Caversham vs Middle Swan

Caversham is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 39 in Middle Swan. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Caversham, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Caversham: a median of $880,000, against $722,000 in Middle Swan, and rent is higher there too. Caversham is closer to the city centre: 15.6 km, against 25.1 km. On these figures, Caversham tends to suit families with children and couples, while Middle Swan 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

Caversham

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (17 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (5 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • But Middle Swan has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Caversham leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)
  • Middle Swan has cheaper houses ($722,500 vs $880,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Middle Swan

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 16%)
  • has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $390/wk)
  • But Caversham leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 24%)

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

Commuting to the city

Caversham

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (15.6 km vs 25.1 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (24 min vs 30 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Caversham carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 76/100)
  • Middle Swan has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 8%)

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

Investors

Caversham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (40.2% vs 0.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Caversham and Middle Swan drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Caversham Middle Swan
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.

Caversham Middle Swan
Walkability 35 / 37
Caversham — Walkability: 35/100 Middle Swan — Walkability: 37/100
Safety 34 / 24
Caversham — Safety: 34/100 Middle Swan — Safety: 24/100
Low fire risk 75 / 100
Caversham — Low fire risk: 75/100 Middle Swan — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 19 / 34
Caversham — Low flood risk: 19/100 Middle Swan — Low flood risk: 34/100

Demographics

Caversham has more residents (7,419 vs 2,852); Caversham has higher household incomes ($117,832 vs $68,432).

Caversham Middle Swan
Population 7,419
+62% vs other
 2,852
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +40.2% +0.2%
Median age 33 39
Median household income $117,832/yr
+42% vs other
 $68,432/yr
Median weekly rent $390/wk
+21% vs other
 $310/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Caversham Middle Swan
0-4 10.1% / 5.6%
Caversham — 0-4: 10.1% Middle Swan — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 15.4% / 12.6%
Caversham — 5-14: 15.4% Middle Swan — 5-14: 12.6%
15-19 4.7% / 6.0%
Caversham — 15-19: 4.7% Middle Swan — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 5.1% / 6.0%
Caversham — 20-24: 5.1% Middle Swan — 20-24: 6.0%
25-34 17.3% / 13.8%
Caversham — 25-34: 17.3% Middle Swan — 25-34: 13.8%
35-44 18.6% / 12.9%
Caversham — 35-44: 18.6% Middle Swan — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 11.9% / 12.8%
Caversham — 45-54: 11.9% Middle Swan — 45-54: 12.8%
55-64 8.6% / 13.4%
Caversham — 55-64: 8.6% Middle Swan — 55-64: 13.4%
65-74 5.6% / 9.4%
Caversham — 65-74: 5.6% Middle Swan — 65-74: 9.4%
75-84 2.3% / 5.4%
Caversham — 75-84: 2.3% Middle Swan — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 0.5% / 1.8%
Caversham — 85+: 0.5% Middle Swan — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Caversham 62.2% couple families
Caversham — Couple Families: 62.2% Caversham — Lone Person: 20.8% Caversham — One Parent Families: 12.5% Caversham — Group Household: 3.3% Caversham — Other Families: 1.2%
Middle Swan 33.2% couple families
Middle Swan — Couple Families: 33.2% Middle Swan — Lone Person: 39.2% Middle Swan — One Parent Families: 21.2% Middle Swan — Group Household: 4.7% Middle Swan — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Caversham 16.5% renting
Caversham — Owned Outright: 17.7% Caversham — Mortgage: 65.8% Caversham — Renting: 16.5%
Middle Swan 29.6% renting
Middle Swan — Owned Outright: 30.2% Middle Swan — Mortgage: 40.2% Middle Swan — Renting: 29.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Caversham Middle Swan
Certificate III & IV 14.5% / 17.2%
Caversham — Certificate III & IV: 14.5% Middle Swan — Certificate III & IV: 17.2%
Bachelor Degree 12.8% / 6.7%
Caversham — Bachelor Degree: 12.8% Middle Swan — Bachelor Degree: 6.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 6.7%
Caversham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Middle Swan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Postgraduate Degree 4.0% / 2.1%
Caversham — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0% Middle Swan — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 0.9%
Caversham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Middle Swan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

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.

