Colo Vale vs Woodlands
Colo Vale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 46 in Woodlands. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Woodlands: a median of $2.35 million, against $965,000 in Colo Vale, though rent is higher in Colo Vale. On these figures, Colo Vale tends to suit families with children 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Colo Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($965,000 vs $2,350,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Woodlands
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 23%)
- has cheaper rent ($325/wk vs $430/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Colo Vale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (83 min vs 96 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (109.2 km vs 121 km)
- But Woodlands is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Woodlands
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 17%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
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
Colo Vale and Woodlands 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
Colo Vale has more residents (1,775 vs 294); Colo Vale rents higher ($430/wk vs $325/wk).
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,775 +83% vs other | 294 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.7% | +8.1% |
| Median age | 38 | 46 |
| Median household income | $97,500/yr | $122,720/yr +26% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $430/wk +24% vs other | $325/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $965,000 | $2,350,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $605,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 23 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Colo Vale has more land zoned for conservation (76% vs 46%); Woodlands has more rural and farming land (49% vs 21%).
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 76% | 46% |
| Rural and farming | 21% | 49% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 4% |
| Residential | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 335 across Wingecarribee same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +6% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.0% $700/wk on $1.2M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 9% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 72% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 23% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Woodlands is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 31/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 92/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | — |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Colo Vale
- Colo Vale Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Woodlands
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 9 | 13 |
Mobility
Woodlands sits further from the CBD (121 km vs 109.2 km).
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 109.2 km | 121 km +11% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 83 min | 96 min |
| Public transport score | 49/100 Bus | 22/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 20.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 9 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2575 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2575 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 (75.8%).
Setting
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 684 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 667 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 40.7 km | 45.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 51/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 17% 695 premises | 0% 106 premises |
Climate
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,072/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wingecarribee same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Whitlam same for both | |
| Member | Carol Berry same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Colo Vale | Woodlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Colo Vale
Other comparisons with Woodlands
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.