Chatswood vs Castle Cove

Chatswood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 46 in Castle Cove. In Chatswood, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Castle Cove, 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 Castle Cove: a median of $3.94 million, against $3.57 million in Chatswood, and rent is higher there too. Chatswood is closer to the city centre: 11.6 km, against 12.9 km. On these figures, Chatswood tends to suit renters and people living alone, while Castle Cove 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Chatswood has more childcare (21 vs 1)
  • Castle Cove carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 79/100)

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

First-home buyers

Chatswood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($3,570,000 vs $3,940,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Chatswood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (52% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($577/wk vs $1,000/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Chatswood

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (8% vs 1%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 54/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (17 min vs 22 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Chatswood

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (16 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (72% vs 10%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 54/100)
  • But Castle Cove carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 79/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Chatswood Castle Cove
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.

Chatswood Castle Cove
Walkability 99 / 54
Chatswood — Walkability: 99/100 Castle Cove — Walkability: 54/100
Safety 21 / 78
Chatswood — Safety: 21/100 Castle Cove — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 57 / 100
Chatswood — Low fire risk: 57/100 Castle Cove — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Chatswood has more residents (25,553 vs 2,643); Castle Cove rents higher ($1,000/wk vs $577/wk).

Chatswood Castle Cove
Population 25,553
+90% vs other
 2,643
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% +3.5%
Median age 37 46
Median household income $112,216/yr $178,828/yr
+59% vs other
Median weekly rent $577/wk $1,000/wk
+73% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chatswood Castle Cove
0-4 5.0% / 3.4%
Chatswood — 0-4: 5.0% Castle Cove — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 11.7% / 16.4%
Chatswood — 5-14: 11.7% Castle Cove — 5-14: 16.4%
15-19 4.8% / 7.1%
Chatswood — 15-19: 4.8% Castle Cove — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 6.2% / 5.4%
Chatswood — 20-24: 6.2% Castle Cove — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 16.6% / 4.7%
Chatswood — 25-34: 16.6% Castle Cove — 25-34: 4.7%
35-44 18.1% / 11.0%
Chatswood — 35-44: 18.1% Castle Cove — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 12.9% / 15.7%
Chatswood — 45-54: 12.9% Castle Cove — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 9.5% / 13.8%
Chatswood — 55-64: 9.5% Castle Cove — 55-64: 13.8%
65-74 8.2% / 10.4%
Chatswood — 65-74: 8.2% Castle Cove — 65-74: 10.4%
75-84 4.4% / 8.1%
Chatswood — 75-84: 4.4% Castle Cove — 75-84: 8.1%
85+ 2.4% / 3.9%
Chatswood — 85+: 2.4% Castle Cove — 85+: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Chatswood 44.5% couple families
Chatswood — Couple Families: 44.5% Chatswood — Lone Person: 32.2% Chatswood — One Parent Families: 13.9% Chatswood — Group Household: 7.1% Chatswood — Other Families: 2.3%
Castle Cove 65.5% couple families
Castle Cove — Couple Families: 65.5% Castle Cove — Lone Person: 21.0% Castle Cove — One Parent Families: 11.0% Castle Cove — Group Household: 1.8% Castle Cove — Other Families: 0.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Chatswood 52.1% renting
Chatswood — Owned Outright: 27.1% Chatswood — Mortgage: 20.8% Chatswood — Renting: 52.1%
Castle Cove 11.6% renting
Castle Cove — Owned Outright: 52.4% Castle Cove — Mortgage: 36.0% Castle Cove — Renting: 11.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chatswood Castle Cove
Bachelor Degree 26.9% / 25.2%
Chatswood — Bachelor Degree: 26.9% Castle Cove — Bachelor Degree: 25.2%
Postgraduate Degree 14.8% / 11.8%
Chatswood — Postgraduate Degree: 14.8% Castle Cove — Postgraduate Degree: 11.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 8.3%
Chatswood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Castle Cove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Certificate III & IV 3.8% / 4.0%
Chatswood — Certificate III & IV: 3.8% Castle Cove — Certificate III & IV: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 2.9%
Chatswood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Castle Cove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.9%).

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.

Chatswood Castle Cove
China 20.1% / 7.3%
Chatswood — China: 20.1% Castle Cove — China: 7.3%
England 2.1% / 4.7%
Chatswood — England: 2.1% Castle Cove — England: 4.7%
India 4.0% / —
Chatswood — India: 4.0% Castle Cove — India: not among its largest
Japan 2.5% / 0.9%
Chatswood — Japan: 2.5% Castle Cove — Japan: 0.9%
Malaysia 2.4% / 0.9%
Chatswood — Malaysia: 2.4% Castle Cove — Malaysia: 0.9%
Taiwan 2.4% / —
Chatswood — Taiwan: 2.4% Castle Cove — Taiwan: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.4%
Chatswood — New Zealand: not among its largest Castle Cove — New Zealand: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chatswood 27.9% houses
Chatswood — Houses: 27.9% Chatswood — Flats / Apartments: 67.7% Chatswood — Townhouses: 4.3%
Castle Cove 90.3% houses
Castle Cove — Houses: 90.3% Castle Cove — Flats / Apartments: 3.6% Castle Cove — Townhouses: 6.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Chatswood Castle Cove
Median house price $3,570,000 $3,940,000
Median unit price $1,180,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 77 sales
 24 days
from 10 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.

