Dee Why vs Narraweena

Dee Why is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 43 in Narraweena. In Dee Why, about half of households rent and the large majority of homes are flats or apartments. In Narraweena, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Dee Why is closer to the city centre: 18.4 km, against 21.5 km. On these figures, Dee Why tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Narraweena suits families with children, couples, 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

  • Dee Why has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Narraweena has more separate houses rather than flats (73% vs 15%)

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

First-home buyers

Dee Why

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Narraweena

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $550/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 26%)
  • But Dee Why has a bigger rental market to choose from (48% vs 35%)

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

Commuting to the city

Dee Why

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (90/100 vs 71/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (18.4 km vs 21.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Dee Why

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (85% vs 27%)
  • is more walkable (90/100 vs 71/100)
  • But Narraweena has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dee Why Narraweena
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.

Dee Why Narraweena
Walkability 90 / 71
Dee Why — Walkability: 90/100 Narraweena — Walkability: 71/100
Safety 57 / 70
Dee Why — Safety: 57/100 Narraweena — Safety: 70/100
Low fire risk 100 / 4
Dee Why — Low fire risk: 100/100 Narraweena — Low fire risk: 4/100

Demographics

Dee Why has more residents (23,354 vs 6,971); Dee Why rents higher ($550/wk vs $400/wk).

Dee Why Narraweena
Population 23,354
+70% vs other
 6,971
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.5% +5.5%
Median age 36 43
Median household income $109,512/yr
+8% vs other
 $100,620/yr
Median weekly rent $550/wk
+27% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dee Why Narraweena
0-4 6.3% / 6.0%
Dee Why — 0-4: 6.3% Narraweena — 0-4: 6.0%
5-14 8.7% / 13.1%
Dee Why — 5-14: 8.7% Narraweena — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 3.7% / 5.8%
Dee Why — 15-19: 3.7% Narraweena — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 6.3% / 5.6%
Dee Why — 20-24: 6.3% Narraweena — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 21.1% / 9.2%
Dee Why — 25-34: 21.1% Narraweena — 25-34: 9.2%
35-44 18.0% / 12.9%
Dee Why — 35-44: 18.0% Narraweena — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 13.0% / 14.5%
Dee Why — 45-54: 13.0% Narraweena — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 10.9% / 12.1%
Dee Why — 55-64: 10.9% Narraweena — 55-64: 12.1%
65-74 6.8% / 9.1%
Dee Why — 65-74: 6.8% Narraweena — 65-74: 9.1%
75-84 3.7% / 7.9%
Dee Why — 75-84: 3.7% Narraweena — 75-84: 7.9%
85+ 1.5% / 3.7%
Dee Why — 85+: 1.5% Narraweena — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dee Why 35.7% couple families
Dee Why — Couple Families: 35.7% Dee Why — Lone Person: 40.7% Dee Why — One Parent Families: 13.9% Dee Why — Group Household: 8.1% Dee Why — Other Families: 1.6%
Narraweena 49.1% couple families
Narraweena — Couple Families: 49.1% Narraweena — Lone Person: 32.2% Narraweena — One Parent Families: 14.7% Narraweena — Group Household: 2.5% Narraweena — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dee Why 48.5% renting
Dee Why — Owned Outright: 21.5% Dee Why — Mortgage: 30.0% Dee Why — Renting: 48.5%
Narraweena 34.6% renting
Narraweena — Owned Outright: 31.7% Narraweena — Mortgage: 33.7% Narraweena — Renting: 34.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Dee Why Narraweena
Bachelor Degree 21.2% / 14.3%
Dee Why — Bachelor Degree: 21.2% Narraweena — Bachelor Degree: 14.3%
Certificate III & IV 11.4% / 12.8%
Dee Why — Certificate III & IV: 11.4% Narraweena — Certificate III & IV: 12.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.5% / 8.3%
Dee Why — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.5% Narraweena — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Postgraduate Degree 7.5% / 4.4%
Dee Why — Postgraduate Degree: 7.5% Narraweena — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 1.2%
Dee Why — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Narraweena — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

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.

Dee Why Narraweena
England 5.9% / 5.9%
Dee Why — England: 5.9% Narraweena — England: 5.9%
China 3.6% / 3.4%
Dee Why — China: 3.6% Narraweena — China: 3.4%
Brazil 4.2% / 1.0%
Dee Why — Brazil: 4.2% Narraweena — Brazil: 1.0%
New Zealand 2.6% / 2.0%
Dee Why — New Zealand: 2.6% Narraweena — New Zealand: 2.0%
India 3.2% / 0.9%
Dee Why — India: 3.2% Narraweena — India: 0.9%
Italy — / 3.9%
Dee Why — Italy: not among its largest Narraweena — Italy: 3.9%
Philippines 2.3% / 1.4%
Dee Why — Philippines: 2.3% Narraweena — Philippines: 1.4%
Nepal 3.2% / —
Dee Why — Nepal: 3.2% Narraweena — Nepal: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dee Why 82.2% flats / apartments
Dee Why — Flats / Apartments: 82.2% Dee Why — Houses: 15.3% Dee Why — Townhouses: 2.4%
Narraweena 12.2% flats / apartments
Narraweena — Flats / Apartments: 12.2% Narraweena — Houses: 72.7% Narraweena — Townhouses: 15.1%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Dee Why Narraweena
Median house price $2,520,000 $2,350,000
Median unit price $982,500 $1,017,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 21 days
from 37 sales
 20 days
from 28 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.

