Collaroy Plateau vs Narrabeen

Collaroy Plateau is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 48 in Narrabeen. In both, most households own their home. In Collaroy Plateau, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. In Narrabeen, most homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Narrabeen: a median of $3.3 million, against $2.81 million in Collaroy Plateau, though rent is higher in Collaroy Plateau. Collaroy Plateau is closer to the city centre: 21.4 km, against 28.4 km. On these figures, Collaroy Plateau tends to suit families with children and couples, while Narrabeen suits 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

Collaroy Plateau

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (94% vs 16%)
  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 40/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 41%)
  • But Narrabeen has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Collaroy Plateau

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,807,500 vs $3,300,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Narrabeen

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (43% vs 13%)
  • has cheaper rent ($565/wk vs $800/wk)
  • But Collaroy Plateau leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 32%)

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

Commuting to the city

Collaroy Plateau

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (21.4 km vs 28.4 km)
  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 73/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Collaroy Plateau carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 40/100)
  • Narrabeen has more units and townhouses to downsize into (84% vs 6%)

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

Investors

Collaroy Plateau

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 1.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Collaroy Plateau and Narrabeen 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 Plateau Narrabeen
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 Plateau Narrabeen
Walkability 82 / 73
Collaroy Plateau — Walkability: 82/100 Narrabeen — Walkability: 73/100
Safety 82 / 60
Collaroy Plateau — Safety: 82/100 Narrabeen — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 100 / 47
Collaroy Plateau — Low fire risk: 100/100 Narrabeen — Low fire risk: 47/100

Demographics

Collaroy Plateau has higher household incomes ($170,456 vs $92,560); Narrabeen has more residents (8,255 vs 4,805).

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Population 4,805 8,255
+72% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.8% +0.6%
Median age 40 48
Median household income $170,456/yr
+46% vs other
 $92,560/yr
Median weekly rent $800/wk
+29% vs other
 $565/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
0-4 5.9% / 4.9%
Collaroy Plateau — 0-4: 5.9% Narrabeen — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 16.4% / 7.2%
Collaroy Plateau — 5-14: 16.4% Narrabeen — 5-14: 7.2%
15-19 8.1% / 3.6%
Collaroy Plateau — 15-19: 8.1% Narrabeen — 15-19: 3.6%
20-24 5.9% / 4.3%
Collaroy Plateau — 20-24: 5.9% Narrabeen — 20-24: 4.3%
25-34 7.6% / 13.1%
Collaroy Plateau — 25-34: 7.6% Narrabeen — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 13.9% / 12.7%
Collaroy Plateau — 35-44: 13.9% Narrabeen — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 17.2% / 11.6%
Collaroy Plateau — 45-54: 17.2% Narrabeen — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 11.9% / 11.5%
Collaroy Plateau — 55-64: 11.9% Narrabeen — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 7.6% / 11.4%
Collaroy Plateau — 65-74: 7.6% Narrabeen — 65-74: 11.4%
75-84 4.3% / 10.3%
Collaroy Plateau — 75-84: 4.3% Narrabeen — 75-84: 10.3%
85+ 1.5% / 9.4%
Collaroy Plateau — 85+: 1.5% Narrabeen — 85+: 9.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Collaroy Plateau 71.2% couple families
Collaroy Plateau — Couple Families: 71.2% Collaroy Plateau — Lone Person: 14.5% Collaroy Plateau — One Parent Families: 12.2% Collaroy Plateau — Group Household: 1.8% Collaroy Plateau — Other Families: 0.3%
Narrabeen 27.3% couple families
Narrabeen — Couple Families: 27.3% Narrabeen — Lone Person: 54.0% Narrabeen — One Parent Families: 13.4% Narrabeen — Group Household: 4.3% Narrabeen — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Collaroy Plateau 12.7% renting
Collaroy Plateau — Owned Outright: 38.2% Collaroy Plateau — Mortgage: 49.0% Collaroy Plateau — Renting: 12.7%
Narrabeen 42.7% renting
Narrabeen — Owned Outright: 32.3% Narrabeen — Mortgage: 25.0% Narrabeen — Renting: 42.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Bachelor Degree 16.8% / 18.3%
Collaroy Plateau — Bachelor Degree: 16.8% Narrabeen — Bachelor Degree: 18.3%
Certificate III & IV 12.5% / 13.4%
Collaroy Plateau — Certificate III & IV: 12.5% Narrabeen — Certificate III & IV: 13.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 10.6%
Collaroy Plateau — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Narrabeen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.6%
Postgraduate Degree 4.5% / 5.3%
Collaroy Plateau — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5% Narrabeen — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 2.2%
Collaroy Plateau — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Narrabeen — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

