Collaroy vs Cromer

In both, most households own their home. In Collaroy, about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Cromer, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Collaroy: a median of $3.82 million, against $2.4 million in Cromer, though rent is higher in Cromer. Collaroy is closer to the city centre: 20.9 km, against 23.3 km. On these figures, Collaroy tends to suit people living alone, while Cromer suits families with children, 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

Cromer

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (5 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (24 vs 9)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (78% vs 42%)

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

First-home buyers

Cromer

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($2,400,000 vs $3,822,500)
  • has cheaper units ($925,000 vs $1,205,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Collaroy

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 16%)
  • has cheaper rent ($600/wk vs $650/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Collaroy

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (60/100 vs 50/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (20.9 km vs 23.3 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Collaroy

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (58% vs 22%)
  • is more walkable (60/100 vs 50/100)

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

Investors

Cromer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.2% vs 3.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Collaroy Cromer
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.

Collaroy Cromer
Walkability 60 / 50
Collaroy — Walkability: 60/100 Cromer — Walkability: 50/100
Safety 66 / 67
Collaroy — Safety: 66/100 Cromer — Safety: 67/100
Low fire risk 100 / 8
Collaroy — Low fire risk: 100/100 Cromer — Low fire risk: 8/100

Demographics

Collaroy skews older (43 vs 41).

Collaroy Cromer
Population 7,944 8,030
+1% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.9% +5.8%
Median age 43 41
Median household income $123,344/yr $129,116/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $600/wk $650/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Collaroy Cromer
0-4 5.2% / 6.0%
Collaroy — 0-4: 5.2% Cromer — 0-4: 6.0%
5-14 10.0% / 14.9%
Collaroy — 5-14: 10.0% Cromer — 5-14: 14.9%
15-19 6.3% / 7.3%
Collaroy — 15-19: 6.3% Cromer — 15-19: 7.3%
20-24 5.8% / 5.1%
Collaroy — 20-24: 5.8% Cromer — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 12.9% / 8.1%
Collaroy — 25-34: 12.9% Cromer — 25-34: 8.1%
35-44 12.3% / 13.3%
Collaroy — 35-44: 12.3% Cromer — 35-44: 13.3%
45-54 14.4% / 15.7%
Collaroy — 45-54: 14.4% Cromer — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 13.3% / 11.1%
Collaroy — 55-64: 13.3% Cromer — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 10.3% / 9.1%
Collaroy — 65-74: 10.3% Cromer — 65-74: 9.1%
75-84 6.3% / 6.8%
Collaroy — 75-84: 6.3% Cromer — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 3.3% / 2.7%
Collaroy — 85+: 3.3% Cromer — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Collaroy 44.0% couple families
Collaroy — Couple Families: 44.0% Collaroy — Lone Person: 35.0% Collaroy — One Parent Families: 14.0% Collaroy — Group Household: 4.9% Collaroy — Other Families: 2.0%
Cromer 60.2% couple families
Cromer — Couple Families: 60.2% Cromer — Lone Person: 24.7% Cromer — One Parent Families: 12.2% Cromer — Group Household: 2.1% Cromer — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Collaroy 30.7% renting
Collaroy — Owned Outright: 37.8% Collaroy — Mortgage: 31.5% Collaroy — Renting: 30.7%
Cromer 16.2% renting
Cromer — Owned Outright: 38.8% Cromer — Mortgage: 45.0% Cromer — Renting: 16.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Collaroy Cromer
Bachelor Degree 20.8% / 15.6%
Collaroy — Bachelor Degree: 20.8% Cromer — Bachelor Degree: 15.6%
Certificate III & IV 11.6% / 12.8%
Collaroy — Certificate III & IV: 11.6% Cromer — Certificate III & IV: 12.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.1% / 9.7%
Collaroy — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1% Cromer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7%
Postgraduate Degree 6.2% / 4.2%
Collaroy — Postgraduate Degree: 6.2% Cromer — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 1.8%
Collaroy — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Cromer — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).

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.

Collaroy Cromer
England 6.4% / 6.5%
Collaroy — England: 6.4% Cromer — England: 6.5%
New Zealand 2.2% / 2.0%
Collaroy — New Zealand: 2.2% Cromer — New Zealand: 2.0%
Italy 1.3% / 1.4%
Collaroy — Italy: 1.3% Cromer — Italy: 1.4%
Brazil 1.6% / 0.9%
Collaroy — Brazil: 1.6% Cromer — Brazil: 0.9%
South Africa 1.2% / 1.1%
Collaroy — South Africa: 1.2% Cromer — South Africa: 1.1%
China 1.2% / 1.0%
Collaroy — China: 1.2% Cromer — China: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Collaroy 41.7% houses
Collaroy — Houses: 41.7% Collaroy — Flats / Apartments: 54.0% Collaroy — Townhouses: 4.3%
Cromer 78.1% houses
Cromer — Houses: 78.1% Cromer — Flats / Apartments: 9.6% Cromer — Townhouses: 12.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Collaroy Cromer
Median house price $3,822,500 $2,400,000
Median unit price $1,205,000 $925,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 38 sales
 22 days
from 59 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Collaroy Cromer
1 bed $838K / $768K
Collaroy — 1 bed: $838K (10 sales) Cromer — 1 bed: $768K (6 sales)

