Cockatoo vs Emerald

Cockatoo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 43 in Emerald. In both, 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 Emerald: a median of $930,000, against $850,000 in Cockatoo, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Cockatoo tends to suit families with children.

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

Emerald

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 5)
  • 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

Cockatoo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($342,500 vs $522,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Cockatoo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $400/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Emerald

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (54.7 km vs 61.2 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (60 min vs 66 min)
  • But Cockatoo is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Cockatoo is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
  • Emerald has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 11%)

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

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

Cockatoo Emerald
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.

Cockatoo Emerald
Walkability 27 / 0
Cockatoo — Walkability: 27/100 Emerald — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 54 / 60
Cockatoo — Safety: 54/100 Emerald — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 1 / 37
Cockatoo — Low fire risk: 1/100 Emerald — Low fire risk: 37/100
Low flood risk 100 / 84
Cockatoo — Low flood risk: 100/100 Emerald — Low flood risk: 84/100

Demographics

Emerald has more residents (5,890 vs 4,408); Emerald skews older (43 vs 36).

Cockatoo Emerald
Population 4,408 5,890
+34% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +1.9%
Median age 36 43
Median household income $103,532/yr $110,188/yr
+6% vs other
Median weekly rent $370/wk $400/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cockatoo Emerald
0-4 7.7% / 5.1%
Cockatoo — 0-4: 7.7% Emerald — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 15.0% / 13.4%
Cockatoo — 5-14: 15.0% Emerald — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 6.4% / 6.4%
Cockatoo — 15-19: 6.4% Emerald — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 4.7% / 5.7%
Cockatoo — 20-24: 4.7% Emerald — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 13.5% / 8.9%
Cockatoo — 25-34: 13.5% Emerald — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 14.6% / 12.7%
Cockatoo — 35-44: 14.6% Emerald — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 14.2% / 15.4%
Cockatoo — 45-54: 14.2% Emerald — 45-54: 15.4%
55-64 13.1% / 13.9%
Cockatoo — 55-64: 13.1% Emerald — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 7.6% / 11.7%
Cockatoo — 65-74: 7.6% Emerald — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 2.3% / 5.1%
Cockatoo — 75-84: 2.3% Emerald — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 0.7% / 1.7%
Cockatoo — 85+: 0.7% Emerald — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cockatoo 56.2% couple families
Cockatoo — Couple Families: 56.2% Cockatoo — Lone Person: 24.2% Cockatoo — One Parent Families: 16.2% Cockatoo — Group Household: 3.0% Cockatoo — Other Families: 0.4%
Emerald 59.0% couple families
Emerald — Couple Families: 59.0% Emerald — Lone Person: 25.2% Emerald — One Parent Families: 12.7% Emerald — Group Household: 2.3% Emerald — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cockatoo 7.8% renting
Cockatoo — Owned Outright: 24.8% Cockatoo — Mortgage: 67.4% Cockatoo — Renting: 7.8%
Emerald 8.5% renting
Emerald — Owned Outright: 39.5% Emerald — Mortgage: 52.0% Emerald — Renting: 8.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cockatoo Emerald
Certificate III & IV 19.8% / 16.6%
Cockatoo — Certificate III & IV: 19.8% Emerald — Certificate III & IV: 16.6%
Bachelor Degree 8.1% / 13.0%
Cockatoo — Bachelor Degree: 8.1% Emerald — Bachelor Degree: 13.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 9.8%
Cockatoo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Emerald — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8%
Postgraduate Degree 2.0% / 3.7%
Cockatoo — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0% Emerald — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 3.0%
Cockatoo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Emerald — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

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.

Cockatoo Emerald
England 4.1% / 6.8%
Cockatoo — England: 4.1% Emerald — England: 6.8%
New Zealand 1.3% / 1.2%
Cockatoo — New Zealand: 1.3% Emerald — New Zealand: 1.2%
Netherlands 0.5% / 1.0%
Cockatoo — Netherlands: 0.5% Emerald — Netherlands: 1.0%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.7%
Cockatoo — Scotland: 0.5% Emerald — Scotland: 0.7%
Germany 0.3% / 0.6%
Cockatoo — Germany: 0.3% Emerald — Germany: 0.6%
Italy 0.3% / 0.3%
Cockatoo — Italy: 0.3% Emerald — Italy: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cockatoo 99.7% houses
Cockatoo — Houses: 99.7% Cockatoo — Townhouses: 0.0% Cockatoo — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Emerald 98.2% houses
Emerald — Houses: 98.2% Emerald — Townhouses: 1.1% Emerald — Flats / Apartments: 0.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Cockatoo Emerald
Median house price $850,000 $930,000
Median unit price — $920,000
Median land price $342,500 $522,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 14 days
from 44 sales
 22 days
from 39 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.