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 Plateau Narrabeen
England 6.3% / 6.8%
Collaroy Plateau — England: 6.3% Narrabeen — England: 6.8%
New Zealand 2.1% / 2.0%
Collaroy Plateau — New Zealand: 2.1% Narrabeen — New Zealand: 2.0%
South Africa 1.2% / 1.5%
Collaroy Plateau — South Africa: 1.2% Narrabeen — South Africa: 1.5%
Brazil — / 2.2%
Collaroy Plateau — Brazil: not among its largest Narrabeen — Brazil: 2.2%
Italy 1.2% / 0.5%
Collaroy Plateau — Italy: 1.2% Narrabeen — Italy: 0.5%
Scotland 0.7% / 0.8%
Collaroy Plateau — Scotland: 0.7% Narrabeen — Scotland: 0.8%
China 1.4% / —
Collaroy Plateau — China: 1.4% Narrabeen — China: not among its largest

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Collaroy Plateau 94.3% houses
Collaroy Plateau — Houses: 94.3% Collaroy Plateau — Flats / Apartments: 3.1% Collaroy Plateau — Townhouses: 2.6%
Narrabeen 15.8% houses
Narrabeen — Houses: 15.8% Narrabeen — Flats / Apartments: 65.5% Narrabeen — Townhouses: 18.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Median house price $2,807,500 $3,300,000
Median unit price — $1,170,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 32 sales
 30 days
from 15 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 Plateau Narrabeen
3 bed $2.43M / $2.55M
Collaroy Plateau — 3 bed: $2.43M (23 sales) Narrabeen — 3 bed: $2.55M (9 sales)

23 vs 9 sales

4 bed $2.77M / $3M
Collaroy Plateau — 4 bed: $2.77M (35 sales) Narrabeen — 4 bed: $3M (11 sales)

35 vs 11 sales

Zoning mix

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Residential 95% 43%
Parks and recreation 5% 29%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 15%
Environmental 0% 9%
Commercial 0% 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

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
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 Plateau Narrabeen
Houses 4.0%
$2,070/wk on $2.7M
 1.8%
$1,475/wk on $4.22M
Units — 4.7%
$850/wk on $950K

Ranking within NSW

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
House price Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Income Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 15% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 3% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 1% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 51% of NSW

Liveability

Collaroy Plateau scores higher overall (90 vs 51); Collaroy Plateau is more walkable (82 vs 73).

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Grade A+ B
Score 90/100 51/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Narrabeen carries more bushfire risk (53 vs 0); Narrabeen carries more crime risk (40 vs 18).

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
53/100
Crime Low
18/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
27/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Collaroy Plateau

  • Collaroy Plateau Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Narrabeen

  • Narrabeen Lakes Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • St Lucy's, St Joseph's Narrabeen campus Independent · Primary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 2 25
Parks & reserves 3 8
Childcare 6
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Beaches 0 2
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Narrabeen sits further from the CBD (28.4 km vs 21.4 km).

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Walkability score 82/100 73/100
Distance to Sydney 21.4 km 28.4 km
+33% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 36 min 38 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 121.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 163.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 2097
 1.5%
postcode 2101
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 2097
 21
postcode 2101

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 Plateau Narrabeen
Worked from Home 46.1% / 45.9%
Collaroy Plateau — Worked from Home: 46.1% Narrabeen — Worked from Home: 45.9%
Car (driver) 46.3% / 45.2%
Collaroy Plateau — Car (driver): 46.3% Narrabeen — Car (driver): 45.2%
Bus 2.1% / 3.9%
Collaroy Plateau — Bus: 2.1% Narrabeen — Bus: 3.9%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 2.0%
Collaroy Plateau — Car (passenger): 3.1% Narrabeen — Car (passenger): 2.0%
Walked Only 2.2% / 1.9%
Collaroy Plateau — Walked Only: 2.2% Narrabeen — Walked Only: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (46.3%).

Setting

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Elevation 102 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 956 m
969 m to a named beach
 381 m
487 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Connectivity score 78/100 73/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the building
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
1,562 premises
 8%
5,215 premises

Climate

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
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 Plateau Narrabeen
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.23 pphm
same for both

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

Collaroy Plateau Narrabeen
Division Mackellar
same for both
Member Sophie Scamps
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Collaroy Plateau

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Family Middle-Ring Parks Premium Transport Hub Urban

Narrabeen

Apartments Beach Beachfront Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Retirees Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Collaroy Plateau

Collaroy Plateau vs Cromer Collaroy Plateau vs Collaroy Collaroy Plateau vs Wheeler Heights

Other comparisons with Narrabeen

Narrabeen vs Cromer Narrabeen vs Collaroy Narrabeen vs North Narrabeen Narrabeen vs Elanora Heights Narrabeen vs Wheeler Heights Narrabeen vs Ingleside
Full data on Collaroy Plateau Full data on Narrabeen
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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