Chatswood vs Chatswood West

Chatswood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 42 in Chatswood West. In Chatswood, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Chatswood West, 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 Chatswood: a median of $3.57 million, against $2.47 million in Chatswood West, though rent is higher in Chatswood West. Chatswood is closer to the city centre: 11.6 km, against 13.3 km. On these figures, Chatswood tends to suit renters and people living alone, while Chatswood West suits couples 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

They split

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

  • Chatswood has more childcare (21 vs 0)
  • Chatswood West carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 79/100)

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

First-home buyers

Chatswood West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($2,468,333 vs $3,570,000)

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 15%)
  • has cheaper rent ($577/wk vs $750/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Chatswood

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (8% vs 3%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 62/100)

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 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (72% vs 6%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 62/100)
  • But Chatswood West carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 79/100)

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

Chatswood and Chatswood West 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 Chatswood West
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 Chatswood West
Walkability 99 / 62
Chatswood — Walkability: 99/100 Chatswood West — Walkability: 62/100
Safety 21 / 82
Chatswood — Safety: 21/100 Chatswood West — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 57 / 22
Chatswood — Low fire risk: 57/100 Chatswood West — Low fire risk: 22/100

Demographics

Chatswood has more residents (25,553 vs 1,521); Chatswood West has higher household incomes ($162,292 vs $112,216).

Chatswood Chatswood West
Population 25,553
+94% vs other
 1,521
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% +1.5%
Median age 37 42
Median household income $112,216/yr $162,292/yr
+45% vs other
Median weekly rent $577/wk $750/wk
+30% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chatswood Chatswood West
0-4 5.0% / 5.0%
Chatswood — 0-4: 5.0% Chatswood West — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 11.7% / 14.4%
Chatswood — 5-14: 11.7% Chatswood West — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 4.8% / 6.1%
Chatswood — 15-19: 4.8% Chatswood West — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 6.2% / 5.2%
Chatswood — 20-24: 6.2% Chatswood West — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 16.6% / 7.6%
Chatswood — 25-34: 16.6% Chatswood West — 25-34: 7.6%
35-44 18.1% / 15.0%
Chatswood — 35-44: 18.1% Chatswood West — 35-44: 15.0%
45-54 12.9% / 14.5%
Chatswood — 45-54: 12.9% Chatswood West — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 9.5% / 12.4%
Chatswood — 55-64: 9.5% Chatswood West — 55-64: 12.4%
65-74 8.2% / 10.6%
Chatswood — 65-74: 8.2% Chatswood West — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 4.4% / 6.2%
Chatswood — 75-84: 4.4% Chatswood West — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 2.4% / 2.7%
Chatswood — 85+: 2.4% Chatswood West — 85+: 2.7%

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%
Chatswood West 66.4% couple families
Chatswood West — Couple Families: 66.4% Chatswood West — Lone Person: 17.3% Chatswood West — One Parent Families: 10.1% Chatswood West — Group Household: 4.8% Chatswood West — Other Families: 1.3%
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%
Chatswood West 14.9% renting
Chatswood West — Owned Outright: 46.3% Chatswood West — Mortgage: 38.8% Chatswood West — Renting: 14.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chatswood Chatswood West
Bachelor Degree 26.9% / 24.9%
Chatswood — Bachelor Degree: 26.9% Chatswood West — Bachelor Degree: 24.9%
Postgraduate Degree 14.8% / 13.8%
Chatswood — Postgraduate Degree: 14.8% Chatswood West — Postgraduate Degree: 13.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 7.8%
Chatswood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Chatswood West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Certificate III & IV 3.8% / 4.9%
Chatswood — Certificate III & IV: 3.8% Chatswood West — Certificate III & IV: 4.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 2.4%
Chatswood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Chatswood West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

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 Chatswood West
China 20.1% / 11.2%
Chatswood — China: 20.1% Chatswood West — China: 11.2%
England 2.1% / 4.7%
Chatswood — England: 2.1% Chatswood West — England: 4.7%
India 4.0% / 1.4%
Chatswood — India: 4.0% Chatswood West — India: 1.4%
Malaysia 2.4% / 1.1%
Chatswood — Malaysia: 2.4% Chatswood West — Malaysia: 1.1%
Japan 2.5% / —
Chatswood — Japan: 2.5% Chatswood West — Japan: not among its largest
Taiwan 2.4% / —
Chatswood — Taiwan: 2.4% Chatswood West — Taiwan: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.8%
Chatswood — New Zealand: not among its largest Chatswood West — New Zealand: 1.8%
South Africa — / 1.6%
Chatswood — South Africa: not among its largest Chatswood West — South Africa: 1.6%

