Caringbah South vs Port Hacking

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 Port Hacking: a median of $3.04 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 Port Hacking suits couples.

Caringbah South is a larger, more established suburb with 13,168 residents and notably better walkability (71 versus 56), making it easier to get around without a car. Port Hacking is smaller and quieter at 1,210 people, with a higher median household income of $176,488 compared to $141,492, though property prices are considerably steeper—median houses sit at $3,087,500 versus $2,380,000. Both suburbs are affluent and safe; Caringbah South suits someone wanting suburban convenience and accessibility, while Port Hacking appeals to those prioritising a more exclusive, low-density setting.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 3)
  • But Port Hacking has more separate houses rather than flats (93% 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 $1,765,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,380,000 vs $3,035,000)

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 $795/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Caringbah South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 56/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Caringbah South

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (23% vs 7%)
  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 56/100)

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

Caringbah South and Port Hacking 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 Port Hacking
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 Port Hacking
Walkability 71 / 56
Caringbah South — Walkability: 71/100 Port Hacking — Walkability: 56/100
Safety 80 / 78
Caringbah South — Safety: 80/100 Port Hacking — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Caringbah South — Low fire risk: 100/100 Port Hacking — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Caringbah South has more residents (13,168 vs 1,210); Port Hacking has higher household incomes ($176,488 vs $141,492).

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Population 13,168
+91% vs other
 1,210
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% +10.7%
Median age 42 40
Median household income $141,492/yr $176,488/yr
+25% vs other
Median weekly rent $730/wk $795/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Caringbah South Port Hacking
0-4 6.3% / 6.5%
Caringbah South — 0-4: 6.3% Port Hacking — 0-4: 6.5%
5-14 14.1% / 15.4%
Caringbah South — 5-14: 14.1% Port Hacking — 5-14: 15.4%
15-19 6.6% / 7.2%
Caringbah South — 15-19: 6.6% Port Hacking — 15-19: 7.2%
20-24 5.5% / 6.2%
Caringbah South — 20-24: 5.5% Port Hacking — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 8.6% / 7.9%
Caringbah South — 25-34: 8.6% Port Hacking — 25-34: 7.9%
35-44 12.3% / 10.6%
Caringbah South — 35-44: 12.3% Port Hacking — 35-44: 10.6%
45-54 14.0% / 14.4%
Caringbah South — 45-54: 14.0% Port Hacking — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 12.9% / 12.8%
Caringbah South — 55-64: 12.9% Port Hacking — 55-64: 12.8%
65-74 10.8% / 9.9%
Caringbah South — 65-74: 10.8% Port Hacking — 65-74: 9.9%
75-84 5.9% / 6.1%
Caringbah South — 75-84: 5.9% Port Hacking — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 3.1% / 1.9%
Caringbah South — 85+: 3.1% Port Hacking — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

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 — Group Household: 1.5% Caringbah South — Other Families: 1.0%
Port Hacking 76.9% couple families
Port Hacking — Couple Families: 76.9% Port Hacking — Lone Person: 13.6% Port Hacking — One Parent Families: 9.5% Port Hacking — Group Household: 0.0% Port Hacking — 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.

Caringbah South 11.8% renting
Caringbah South — Owned Outright: 47.4% Caringbah South — Mortgage: 40.8% Caringbah South — Renting: 11.8%
Port Hacking 7.5% renting
Port Hacking — Owned Outright: 47.2% Port Hacking — Mortgage: 45.3% Port Hacking — Renting: 7.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Bachelor Degree 16.1% / 19.3%
Caringbah South — Bachelor Degree: 16.1% Port Hacking — Bachelor Degree: 19.3%
Certificate III & IV 13.5% / 10.4%
Caringbah South — Certificate III & IV: 13.5% Port Hacking — Certificate III & IV: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.9% / 9.8%
Caringbah South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9% Port Hacking — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / 5.4%
Caringbah South — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% Port Hacking — Postgraduate Degree: 5.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 2.5%
Caringbah South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Port Hacking — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).

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 Port Hacking
England 3.7% / 3.8%
Caringbah South — England: 3.7% Port Hacking — England: 3.8%
China 0.8% / 1.2%
Caringbah South — China: 0.8% Port Hacking — China: 1.2%
New Zealand 1.2% / 0.6%
Caringbah South — New Zealand: 1.2% Port Hacking — New Zealand: 0.6%
Greece 0.4% / 0.9%
Caringbah South — Greece: 0.4% Port Hacking — Greece: 0.9%
Italy 0.5% / 0.5%
Caringbah South — Italy: 0.5% Port Hacking — Italy: 0.5%
South Africa 0.5% / —
Caringbah South — South Africa: 0.5% Port Hacking — South Africa: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 0.5%
Caringbah South — Malaysia: not among its largest Port Hacking — Malaysia: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

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%
Port Hacking 93.4% houses
Port Hacking — Houses: 93.4% Port Hacking — Townhouses: 5.8% Port Hacking — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Median house price $2,380,000 $3,035,000
Median unit price $1,300,000 $1,765,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 18 days
from 83 sales
 30 days
from 4 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.

Caringbah South Port Hacking
4 bed $2.36M / $2.76M
Caringbah South — 4 bed: $2.36M (69 sales) Port Hacking — 4 bed: $2.76M (13 sales)

69 vs 13 sales

5 bed $2.6M / $3.52M
Caringbah South — 5 bed: $2.6M (28 sales) Port Hacking — 5 bed: $3.52M (11 sales)

28 vs 11 sales

Zoning mix

Port Hacking has more land zoned for conservation (81% vs 32%).

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Environmental 32% 81%
Residential 63% 17%
Parks and recreation 3% 1%
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 Port Hacking
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 Port Hacking
Houses 3.7%
$1,400/wk on $1.95M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Caringbah South Port Hacking
House price Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Income Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
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 is more walkable (71 vs 56).

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Grade A
same for both
Score 86/100 85/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
20/100
 Low
22/100
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 Port Hacking
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 Port Hacking

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

Amenities in the suburb

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 5
same for both
Parks & reserves 9 3
Childcare 12 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Walkability score 71/100 56/100
Distance to Sydney 28.4 km 30.3 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 39 min 42 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 31/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 148.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 6.0
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 Port Hacking
Car (driver) 47.6% / 48.6%
Caringbah South — Car (driver): 47.6% Port Hacking — Car (driver): 48.6%
Worked from Home 46.6% / 47.6%
Caringbah South — Worked from Home: 46.6% Port Hacking — Worked from Home: 47.6%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 2.8%
Caringbah South — Car (passenger): 2.9% Port Hacking — Car (passenger): 2.8%
Train 1.5% / 1.0%
Caringbah South — Train: 1.5% Port Hacking — Train: 1.0%
Walked Only 1.0% / —
Caringbah South — Walked Only: 1.0% Port Hacking — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (48.6%).

Setting

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Elevation 54 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.9 km
2.8 km to a named beach
 812 m
1.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Connectivity score 90/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the curb Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
5,170 premises
 50%
415 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Caringbah South Port Hacking
Division Cook
same for both
Member Simon Kennedy
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Caringbah South Port Hacking
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

Port Hacking

Beach Coastal Outer Parks Premium Professionals Quiet River

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 Port Hacking

Port Hacking vs Burraneer Port Hacking vs Lilli Pilli Port Hacking vs Dolans Bay Port Hacking vs Maianbar
Full data on Caringbah South Full data on Port Hacking
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or