Coombs vs Weston
Coombs is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 42 in Weston. In both, most households own their home and about half of households are couple families. In Weston, most homes are detached houses. On these figures, Coombs tends to suit young adults and families with children, while Weston 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Coombs carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 82/100)
- Weston has more separate houses rather than flats (74% vs 37%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Coombs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper units ($572,500 vs $802,500)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Weston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $480/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Coombs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (72/100 vs 59/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Coombs
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (63% vs 26%)
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 82/100)
- is more walkable (72/100 vs 59/100)
- But Weston has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 3%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Coombs
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- is growing faster (167.9% vs 11.9%)
- returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.3% vs 4.1%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Coombs and Weston 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
Weston skews older (42 vs 30); Coombs rents higher ($480/wk vs $420/wk).
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,851 +18% vs other | 4,000 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +167.9% | +11.9% |
| Median age | 30 | 42 |
| Median household income | $136,968/yr +10% vs other | $122,772/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $480/wk +12% vs other | $420/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).
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 (23.4%).
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 (9.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,050,000 | $1,020,000 |
| Median unit price | $572,500 | $802,500 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 27 days from 25 sales | 19 days from 29 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.
11 vs 25 sales
23 vs 38 sales
Development activity
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,750 across Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5.3% $720/wk on $710K | 4.1% $750/wk on $950K |
| Units | 6.3% $600/wk on $499K | — |
Ranking within ACT
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 71% of ACT | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of ACT | Higher than 45% of ACT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 73% of ACT | Higher than 71% of ACT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 93% of ACT | Higher than 54% of ACT |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 91% of ACT | Higher than 36% of ACT |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 63% of ACT | — |
Liveability
Coombs scores higher overall (43 vs 34); Coombs is more walkable (72 vs 59).
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 43/100 | 34/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Weston carries more crime risk (82 vs 51); Coombs carries more flood risk (64 vs 42).
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 99/100 | High 98/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | High 82/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 64/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 Australian National University, 7.9 km | 2 UNSW Canberra, 7.8 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 2.5% | 2.2% |
Schools in Coombs
- Charles Weston School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Weston
- Islamic School of Canberra Independent · Combined
- Orana Steiner School Independent · Combined
Amenities in the suburb
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 3 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 15 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 3 same for both | |
| GPs | 1 | 6 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 4 |
| Waterways | 7 | 2 |
Mobility
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 72/100 | 59/100 |
| Distance to Canberra | 14.3 km +9% vs other | 13 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 19 min | 18 min |
| Public transport score | 77/100 Bus | 78/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 43.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 177.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 0 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 4.0% postcode 2611 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2611 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 (75.2%).
Setting
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 561 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 587 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 100/100 | 57/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 100% 2,384 premises | 22% 2,001 premises |
Climate
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 686 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.9°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,105/yr same for both | |
| Council | Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bean same for both | |
| Member | David Smith same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Coombs | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | Not offered same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | None same for both | |
Tags
Weston
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Coombs
Other comparisons with Weston
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.