Greenwich vs St Leonards

St Leonards is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 42 in Greenwich. In Greenwich, most households own their home and about half of households are couple families. In St Leonards, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Units cost more in St Leonards: a median of $1.13 million, against $880,000 in Greenwich, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Greenwich tends to suit couples, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while St Leonards suits renters, young adults, and people living alone.

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

Greenwich

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (51% vs 3%)
  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 5)
  • carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 65/100)
  • But St Leonards has more childcare (9 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Greenwich

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($880,000 vs $1,130,000)

Weighs unit prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Greenwich

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($550/wk vs $600/wk)
  • But St Leonards has a bigger rental market to choose from (70% vs 32%)

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

Commuting to the city

St Leonards

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 87/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

St Leonards

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (97% vs 50%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 87/100)
  • But Greenwich has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 7%)

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

Investors

St Leonards

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (31.2% vs -2.6%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Greenwich St Leonards
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.

Greenwich St Leonards
Walkability 87 / 99
Greenwich — Walkability: 87/100 St Leonards — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 72 / 35
Greenwich — Safety: 72/100 St Leonards — Safety: 35/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Greenwich — Low fire risk: 100/100 St Leonards — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

St Leonards has more residents (7,212 vs 5,469); Greenwich skews older (42 vs 34).

Greenwich St Leonards
Population 5,469 7,212
+32% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.6% +31.2%
Median age 42 34
Median household income $153,192/yr
+16% vs other
 $128,700/yr
Median weekly rent $550/wk $600/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Greenwich St Leonards
0-4 4.5% / 5.5%
Greenwich — 0-4: 4.5% St Leonards — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 12.0% / 5.5%
Greenwich — 5-14: 12.0% St Leonards — 5-14: 5.5%
15-19 5.3% / 1.6%
Greenwich — 15-19: 5.3% St Leonards — 15-19: 1.6%
20-24 5.7% / 5.6%
Greenwich — 20-24: 5.7% St Leonards — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 12.7% / 33.4%
Greenwich — 25-34: 12.7% St Leonards — 25-34: 33.4%
35-44 13.5% / 24.7%
Greenwich — 35-44: 13.5% St Leonards — 35-44: 24.7%
45-54 14.2% / 9.9%
Greenwich — 45-54: 14.2% St Leonards — 45-54: 9.9%
55-64 12.0% / 6.8%
Greenwich — 55-64: 12.0% St Leonards — 55-64: 6.8%
65-74 10.6% / 4.9%
Greenwich — 65-74: 10.6% St Leonards — 65-74: 4.9%
75-84 6.6% / 1.9%
Greenwich — 75-84: 6.6% St Leonards — 75-84: 1.9%
85+ 3.1% / 0.4%
Greenwich — 85+: 3.1% St Leonards — 85+: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Greenwich 38.7% lone person
Greenwich — Lone Person: 38.7% Greenwich — Couple Families: 45.0% Greenwich — Group Household: 6.2% Greenwich — One Parent Families: 9.2% Greenwich — Other Families: 0.9%
St Leonards 57.9% lone person
St Leonards — Lone Person: 57.9% St Leonards — Couple Families: 23.8% St Leonards — Group Household: 10.1% St Leonards — One Parent Families: 6.8% St Leonards — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Greenwich 32.4% renting
Greenwich — Owned Outright: 38.4% Greenwich — Mortgage: 29.2% Greenwich — Renting: 32.4%
St Leonards 69.6% renting
St Leonards — Owned Outright: 12.4% St Leonards — Mortgage: 17.9% St Leonards — Renting: 69.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Greenwich St Leonards
Bachelor Degree 29.8% / 36.4%
Greenwich — Bachelor Degree: 29.8% St Leonards — Bachelor Degree: 36.4%
Postgraduate Degree 16.6% / 19.6%
Greenwich — Postgraduate Degree: 16.6% St Leonards — Postgraduate Degree: 19.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 7.3%
Greenwich — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% St Leonards — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Certificate III & IV 3.8% / 3.9%
Greenwich — Certificate III & IV: 3.8% St Leonards — Certificate III & IV: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 3.1%
Greenwich — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% St Leonards — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.4%).

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.