10 vs 6 sales

2 bed $1.2M / $974K
Collaroy — 2 bed: $1.2M (77 sales) Cromer — 2 bed: $974K (6 sales)

77 vs 6 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.

Collaroy Cromer
3 bed $4M / $2.1M
Collaroy — 3 bed: $4M (7 sales) Cromer — 3 bed: $2.1M (42 sales)

7 vs 42 sales

4 bed $3.4M / $2.42M
Collaroy — 4 bed: $3.4M (11 sales) Cromer — 4 bed: $2.42M (42 sales)

11 vs 42 sales

5 bed $4.16M / $2.88M
Collaroy — 5 bed: $4.16M (23 sales) Cromer — 5 bed: $2.88M (30 sales)

23 vs 30 sales

Zoning mix

Collaroy Cromer
Residential 52% 32%
Parks and recreation 35% 21%
Other and special use 0% 23%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 16%
Industrial 0% 7%
Commercial 1% 0%
Planning zones cover 99% of Collaroy and 100% of Cromer. 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

Collaroy Cromer
New dwellings approved 620
across Northern Beaches
same for both
Approvals change year on year +51%
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.

Collaroy Cromer
Houses 3.2%
$2,150/wk on $3.5M
 4.2%
$1,600/wk on $2M
Units 3.9%
$900/wk on $1.2M
 —

Ranking within NSW

Collaroy Cromer
House price Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Income Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 20% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 20% of NSW —

Liveability

Collaroy scores higher overall (81 vs 55); Collaroy is more walkable (60 vs 50).

Collaroy Cromer
Grade A B
Score 81/100 55/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Cromer carries more bushfire risk (92 vs 0).

Collaroy Cromer
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
92/100
Crime Low
34/100
 Low
33/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
44/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Collaroy Cromer
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Collaroy

  • Pittwater House Schools Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Cromer

  • Cromer Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Northern Beaches Secondary College Cromer Campus Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Collaroy Cromer
Cafes & restaurants 15 3
Parks & reserves 9 24
Childcare 0 5
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 0 7

Mobility

Cromer sits further from the CBD (23.3 km vs 20.9 km).

Collaroy Cromer
Walkability score 60/100 50/100
Distance to Sydney 20.9 km 23.3 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 34 min 35 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 208.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 210.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 2097
 1.4%
postcode 2099
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 2097
 17
postcode 2099

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.

Collaroy Cromer
Car (driver) 43.9% / 48.2%
Collaroy — Car (driver): 43.9% Cromer — Car (driver): 48.2%
Worked from Home 47.3% / 44.7%
Collaroy — Worked from Home: 47.3% Cromer — Worked from Home: 44.7%
Bus 3.9% / 2.4%
Collaroy — Bus: 3.9% Cromer — Bus: 2.4%
Car (passenger) 2.6% / 3.1%
Collaroy — Car (passenger): 2.6% Cromer — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Walked Only 1.7% / 1.1%
Collaroy — Walked Only: 1.7% Cromer — Walked Only: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (48.2%).

Setting

Collaroy Cromer
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 24 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 509 m
950 m to a named beach
 2.9 km
3.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Collaroy Cromer
Connectivity score 75/100 76/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 20%
3,600 premises
 8%
3,226 premises

Climate

Collaroy Cromer
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Collaroy Cromer
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ 5.4 µg/m³
PM10 13.8 µg/m³ 14.2 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.84 pphm 0.23 pphm

Council rates

Collaroy Cromer
Average residential rate $1,696/yr
same for both
Council Northern Beaches
same for both

Federal electorate

Collaroy Cromer
Division Mackellar
same for both
Member Sophie Scamps
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Collaroy Cromer
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Collaroy

Apartments Beach Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Transport Hub

Cromer

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Premium Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Collaroy

Collaroy vs Dee Why Collaroy vs Narrabeen Collaroy vs Collaroy Plateau

Other comparisons with Cromer

Cromer vs Dee Why Cromer vs Narrabeen Cromer vs Narraweena Cromer vs Collaroy Plateau Cromer vs Wheeler Heights Cromer vs Ingleside
Full data on Collaroy Full data on Cromer
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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