Crace vs Nicholls

Crace is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 44 in Nicholls. In both, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Nicholls: a median of $1.23 million, against $1.05 million in Crace, and rent is higher there too. Crace is closer to the city centre: 12.4 km, against 15.4 km. On these figures, Crace tends to suit families with children.

Crace and Nicholls are both affluent ACT suburbs, but they appeal to different priorities. Crace is younger (median age 34 versus 44), more walkable (70 versus 50), closer to the CBD at 12.4 km, and has a notably higher liveability score of 76. It also carries lower flood risk (0 versus 58) and offers better rental yields on houses at 5.3 percent. Nicholls has higher median household income at $162,968 and significantly higher property values across both houses and units, making it suited to buyers seeking an established, wealthier community, while Crace better fits those prioritising walkability, proximity to town, and lifestyle amenities.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Nicholls

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (8 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (89% vs 70%)
  • But Crace has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Crace

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($425,000 vs $800,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,050,000 vs $1,227,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Crace

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (36% vs 15%)
  • has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $502/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Crace

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (18 min vs 30 min)
  • is more walkable (70/100 vs 50/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (12.4 km vs 15.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Crace

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (30% vs 11%)
  • is more walkable (70/100 vs 50/100)
  • But Nicholls has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 8%)

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

Investors

Crace

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (7.6% vs -2.7%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.4% vs 4.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Crace Nicholls
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.

Crace Nicholls
Walkability 70 / 50
Crace — Walkability: 70/100 Nicholls — Walkability: 50/100
Safety 64 / 57
Crace — Safety: 64/100 Nicholls — Safety: 57/100
Low fire risk 100 / 12
Crace — Low fire risk: 100/100 Nicholls — Low fire risk: 12/100
Low flood risk 100 / 45
Crace — Low flood risk: 100/100 Nicholls — Low flood risk: 45/100

Demographics

Nicholls has more residents (6,680 vs 4,800); Nicholls skews older (44 vs 34).

Crace Nicholls
Population 4,800 6,680
+39% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% -2.7%
Median age 34 44
Median household income $146,172/yr $162,968/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $460/wk $502/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Crace Nicholls
0-4 9.1% / 4.0%
Crace — 0-4: 9.1% Nicholls — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 15.7% / 13.1%
Crace — 5-14: 15.7% Nicholls — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 4.3% / 7.1%
Crace — 15-19: 4.3% Nicholls — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 5.0% / 7.1%
Crace — 20-24: 5.0% Nicholls — 20-24: 7.1%
25-34 18.0% / 8.7%
Crace — 25-34: 18.0% Nicholls — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 22.0% / 10.8%
Crace — 35-44: 22.0% Nicholls — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 11.5% / 17.2%
Crace — 45-54: 11.5% Nicholls — 45-54: 17.2%
55-64 5.9% / 15.4%
Crace — 55-64: 5.9% Nicholls — 55-64: 15.4%
65-74 4.5% / 10.6%
Crace — 65-74: 4.5% Nicholls — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 2.9% / 5.1%
Crace — 75-84: 2.9% Nicholls — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 0.8% / 0.9%
Crace — 85+: 0.8% Nicholls — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Crace 59.7% couple families
Crace — Couple Families: 59.7% Crace — Lone Person: 25.4% Crace — One Parent Families: 9.6% Crace — Group Household: 4.4% Crace — Other Families: 0.9%
Nicholls 65.0% couple families
Nicholls — Couple Families: 65.0% Nicholls — Lone Person: 19.8% Nicholls — One Parent Families: 11.5% Nicholls — Group Household: 2.6% Nicholls — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Crace 35.6% renting
Crace — Owned Outright: 14.1% Crace — Mortgage: 50.3% Crace — Renting: 35.6%
Nicholls 14.8% renting
Nicholls — Owned Outright: 41.5% Nicholls — Mortgage: 43.7% Nicholls — Renting: 14.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Crace Nicholls
Bachelor Degree 20.1% / 18.9%
Crace — Bachelor Degree: 20.1% Nicholls — Bachelor Degree: 18.9%
Postgraduate Degree 14.2% / 10.7%
Crace — Postgraduate Degree: 14.2% Nicholls — Postgraduate Degree: 10.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 8.9%
Crace — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Nicholls — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Certificate III & IV 7.3% / 8.4%
Crace — Certificate III & IV: 7.3% Nicholls — Certificate III & IV: 8.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 3.9%
Crace — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Nicholls — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

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.