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%
Chatswood West 93.9% houses
Chatswood West — Houses: 93.9% Chatswood West — Flats / Apartments: 0.6% Chatswood West — Townhouses: 5.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Chatswood Chatswood West
Median house price $3,570,000 $2,468,333
Median unit price $1,180,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 77 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 Chatswood West
2 bed $2.5M / $2.25M
Chatswood — 2 bed: $2.5M (7 sales) Chatswood West — 2 bed: $2.25M (7 sales)

7 vs 7 sales

3 bed $3.2M / $2.45M
Chatswood — 3 bed: $3.2M (29 sales) Chatswood West — 3 bed: $2.45M (7 sales)

29 vs 7 sales

4 bed $3.33M / $3.1M
Chatswood — 4 bed: $3.33M (28 sales) Chatswood West — 4 bed: $3.1M (5 sales)

28 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Chatswood West has more land zoned for conservation (44% vs 13%).

Chatswood Chatswood West
Residential 61% 37%
Environmental 13% 44%
Parks and recreation 9% 7%
Commercial 7% 0%
Industrial 5% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 4%
Planning zones cover 100% of Chatswood and 92% of Chatswood West. 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 Chatswood West
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 Chatswood West
Houses 2.3%
$1,500/wk on $3.4M
 —
Units 4.7%
$850/wk on $950K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Chatswood Chatswood West
House price Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Income Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Schools Higher than 97% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 99% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 4% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 51% of NSW —

Liveability

Chatswood is more walkable (99 vs 62); Chatswood scores higher overall (75 vs 70).

Chatswood Chatswood West
Grade A
same for both
Score 75/100 70/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Chatswood carries more crime risk (79 vs 18); Chatswood West carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 43).

Chatswood Chatswood West
Bushfire Moderate
43/100
 High
78/100
Crime High
79/100
 Low
18/100
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
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Chatswood Chatswood West
Inside the suburb 5 0
Rated above peers 5 0
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, 5.2 km
 3
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 3.5 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 Chatswood West

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

Amenities in the suburb

Chatswood Chatswood West
Supermarkets 16 0
Cafes & restaurants 187 0
Parks & reserves 22 5
Childcare 21 0
GPs 16 0
Pharmacies 13 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 10 0
Fuel stations 3 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 11 6

Mobility

Chatswood Chatswood West
Walkability score 99/100 62/100
Distance to Sydney 11.6 km 13.3 km
+15% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 20 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 604.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 44.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 4.0%
postcode 2067
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 11
postcode 2067
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.

Chatswood Chatswood West
Worked from Home 57.3% / 61.8%
Chatswood — Worked from Home: 57.3% Chatswood West — Worked from Home: 61.8%
Car (driver) 21.3% / 30.7%
Chatswood — Car (driver): 21.3% Chatswood West — Car (driver): 30.7%
Train 7.9% / 2.8%
Chatswood — Train: 7.9% Chatswood West — Train: 2.8%
Walked Only 8.1% / 1.4%
Chatswood — Walked Only: 8.1% Chatswood West — Walked Only: 1.4%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 1.9%
Chatswood — Car (passenger): 2.3% Chatswood West — Car (passenger): 1.9%
Bus 2.7% / 0.6%
Chatswood — Bus: 2.7% Chatswood West — Bus: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.8%).

Setting

Chatswood Chatswood West
Elevation 105 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 35 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.3 km
4.4 km to a named beach
 8.2 km
4.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Chatswood Chatswood West
Connectivity score 73/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
15,688 premises
 0%
551 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Chatswood Chatswood West
Division Bradfield Bennelong
Member Nicolette Boele Jerome Laxale
Party Independent Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Chatswood Chatswood West
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

Chatswood West

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Quiet 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 Chatswood West

Chatswood West vs North Ryde Chatswood West vs Lindfield Chatswood West vs Roseville
Full data on Chatswood Full data on Chatswood West
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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