Chillingham vs Zara
Zara is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 53 in Chillingham. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Zara: a median of $3.03 million, against $905,000 in Chillingham, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Chillingham tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Zara suits share households.
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
Chillingham
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 37%)
- But Zara carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Chillingham has cheaper houses ($905,000 vs $3,032,500)
- Zara leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 31%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Chillingham
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($285/wk vs $440/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Chillingham
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (28/100 vs 12/100)
- has a shorter drive in (533 min vs 538 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (810.8 km vs 814.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Chillingham
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (28/100 vs 12/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 20%)
- But Zara carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Zara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.5% vs -1.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Chillingham and Zara 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
Chillingham has more residents (228 vs 87); Zara has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $54,600).
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 228 +62% vs other | 87 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.7% | +14.5% |
| Median age | 53 | 45 |
| Median household income | $54,600/yr | $84,500/yr +55% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $285/wk | $440/wk +54% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
Property market
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $905,000 | $3,032,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Zara has more rural and farming land (95% vs 66%).
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 66% | 95% |
| Other and special use | 30% | 4% |
| Environmental | 3% | 1% |
| 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
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Tweed same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
Liveability
Chillingham is more walkable (28 vs 12).
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Chillingham carries more crime risk (21 vs 0).
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 56/100 | Moderate 47/100 |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Chillingham
- Chillingham Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Zara
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Zara sits further from the CBD (814.1 km vs 810.8 km).
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 28/100 | 12/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 810.8 km | 814.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 533 min | 538 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2484 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 76 postcode 2484 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 (94.8%).
Setting
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 62 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 27.9 km | 30.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 108 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,569 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,745/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tweed same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Chillingham | Zara | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Chillingham
Other comparisons with Zara
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.