City Beach vs Scarborough

Scarborough is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 47 in City Beach. In both, most households own their home. In City Beach, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. In Scarborough, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in City Beach: a median of $3.33 million, against $1.34 million in Scarborough, and rent is higher there too. City Beach is closer to the city centre: 11.2 km, against 14.5 km. On these figures, City Beach tends to suit couples and older residents, while Scarborough suits young adults, people living alone, and 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

City Beach

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 36%)
  • carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 61/100)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Scarborough

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,340,000 vs $3,325,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Scarborough

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($405/wk vs $750/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • City Beach sits closer to the CBD (11.2 km vs 14.5 km)
  • Scarborough is more walkable (86/100 vs 55/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Scarborough

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (64% vs 12%)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 55/100)
  • But City Beach carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 61/100)

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

Investors

Scarborough

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (13.8% vs 3.0%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.4% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

City Beach Scarborough
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.

City Beach Scarborough
Walkability 55 / 86
City Beach — Walkability: 55/100 Scarborough — Walkability: 86/100
Safety 71 / 39
City Beach — Safety: 71/100 Scarborough — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 63 / 100
City Beach — Low fire risk: 63/100 Scarborough — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
City Beach — Low flood risk: 100/100 Scarborough — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Scarborough has more residents (17,605 vs 6,805); City Beach rents higher ($750/wk vs $405/wk).

City Beach Scarborough
Population 6,805 17,605
+159% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.0% +13.8%
Median age 47 36
Median household income $192,400/yr
+43% vs other
 $109,564/yr
Median weekly rent $750/wk
+46% vs other
 $405/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

City Beach Scarborough
0-4 2.8% / 5.8%
City Beach — 0-4: 2.8% Scarborough — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 14.8% / 8.7%
City Beach — 5-14: 14.8% Scarborough — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 8.8% / 3.9%
City Beach — 15-19: 8.8% Scarborough — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 5.5% / 5.1%
City Beach — 20-24: 5.5% Scarborough — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 5.6% / 23.9%
City Beach — 25-34: 5.6% Scarborough — 25-34: 23.9%
35-44 8.6% / 17.7%
City Beach — 35-44: 8.6% Scarborough — 35-44: 17.7%
45-54 16.5% / 12.4%
City Beach — 45-54: 16.5% Scarborough — 45-54: 12.4%
55-64 14.7% / 9.9%
City Beach — 55-64: 14.7% Scarborough — 55-64: 9.9%
65-74 9.5% / 7.1%
City Beach — 65-74: 9.5% Scarborough — 65-74: 7.1%
75-84 8.4% / 4.0%
City Beach — 75-84: 8.4% Scarborough — 75-84: 4.0%
85+ 4.7% / 1.5%
City Beach — 85+: 4.7% Scarborough — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

City Beach 62.5% couple families
City Beach — Couple Families: 62.5% City Beach — Lone Person: 25.7% City Beach — One Parent Families: 8.9% City Beach — Group Household: 2.1% City Beach — Other Families: 0.9%
Scarborough 28.9% couple families
Scarborough — Couple Families: 28.9% Scarborough — Lone Person: 47.2% Scarborough — One Parent Families: 12.2% Scarborough — Group Household: 10.1% Scarborough — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

City Beach 11.4% renting
City Beach — Owned Outright: 53.7% City Beach — Mortgage: 34.9% City Beach — Renting: 11.4%
Scarborough 40.3% renting
Scarborough — Owned Outright: 24.1% Scarborough — Mortgage: 35.6% Scarborough — Renting: 40.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

City Beach Scarborough
Bachelor Degree 26.8% / 23.4%
City Beach — Bachelor Degree: 26.8% Scarborough — Bachelor Degree: 23.4%
Postgraduate Degree 11.2% / 7.1%
City Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 11.2% Scarborough — Postgraduate Degree: 7.1%
Certificate III & IV 4.3% / 12.2%
City Beach — Certificate III & IV: 4.3% Scarborough — Certificate III & IV: 12.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 9.1%
City Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Scarborough — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 3.1%
City Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Scarborough — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).

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.

City Beach Scarborough
England 7.8% / 7.7%
City Beach — England: 7.8% Scarborough — England: 7.7%
South Africa 2.7% / 2.3%
City Beach — South Africa: 2.7% Scarborough — South Africa: 2.3%
New Zealand 1.5% / 3.4%
City Beach — New Zealand: 1.5% Scarborough — New Zealand: 3.4%
Brazil — / 2.2%
City Beach — Brazil: not among its largest Scarborough — Brazil: 2.2%
Ireland — / 1.7%
City Beach — Ireland: not among its largest Scarborough — Ireland: 1.7%
Malaysia 1.4% / —
City Beach — Malaysia: 1.4% Scarborough — Malaysia: not among its largest
India 1.3% / —
City Beach — India: 1.3% Scarborough — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

City Beach 87.6% houses
City Beach — Houses: 87.6% City Beach — Townhouses: 5.3% City Beach — Flats / Apartments: 7.1%
Scarborough 36.2% houses
Scarborough — Houses: 36.2% Scarborough — Townhouses: 47.6% Scarborough — Flats / Apartments: 16.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

City Beach Scarborough
Median house price $3,325,000 $1,340,000
Median unit price — $723,750
Median land price — $1,580,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 50 days
from 79 sales
 19 days
from 173 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.