Chatswood Castle Cove
3 bed $3.2M / $3.52M
Chatswood — 3 bed: $3.2M (29 sales) Castle Cove — 3 bed: $3.52M (7 sales)

29 vs 7 sales

4 bed $3.33M / $4M
Chatswood — 4 bed: $3.33M (28 sales) Castle Cove — 4 bed: $4M (7 sales)

28 vs 7 sales

5 bed $4.37M / $4.3M
Chatswood — 5 bed: $4.37M (26 sales) Castle Cove — 5 bed: $4.3M (9 sales)

26 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Castle Cove has more land zoned for conservation (69% vs 13%).

Chatswood Castle Cove
Environmental 13% 69%
Residential 61% 19%
Parks and recreation 9% 8%
Commercial 7% 0%
Industrial 5% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 1%
Planning zones cover 100% of Chatswood and 98% of Castle Cove. 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

Chatswood Castle Cove
New dwellings approved 249
across Willoughby
same for both
Approvals change year on year +458%
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.

Chatswood Castle Cove
Houses 2.3%
$1,500/wk on $3.4M
 2.5%
$2,000/wk on $4.2M
Units 4.7%
$850/wk on $950K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Chatswood Castle Cove
House price Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Income Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Schools Higher than 97% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 99% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 4% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 51% of NSW —

Liveability

Chatswood is more walkable (99 vs 54); Castle Cove scores higher overall (87 vs 75).

Chatswood Castle Cove
Grade A A+
Score 75/100 87/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Chatswood carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 0); Chatswood carries more crime risk (79 vs 22).

Chatswood Castle Cove
Bushfire Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
79/100
 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 5
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Chatswood Castle Cove
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 5 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 5.2 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 5.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.9% 4.0%

Schools in Chatswood

  • Chatswood High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Chatswood Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mercy Catholic College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Pius X College Independent · Combined above peers

Schools in Castle Cove

  • Castle Cove Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Chatswood Castle Cove
Supermarkets 16 0
Cafes & restaurants 187 1
Parks & reserves 22 6
Childcare 21 1
GPs 16 1
Pharmacies 13 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 10 0
Fuel stations 3 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 11 1

Mobility

Chatswood Castle Cove
Walkability score 99/100 54/100
Distance to Sydney 11.6 km 12.9 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 22 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 604.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 80.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 4.0%
postcode 2067
 4.7%
postcode 2069
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 11
postcode 2067
 30
postcode 2069

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.

Chatswood Castle Cove
Worked from Home 57.3% / 62.5%
Chatswood — Worked from Home: 57.3% Castle Cove — Worked from Home: 62.5%
Car (driver) 21.3% / 30.9%
Chatswood — Car (driver): 21.3% Castle Cove — Car (driver): 30.9%
Walked Only 8.1% / 1.6%
Chatswood — Walked Only: 8.1% Castle Cove — Walked Only: 1.6%
Train 7.9% / 1.3%
Chatswood — Train: 7.9% Castle Cove — Train: 1.3%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 2.3%
Chatswood — Car (passenger): 2.3% Castle Cove — Car (passenger): 2.3%
Bus 2.7% / 1.2%
Chatswood — Bus: 2.7% Castle Cove — Bus: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.5%).

Setting

Chatswood Castle Cove
Elevation 105 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.3 km
4.4 km to a named beach
 4.0 km
1.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Chatswood Castle Cove
Connectivity score 73/100 89/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
15,688 premises
 52%
1,030 premises

Climate

Chatswood Castle Cove
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Chatswood Castle Cove
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.23 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Chatswood Castle Cove
Average residential rate $1,275/yr
same for both
Council Willoughby
same for both

Federal electorate

Chatswood Castle Cove
Division Bradfield
same for both
Member Nicolette Boele
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Chatswood Castle Cove
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Chatswood

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Transport Hub Urban

Castle Cove

Large Blocks Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chatswood

Chatswood vs Lane Cove North Chatswood vs Lindfield Chatswood vs Roseville Chatswood vs Artarmon Chatswood vs Willoughby Chatswood vs North Willoughby

Other comparisons with Castle Cove

Castle Cove vs Roseville Castle Cove vs Roseville Chase Castle Cove vs Middle Cove
Full data on Chatswood Full data on Castle Cove
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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