Dee Why Narraweena
2 bed $1.2M / $2.04M
Dee Why — 2 bed: $1.2M (5 sales) Narraweena — 2 bed: $2.04M (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

3 bed $2.33M / $2.21M
Dee Why — 3 bed: $2.33M (20 sales) Narraweena — 3 bed: $2.21M (29 sales)

20 vs 29 sales

4 bed $2.69M / $2.41M
Dee Why — 4 bed: $2.69M (14 sales) Narraweena — 4 bed: $2.41M (16 sales)

14 vs 16 sales

5 bed $2.98M / $2.57M
Dee Why — 5 bed: $2.98M (5 sales) Narraweena — 5 bed: $2.57M (14 sales)

5 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Dee Why Narraweena
Residential 81% 92%
Parks and recreation 15% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 2%
same for both
Industrial 1% 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

Dee Why Narraweena
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.

Dee Why Narraweena
Houses 4.0%
$1,550/wk on $2M
 3.7%
$1,325/wk on $1.85M
Units 4.4%
$825/wk on $970K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Dee Why Narraweena
House price Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Income Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
Schools Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 10% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 89% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 41% of NSW —

Liveability

Dee Why scores higher overall (75 vs 44); Dee Why is more walkable (90 vs 71).

Dee Why Narraweena
Grade A C
Score 75/100 44/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Narraweena carries more bushfire risk (96 vs 0); Dee Why carries more crime risk (43 vs 30).

Dee Why Narraweena
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
96/100
Crime Moderate
43/100
 Low
30/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
42/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Dee Why Narraweena
Inside the suburb 4 5
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Dee Why

  • St Kevin's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Dee Why Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Luke's Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Fisher Road School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Narraweena

  • Narraweena Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St John the Apostle Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Karuna Montessori School Independent · Primary
  • EOC Broken Bay - Narraweena Catholic · Primary · Special school
  • St Lucy's, St John's Narraweena campus Independent · Primary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Dee Why Narraweena
Supermarkets 8 0
Cafes & restaurants 32 4
Parks & reserves 12 7
Childcare 9 6
GPs 5 1
Pharmacies 9 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 1
Fuel stations 4 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Narraweena sits further from the CBD (21.5 km vs 18.4 km).

Dee Why Narraweena
Walkability score 90/100 71/100
Distance to Sydney 18.4 km 21.5 km
+17% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 30 min 31 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 472.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 226.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 2099
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 17
postcode 2099
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.

Dee Why Narraweena
Car (driver) 42.5% / 47.8%
Dee Why — Car (driver): 42.5% Narraweena — Car (driver): 47.8%
Worked from Home 38.2% / 39.7%
Dee Why — Worked from Home: 38.2% Narraweena — Worked from Home: 39.7%
Bus 10.0% / 4.4%
Dee Why — Bus: 10.0% Narraweena — Bus: 4.4%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 5.0%
Dee Why — Car (passenger): 3.2% Narraweena — Car (passenger): 5.0%
Walked Only 4.7% / 1.9%
Dee Why — Walked Only: 4.7% Narraweena — Walked Only: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (47.8%).

Setting

Dee Why Narraweena
Elevation 17 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 78 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 694 m
886 m to a named beach
 2.3 km
2.4 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Dee Why Narraweena
Connectivity score 77/100 85/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 11%
11,525 premises
 33%
2,660 premises

Climate

Dee Why Narraweena
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Dee Why Narraweena
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

Dee Why Narraweena
Average residential rate $1,696/yr
same for both
Council Northern Beaches
same for both

Federal electorate

Dee Why Narraweena
Division Mackellar
same for both
Member Sophie Scamps
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dee Why Narraweena
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dee Why

Apartments Beach Cafe Culture Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Transport Hub Urban

Narraweena

Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dee Why

Dee Why vs Cromer Dee Why vs Collaroy Dee Why vs North Curl Curl Dee Why vs Brookvale

Other comparisons with Narraweena

Narraweena vs Cromer Narraweena vs Beacon Hill Narraweena vs Brookvale Narraweena vs Oxford Falls
Full data on Dee Why Full data on Narraweena
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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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