Gerringong vs Toolijooa
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gerringong, about half of households are couple families. In Toolijooa, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Toolijooa: a median of $1.93 million, against $1.5 million in Gerringong, though rent is higher in Gerringong. On these figures, Gerringong tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Toolijooa suits couples.
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
- Gerringong has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- Toolijooa carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Gerringong
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($1,500,000 vs $1,925,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 33%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Toolijooa
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 26%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $500/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Gerringong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 16/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (131.2 km vs 136.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Gerringong
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 16/100)
- But Toolijooa carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gerringong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.0% vs -18.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gerringong and Toolijooa 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
Gerringong has more residents (4,165 vs 103); Gerringong rents higher ($500/wk vs $300/wk).
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,165 +98% vs other | 103 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.0% | -18.9% |
| Median age | 46 | 47 |
| Median household income | $98,748/yr | $117,000/yr +18% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $500/wk +40% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Property market
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,500,000 | $1,925,000 |
| Median unit price | $925,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 34 days from 61 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Toolijooa has more rural and farming land (87% vs 35%); Gerringong has more land zoned for conservation (36% vs 8%).
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 35% | 87% |
| Environmental | 36% | 8% |
| Residential | 15% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 6% | 4% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 0% |
| Planning zones cover 99% of Gerringong and 100% of Toolijooa. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 159 across Kiama same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1.6% $900/wk on $2.9M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 84% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 1% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Gerringong is more walkable (70 vs 16).
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | — |
| Score | 75/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Gerringong carries more crime risk (21 vs 0).
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | None 0/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 31/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gerringong
- Gerringong Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Toolijooa
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 0 |
| Childcare | 4 | 0 |
| GPs | 4 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 0 |
Mobility
Toolijooa sits further from the CBD (136.1 km vs 131.2 km).
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 70/100 | 16/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 131.2 km | 136.1 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 113 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 2534 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 2534 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 (63.2%).
Setting
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 737 m 1.1 km to a named beach | 2.6 km 4.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 69/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 45% 2,267 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Climate
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.37 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,898/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kiama same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gerringong | Toolijooa | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gerringong
Other comparisons with Toolijooa
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.