City Beach Scarborough
3 bed $2.7M / $1.28M
City Beach — 3 bed: $2.7M (15 sales) Scarborough — 3 bed: $1.28M (137 sales)

15 vs 137 sales

4 bed $3.2M / $1.6M
City Beach — 4 bed: $3.2M (51 sales) Scarborough — 4 bed: $1.6M (63 sales)

51 vs 63 sales

5 bed $5.1M / $1.75M
City Beach — 5 bed: $5.1M (27 sales) Scarborough — 5 bed: $1.75M (7 sales)

27 vs 7 sales

Development activity

City Beach Scarborough
New dwellings approved 133
across Cambridge
 1,557
across Stirling
Approvals change year on year +42% +23%

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.

City Beach Scarborough
Houses 2.9%
$1,650/wk on $3M
 4.4%
$850/wk on $1M
Units — 4.9%
$750/wk on $800K

Ranking within WA

City Beach Scarborough
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 99% of WA Higher than 75% of WA
Schools Higher than 49% of WA —
Walkability Higher than 84% of WA Higher than 98% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 100% of WA Higher than 93% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of WA Higher than 75% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 5% of WA Higher than 52% of WA
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 27% of WA

Liveability

Scarborough is more walkable (86 vs 55); Scarborough scores higher overall (89 vs 76).

City Beach Scarborough
Grade A A+
Score 76/100 89/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

City Beach carries more bushfire risk (37 vs 0); Scarborough carries more crime risk (61 vs 29).

City Beach Scarborough
Bushfire Low
37/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
29/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
55/100
 Moderate
63/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

City Beach Scarborough
Inside the suburb 4 2
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 3 1
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Western Australia, 7.9 km
 None

Schools in City Beach

  • Kapinara Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • City Beach Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Holy Spirit School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • The Japanese School in Perth Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Scarborough

  • Scarborough Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St John's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

City Beach Scarborough
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 6 16
Parks & reserves 10 6
Childcare 3 5
GPs 1 3
Pharmacies 1 4
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 4
EV chargers 1 2
Beaches 1
same for both
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Scarborough sits further from the CBD (14.5 km vs 11.2 km).

City Beach Scarborough
Walkability score 55/100 86/100
Distance to Perth 11.2 km 14.5 km
+29% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 20 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 128.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 337.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.5%
postcode 6015
 1.9%
postcode 6019
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 6015
 27
postcode 6019

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.

City Beach Scarborough
Car (driver) 69.9% / 73.5%
City Beach — Car (driver): 69.9% Scarborough — Car (driver): 73.5%
Worked from Home 17.9% / 11.2%
City Beach — Worked from Home: 17.9% Scarborough — Worked from Home: 11.2%
Car (passenger) 3.9% / 4.2%
City Beach — Car (passenger): 3.9% Scarborough — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Train 1.6% / 6.0%
City Beach — Train: 1.6% Scarborough — Train: 6.0%
Bus 3.3% / 2.6%
City Beach — Bus: 3.3% Scarborough — Bus: 2.6%
Bicycle 1.9% / 1.0%
City Beach — Bicycle: 1.9% Scarborough — Bicycle: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.5%).

Setting

City Beach Scarborough
Elevation 56 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.0 km
1.1 km to a named beach
 995 m
990 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

City Beach Scarborough
Connectivity score 83/100 61/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 52%
2,734 premises
 29%
10,010 premises

Climate

City Beach Scarborough
Annual rainfall 716 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.4°C
same for both

Council rates

City Beach Scarborough
Average residential rate $2,113/yr $1,615/yr
Council Cambridge Stirling

Federal electorate

City Beach Scarborough
Division Curtin
same for both
Member Kate Chaney
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

City Beach Scarborough
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

City Beach

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Large Blocks Luxury Middle-Ring Professionals Quiet Transport Hub

Scarborough

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with City Beach

City Beach vs Floreat City Beach vs Wembley Downs City Beach vs Mount Claremont City Beach vs Swanbourne

Other comparisons with Scarborough

Scarborough vs Karrinyup Scarborough vs Doubleview Scarborough vs Wembley Downs Scarborough vs Trigg
Full data on City Beach Full data on Scarborough
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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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