Castlecrag vs Willoughby East
Willoughby East is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 47 in Castlecrag. 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 Castlecrag: a median of $4.63 million, against $3 million in Willoughby East, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Willoughby East 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
Castlecrag
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 2)
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Willoughby East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($3,000,000 vs $4,635,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Willoughby East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($873/wk vs $1,010/wk)
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
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
Castlecrag and Willoughby East 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
Castlecrag has more residents (2,965 vs 1,864); Castlecrag rents higher ($1,010/wk vs $873/wk).
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,965 +37% vs other | 1,864 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.9% | +2.3% |
| Median age | 47 | 42 |
| Median household income | $243,100/yr +3% vs other | $235,872/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $1,010/wk +14% vs other | $873/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
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 (29.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $4,635,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 34 days from 14 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Castlecrag has more land zoned for conservation (77% vs 0%).
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 15% | 85% |
| Environmental | 77% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 9% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 6% |
| Commercial | 1% | 0% |
| Planning zones cover 97% of Castlecrag and 100% of Willoughby East. 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
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 249 across Willoughby same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +458% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2.0% $2,400/wk on $6.2M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 97% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 100% of NSW | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 89% of NSW | Higher than 91% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 24% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 99% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 2% of NSW | — |
Liveability
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A+ same for both | |
| Score | 91/100 | 93/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Low 15/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 4.1 km | 3 Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 4.2 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 5.2% | 3.9% |
Schools in Castlecrag
- Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, Castlecrag Independent · Primary
Schools in Willoughby East
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 2 |
| Childcare | 3 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 72/100 | 76/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 9.9 km +9% vs other | 9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 16 min | 14 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 76.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 54.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 4.5% postcode 2068 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 28 postcode 2068 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 (67.1%).
Setting
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 71 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 76 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.8 km 1.2 km to a named beach | 4.0 km 2.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 89/100 | 75/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Hybrid fibre-coaxial |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 52% 1,157 premises | 0% 618 premises |
Climate
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,275/yr same for both | |
| Council | Willoughby same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bradfield same for both | |
| Member | Nicolette Boele same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castlecrag | Willoughby East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Castlecrag
Other comparisons with Willoughby East
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.