Caversham Middle Swan
India 7.4% / 4.3%
Caversham — India: 7.4% Middle Swan — India: 4.3%
England 4.8% / 4.3%
Caversham — England: 4.8% Middle Swan — England: 4.3%
Philippines 3.9% / 4.8%
Caversham — Philippines: 3.9% Middle Swan — Philippines: 4.8%
New Zealand 3.0% / 3.9%
Caversham — New Zealand: 3.0% Middle Swan — New Zealand: 3.9%
Italy — / 1.4%
Caversham — Italy: not among its largest Middle Swan — Italy: 1.4%
South Africa 1.1% / —
Caversham — South Africa: 1.1% Middle Swan — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Caversham 93.8% houses
Caversham — Houses: 93.8% Caversham — Flats / Apartments: 4.2% Caversham — Townhouses: 2.0%
Middle Swan 85.4% houses
Middle Swan — Houses: 85.4% Middle Swan — Flats / Apartments: 6.9% Middle Swan — Townhouses: 7.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Caversham Middle Swan
Median house price $880,000 $722,500
Median unit price — $543,750
Median land price $712,500 $725,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 97 sales
 19 days
from 32 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.

Caversham Middle Swan
3 bed $775K / $664K
Caversham — 3 bed: $775K (47 sales) Middle Swan — 3 bed: $664K (46 sales)

47 vs 46 sales

4 bed $902K / $840K
Caversham — 4 bed: $902K (92 sales) Middle Swan — 4 bed: $840K (37 sales)

92 vs 37 sales

Development activity

Caversham Middle Swan
New dwellings approved 2,486
across Swan
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
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.

Caversham Middle Swan
Houses 4.7%
$850/wk on $950K
 4.9%
$750/wk on $799K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Caversham Middle Swan
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 85% of WA Higher than 26% of WA
Schools — Higher than 18% of WA
Walkability Higher than 79% of WA
same for both
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 85% of WA Higher than 70% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of WA Higher than 80% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 69% of WA Higher than 77% of WA

Liveability

Caversham scores higher overall (44 vs 27).

Caversham Middle Swan
Grade C D
Score 44/100 27/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Caversham carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 0); Caversham carries more flood risk (81 vs 66).

Caversham Middle Swan
Bushfire Low
25/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
66/100
 High
76/100
Flood High
81/100
 Moderate
66/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise High
70/100
 Moderate
50/100
Industrial facilities nearby 12
within 5 km
 11
within 5 km

Schools

Caversham Middle Swan
Inside the suburb 2 6
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Caversham

  • Caversham Valley Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Youth Futures Community School (Caversham) Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Middle Swan

  • La Salle College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • St Brigid's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Swan Christian College Independent · Secondary below peers
  • Moorditj Noongar Community College Government · Primary
  • Swan Christian College - Junior School Campus Independent · Primary
  • Alta-1 College - Middle Swan campus Independent · Secondary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Caversham Middle Swan
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 3
same for both
Parks & reserves 17 0
Childcare 5 2
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 2 1
EV chargers 1
same for both
Waterways 3 4

Mobility

Middle Swan sits further from the CBD (25.1 km vs 15.6 km).

Caversham Middle Swan
Walkability score 35/100 37/100
Distance to Perth 15.6 km 25.1 km
+61% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 24 min 30 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 105.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 91.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 6055
 0.8%
postcode 6056
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 96
postcode 6055
 56
postcode 6056

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.

Caversham Middle Swan
Car (driver) 79.0% / 78.8%
Caversham — Car (driver): 79.0% Middle Swan — Car (driver): 78.8%
Worked from Home 7.7% / 6.1%
Caversham — Worked from Home: 7.7% Middle Swan — Worked from Home: 6.1%
Car (passenger) 5.8% / 5.6%
Caversham — Car (passenger): 5.8% Middle Swan — Car (passenger): 5.6%
Train 4.7% / 4.3%
Caversham — Train: 4.7% Middle Swan — Train: 4.3%
Bus 1.7% / 2.6%
Caversham — Bus: 1.7% Middle Swan — Bus: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.0%).

Setting

Caversham Middle Swan
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 20.9 km 25.3 km

NBN connectivity

Caversham Middle Swan
Connectivity score 86/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 74%
2,107 premises
 42%
1,368 premises

Climate

Caversham Middle Swan
Annual rainfall 663 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 32.3°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Caversham Middle Swan
Average residential rate $2,699/yr
same for both
Council Swan
same for both

Federal electorate

Caversham Middle Swan
Division Hasluck
same for both
Member Tania Lawrence
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Caversham Middle Swan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Caversham

Family Large Blocks Middle-Ring Parks Young Families

Middle Swan

Acreage Middle-Ring Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Caversham

Caversham vs Beechboro Caversham vs Bennett Springs Caversham vs Dayton Caversham vs Eden Hill Caversham vs Lockridge Caversham vs Guildford

Other comparisons with Middle Swan

Middle Swan vs Midland Middle Swan vs Jane Brook Middle Swan vs Stratton Middle Swan vs Midvale Middle Swan vs Herne Hill Middle Swan vs Viveash
Full data on Caversham Full data on Middle Swan
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