Cockatoo Emerald
2 bed $612K / $745K
Cockatoo — 2 bed: $612K (7 sales) Emerald — 2 bed: $745K (9 sales)

7 vs 9 sales

3 bed $789K / $875K
Cockatoo — 3 bed: $789K (57 sales) Emerald — 3 bed: $875K (42 sales)

57 vs 42 sales

4 bed $968K / $1.08M
Cockatoo — 4 bed: $968K (36 sales) Emerald — 4 bed: $1.08M (44 sales)

36 vs 44 sales

5 bed $1.14M / $1.22M
Cockatoo — 5 bed: $1.14M (7 sales) Emerald — 5 bed: $1.22M (10 sales)

7 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Cockatoo has more rural and farming land (42% vs 13%); Cockatoo has more land zoned for conservation (34% vs 19%).

Cockatoo Emerald
Infrastructure and transport 2% 56%
Rural and farming 42% 13%
Environmental 34% 19%
Residential 15% 9%
Parks and recreation 7% 3%
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

Cockatoo Emerald
New dwellings approved 1,323
across Cardinia
same for both
Approvals change year on year +13%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Cockatoo Emerald
House price Higher than 49% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC
Income Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 65% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 55% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC

Liveability

Cockatoo is more walkable (27 vs 0); Emerald scores higher overall (56 vs 43).

Cockatoo Emerald
Grade C B
Score 43/100 56/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Emerald carries more flood risk (16 vs 0); Cockatoo carries more bushfire risk (99 vs 63).

Cockatoo Emerald
Bushfire High
99/100
 Moderate
63/100
Crime Moderate
46/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
16/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Cockatoo Emerald
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 2
same for both

Schools in Cockatoo

  • Cockatoo Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Fernbrook School Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Emerald

  • Dandenong Ranges Steiner School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Emerald Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Emerald Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Cockatoo Emerald
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 1 7
Parks & reserves 5 14
Childcare 3 5
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 4 11

Mobility

Cockatoo sits further from the CBD (61.2 km vs 54.7 km).

Cockatoo Emerald
Walkability score 27/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 61.2 km
+11% vs other
 54.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 66 min 60 min
Public transport score 68/100
Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 20.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 31.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3781
 1.1%
postcode 3782
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 3781
 39
postcode 3782

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.

Cockatoo Emerald
Car (driver) 72.0% / 65.4%
Cockatoo — Car (driver): 72.0% Emerald — Car (driver): 65.4%
Worked from Home 22.3% / 27.7%
Cockatoo — Worked from Home: 22.3% Emerald — Worked from Home: 27.7%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 4.4%
Cockatoo — Car (passenger): 4.1% Emerald — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Walked Only 1.2% / 1.5%
Cockatoo — Walked Only: 1.2% Emerald — Walked Only: 1.5%
Train 0.4% / 0.7%
Cockatoo — Train: 0.4% Emerald — Train: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.0%).

Setting

Cockatoo Emerald
Elevation 223 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 231 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 32.9 km 30.1 km

NBN connectivity

Cockatoo Emerald
Connectivity score 68/100 57/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 43%
1,679 premises
 23%
2,364 premises

Climate

Cockatoo Emerald
Annual rainfall 1,350 mm 777 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 26.9°C
Winter min (Jul) — 6.3°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Cockatoo Emerald
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Cockatoo Emerald
Average residential rate $1,880/yr
same for both
Council Cardinia
same for both

Federal electorate

Cockatoo Emerald
Division La Trobe
same for both
Member Jason Wood
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cockatoo Emerald
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cockatoo

Acreage Family Outer

Emerald

Acreage Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cockatoo

Cockatoo vs Gembrook Cockatoo vs Macclesfield Cockatoo vs Avonsleigh Cockatoo vs Mount Burnett Cockatoo vs Nangana

Other comparisons with Emerald

Emerald vs Monbulk Emerald vs Beaconsfield Upper Emerald vs Belgrave South Emerald vs Kallista Emerald vs Menzies Creek Emerald vs Macclesfield
Full data on Cockatoo Full data on Emerald
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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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