Crace Nicholls
China 7.3% / 3.8%
Crace — China: 7.3% Nicholls — China: 3.8%
India 6.5% / 2.3%
Crace — India: 6.5% Nicholls — India: 2.3%
England 1.9% / 3.6%
Crace — England: 1.9% Nicholls — England: 3.6%
Vietnam 1.2% / 1.4%
Crace — Vietnam: 1.2% Nicholls — Vietnam: 1.4%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.3%
Crace — New Zealand: 1.0% Nicholls — New Zealand: 1.3%
Pakistan 1.8% / —
Crace — Pakistan: 1.8% Nicholls — Pakistan: not among its largest
Bangladesh 1.5% / —
Crace — Bangladesh: 1.5% Nicholls — Bangladesh: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Crace 69.5% houses
Crace — Houses: 69.5% Crace — Townhouses: 15.5% Crace — Flats / Apartments: 15.0%
Nicholls 89.3% houses
Nicholls — Houses: 89.3% Nicholls — Townhouses: 10.4% Nicholls — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Crace Nicholls
Median house price $1,050,000 $1,227,500
Median unit price $425,000 $800,000
Median land price $1,290,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 30 sales
 22 days
from 86 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.

Crace Nicholls
3 bed $870K / $930K
Crace — 3 bed: $870K (15 sales) Nicholls — 3 bed: $930K (24 sales)

15 vs 24 sales

4 bed $1.24M / $1.22M
Crace — 4 bed: $1.24M (28 sales) Nicholls — 4 bed: $1.22M (62 sales)

28 vs 62 sales

5 bed $1.51M / $1.52M
Crace — 5 bed: $1.51M (6 sales) Nicholls — 5 bed: $1.52M (27 sales)

6 vs 27 sales

Development activity

Crace Nicholls
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
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.

Crace Nicholls
Houses 5.4%
$755/wk on $726K
 4.5%
$750/wk on $875K
Units 5.5%
$480/wk on $450K
 —

Ranking within ACT

Crace Nicholls
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 82% of ACT Higher than 89% of ACT
Schools — Higher than 100% of ACT
Walkability Higher than 65% of ACT Higher than 34% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 88% of ACT Higher than 37% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of ACT Higher than 90% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 97% of ACT Higher than 66% of ACT
Rental yield (units) Higher than 29% of ACT —

Liveability

Crace scores higher overall (80 vs 52); Crace is more walkable (70 vs 50).

Crace Nicholls
Grade A B
Score 80/100 52/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Nicholls carries more bushfire risk (88 vs 0); Nicholls carries more flood risk (55 vs 0).

Crace Nicholls
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
88/100
Crime Low
36/100
 Moderate
43/100
Flood None
0/100
 Moderate
55/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Crace Nicholls
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
UC - Canberra, Bruce, 4.9 km
 2
UC - Canberra, Bruce, 6.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 3.5%

Schools in Crace

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Nicholls

  • Holy Spirit Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St John Paul II College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Gold Creek School Government · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Crace Nicholls
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 1 5
Parks & reserves 5 2
Childcare 1 8
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 2
EV chargers 0 2
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Nicholls sits further from the CBD (15.4 km vs 12.4 km).

Crace Nicholls
Walkability score 70/100 50/100
Distance to Canberra 12.4 km 15.4 km
+24% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 30 min
Public transport score 73/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 99.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 4.6%
postcode 2911
 2.7%
postcode 2913
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 46
postcode 2911
 47
postcode 2913

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.

Crace Nicholls
Car (driver) 74.8% / 75.5%
Crace — Car (driver): 74.8% Nicholls — Car (driver): 75.5%
Worked from Home 13.0% / 14.6%
Crace — Worked from Home: 13.0% Nicholls — Worked from Home: 14.6%
Car (passenger) 6.3% / 6.3%
Crace — Car (passenger): 6.3% Nicholls — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Bus 3.0% / 1.7%
Crace — Bus: 3.0% Nicholls — Bus: 1.7%
Bicycle 1.3% / 0.8%
Crace — Bicycle: 1.3% Nicholls — Bicycle: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.5%).

Setting

Crace Nicholls
Elevation 611 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 627 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Crace Nicholls
Connectivity score 100/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 100%
1,841 premises
 100%
2,517 premises

Climate

Crace Nicholls
Annual rainfall 622 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Crace Nicholls
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.0 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.41 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Crace Nicholls
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Crace Nicholls
Division Fenner
same for both
Member Andrew Leigh
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Crace Nicholls
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Crace

Family Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Young Families

Nicholls

Large Blocks Middle-Ring Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Crace

Crace vs Belconnen Crace vs Kaleen Crace vs Palmerston Crace vs Giralang

Other comparisons with Nicholls

Nicholls vs Ngunnawal Nicholls vs Gungahlin Nicholls vs Belconnen Nicholls vs Casey Nicholls vs Palmerston Nicholls vs Giralang
Full data on Crace Full data on Nicholls
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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