184 vs $141,492).

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Population 13,168
+95% vs other
 699
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% +16.9%
Median age 42 41
Median household income $141,492/yr $184,184/yr
+30% vs other
Median weekly rent $730/wk $800/wk
+10% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
0-4 6.3% / 7.0%
Caringbah South — 0-4: 6.3% Dolans Bay — 0-4: 7.0%
5-14 14.1% / 11.4%
Caringbah South — 5-14: 14.1% Dolans Bay — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 6.6% / 7.6%
Caringbah South — 15-19: 6.6% Dolans Bay — 15-19: 7.6%
20-24 5.5% / 8.2%
Caringbah South — 20-24: 5.5% Dolans Bay — 20-24: 8.2%
25-34 8.6% / 8.6%
Caringbah South — 25-34: 8.6% Dolans Bay — 25-34: 8.6%
35-44 12.3% / 11.9%
Caringbah South — 35-44: 12.3% Dolans Bay — 35-44: 11.9%
45-54 14.0% / 14.7%
Caringbah South — 45-54: 14.0% Dolans Bay — 45-54: 14.7%
55-64 12.9% / 15.5%
Caringbah South — 55-64: 12.9% Dolans Bay — 55-64: 15.5%
65-74 10.8% / 8.6%
Caringbah South — 65-74: 10.8% Dolans Bay — 65-74: 8.6%
75-84 5.9% / 4.9%
Caringbah South — 75-84: 5.9% Dolans Bay — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 3.1% / 1.6%
Caringbah South — 85+: 3.1% Dolans Bay — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Caringbah South 62.6% couple families
Caringbah South — Couple Families: 62.6% Caringbah South — Lone Person: 23.0% Caringbah South — One Parent Families: 12.0% Caringbah South — Other Families: 1.0% Caringbah South — Group Household: 1.5%
Dolans Bay 74.3% couple families
Dolans Bay — Couple Families: 74.3% Dolans Bay — Lone Person: 15.1% Dolans Bay — One Parent Families: 8.6% Dolans Bay — Other Families: 2.0% Dolans Bay — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Caringbah South 11.8% renting
Caringbah South — Owned Outright: 47.4% Caringbah South — Mortgage: 40.8% Caringbah South — Renting: 11.8%
Dolans Bay 9.7% renting
Dolans Bay — Owned Outright: 48.5% Dolans Bay — Mortgage: 41.8% Dolans Bay — Renting: 9.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Bachelor Degree 16.1% / 17.6%
Caringbah South — Bachelor Degree: 16.1% Dolans Bay — Bachelor Degree: 17.6%
Certificate III & IV 13.5% / 13.0%
Caringbah South — Certificate III & IV: 13.5% Dolans Bay — Certificate III & IV: 13.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.9% / 8.4%
Caringbah South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9% Dolans Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / 5.3%
Caringbah South — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% Dolans Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 2.1%
Caringbah South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Dolans Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

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.

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
England 3.7% / 1.6%
Caringbah South — England: 3.7% Dolans Bay — England: 1.6%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.3%
Caringbah South — New Zealand: 1.2% Dolans Bay — New Zealand: 1.3%
Italy 0.5% / 0.9%
Caringbah South — Italy: 0.5% Dolans Bay — Italy: 0.9%
South Africa 0.5% / 0.6%
Caringbah South — South Africa: 0.5% Dolans Bay — South Africa: 0.6%
Greece 0.4% / 0.7%
Caringbah South — Greece: 0.4% Dolans Bay — Greece: 0.7%
China 0.8% / —
Caringbah South — China: 0.8% Dolans Bay — China: not among its largest
Thailand — / 0.7%
Caringbah South — Thailand: not among its largest Dolans Bay — Thailand: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Caringbah South 76.6% houses
Caringbah South — Houses: 76.6% Caringbah South — Townhouses: 22.6% Caringbah South — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Dolans Bay 91.8% houses
Dolans Bay — Houses: 91.8% Dolans Bay — Townhouses: 8.7% Dolans Bay — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Median house price $2,380,000 $3,165,000
Median unit price $1,300,000 $3,010,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 18 days
from 83 sales
 24 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Dolans Bay has more land zoned for conservation (98% vs 32%).

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Environmental 32% 98%
Residential 63% 0%
Parks and recreation 3% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
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

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
New dwellings approved 1,449
across Sutherland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +117%
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.

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Houses 3.7%
$1,400/wk on $1.95M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
House price Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Income Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 26% of NSW
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 86% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of NSW
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 59% of NSW —

Liveability

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Grade A
same for both
Score 86/100 87/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
20/100
 Low
14/100
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
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Caringbah South

  • Caringbah Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Laguna Street Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Dolans Bay

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

Amenities in the suburb

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 0
Parks & reserves 9 1
Childcare 12 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Walkability score 71/100 69/100
Distance to Sydney 28.4 km 29.4 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 39 min 40 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 38/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 148.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 10.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 2229
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 24
postcode 2229
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.

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Car (driver) 47.6% / 51.7%
Caringbah South — Car (driver): 47.6% Dolans Bay — Car (driver): 51.7%
Worked from Home 46.6% / 42.9%
Caringbah South — Worked from Home: 46.6% Dolans Bay — Worked from Home: 42.9%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 2.4%
Caringbah South — Car (passenger): 2.9% Dolans Bay — Car (passenger): 2.4%
Train 1.5% / 2.1%
Caringbah South — Train: 1.5% Dolans Bay — Train: 2.1%
Walked Only 1.0% / 0.9%
Caringbah South — Walked Only: 1.0% Dolans Bay — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.7%).

Setting

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Elevation 54 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 15 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.9 km
2.8 km to a named beach
 908 m
1.7 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Connectivity score 90/100 91/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
5,170 premises
 55%
239 premises

Climate

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Annual rainfall 1,038 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Average residential rate $1,552/yr
same for both
Council Sutherland
same for both

Federal electorate

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Division Cook
same for both
Member Simon Kennedy
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Caringbah South Dolans Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Caringbah South

Coastal Outer Parks Premium Townhouses Urban

Dolans Bay

Coastal Outer Parks Premium Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Caringbah South

Caringbah South vs Miranda Caringbah South vs Caringbah Caringbah South vs Woolooware Caringbah South vs Burraneer Caringbah South vs Yowie Bay Caringbah South vs Lilli Pilli

Other comparisons with Dolans Bay

Dolans Bay vs Burraneer Dolans Bay vs Port Hacking
Full data on Caringbah South Full data on Dolans Bay
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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