Chowan Creek vs Rowlands Creek
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Chowan Creek tends to suit people living alone and older residents.
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
Rowlands Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (81/100 vs 95/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
Chowan Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 33%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Rowlands Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($231/wk vs $320/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 37%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Chowan Creek has a shorter drive in (539 min vs 560 min)
- Rowlands Creek sits closer to the CBD (796.9 km vs 807 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Chowan Creek has more residents already 65 and over (42% vs 31%)
- Rowlands Creek carries lower crime risk (81/100 vs 95/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Chowan Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (54.1% vs 13.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Chowan Creek and Rowlands Creek 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
Rowlands Creek has more residents (84 vs 57); Chowan Creek rents higher ($320/wk vs $231/wk).
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 57 | 84 +47% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +54.1% | +13.5% |
| Median age | 59 same for both | |
| Median household income | $45,032/yr +4% vs other | $43,316/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk +28% vs other | $231/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.1%).
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 (19.0%).
Property market
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,575,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Chowan Creek has more rural and farming land (57% vs 34%); Rowlands Creek has more land zoned for conservation (65% vs 43%).
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 43% | 65% |
| Rural and farming | 57% | 34% |
| 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
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Tweed same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
Liveability
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rowlands Creek carries more bushfire risk (61 vs 50); Chowan Creek carries more crime risk (95 vs 81).
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 50/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Crime | High 95/100 | High 81/100 |
| 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
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
Chowan Creek sits further from the CBD (807 km vs 796.9 km).
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 807 km +1% vs other | 796.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 539 min | 560 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 81 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 182 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 17.6 km | 20.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 28 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Climate
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,745/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tweed same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Chowan Creek | Rowlands Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Chowan Creek
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Chowan Creek
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.