Greenwich St Leonards
China 2.9% / 9.6%
Greenwich — China: 2.9% St Leonards — China: 9.6%
England 5.6% / 3.3%
Greenwich — England: 5.6% St Leonards — England: 3.3%
India 2.3% / 5.5%
Greenwich — India: 2.3% St Leonards — India: 5.5%
New Zealand 2.2% / 2.6%
Greenwich — New Zealand: 2.2% St Leonards — New Zealand: 2.6%
Japan — / 4.4%
Greenwich — Japan: not among its largest St Leonards — Japan: 4.4%
South Africa 1.3% / —
Greenwich — South Africa: 1.3% St Leonards — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Greenwich 43.8% flats / apartments
Greenwich — Flats / Apartments: 43.8% Greenwich — Houses: 50.6% Greenwich — Townhouses: 5.7%
St Leonards 96.9% flats / apartments
St Leonards — Flats / Apartments: 96.9% St Leonards — Houses: 2.8% St Leonards — Townhouses: 0.3%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Greenwich St Leonards
Median house price $3,800,000 —
Median unit price $880,000 $1,130,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 27 days
from 25 sales
 —

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Greenwich St Leonards
1 bed $758K / $800K
Greenwich — 1 bed: $758K (30 sales) St Leonards — 1 bed: $800K (114 sales)

30 vs 114 sales

2 bed $940K / $1.38M
Greenwich — 2 bed: $940K (38 sales) St Leonards — 2 bed: $1.38M (109 sales)

38 vs 109 sales

3 bed $1.85M / $2.15M
Greenwich — 3 bed: $1.85M (12 sales) St Leonards — 3 bed: $2.15M (29 sales)

12 vs 29 sales

Zoning mix

St Leonards has more commercially zoned land (16% vs 2%); St Leonards has more industrially zoned land (14% vs 0%).

Greenwich St Leonards
Residential 75% 28%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 34%
Commercial 2% 16%
Industrial 0% 14%
Environmental 13% 0%
Parks and recreation 4% 8%
Planning zones cover 98% of Greenwich and 100% of St Leonards. 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

Greenwich St Leonards
New dwellings approved 169
across Lane Cove
 249
across Willoughby
Approvals change year on year -98% +458%

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.

Greenwich St Leonards
Houses 3.2%
$1,500/wk on $2.45M
 —
Units 4.7%
$798/wk on $885K
 4.3%
$1,000/wk on $1.22M

Ranking within NSW

Greenwich St Leonards
House price Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Income Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 99% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 29% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW

Liveability

St Leonards is more walkable (99 vs 87); Greenwich scores higher overall (93 vs 88).

Greenwich St Leonards
Grade A+
same for both
Score 93/100 88/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

St Leonards carries more crime risk (65 vs 28).

Greenwich St Leonards
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
28/100
 Moderate
65/100
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 4
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Greenwich St Leonards
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 2.4 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 2.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.7% 2.0%

Schools in Greenwich

  • Greenwich Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in St Leonards

  • International Chinese School Independent · Primary below peers
  • Royal North Shore Hospital School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Greenwich St Leonards
Supermarkets 1 5
Cafes & restaurants 2 38
Parks & reserves 13 5
Childcare 2 9
GPs 1 6
Pharmacies 1 3
Hospitals 1 2
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
EV chargers 0 2
Beaches 1 0

Mobility

Greenwich St Leonards
Walkability score 87/100 99/100
Distance to Sydney 7.6 km
+9% vs other
 6.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 15 min 14 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 95/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 199.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 155.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.8%
postcode 2065
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 8
postcode 2065
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.

Greenwich St Leonards
Worked from Home 62.2% / 68.0%
Greenwich — Worked from Home: 62.2% St Leonards — Worked from Home: 68.0%
Car (driver) 23.3% / 13.6%
Greenwich — Car (driver): 23.3% St Leonards — Car (driver): 13.6%
Walked Only 6.9% / 7.8%
Greenwich — Walked Only: 6.9% St Leonards — Walked Only: 7.8%
Train 2.7% / 7.5%
Greenwich — Train: 2.7% St Leonards — Train: 7.5%
Bus 2.2% / 1.6%
Greenwich — Bus: 2.2% St Leonards — Bus: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.0%).

Setting

Greenwich St Leonards
Elevation 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 83 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.1 km
1.3 km to a named beach
 5.2 km
2.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Greenwich St Leonards
Connectivity score 74/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the building
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
2,664 premises
 29%
6,133 premises

Climate

Greenwich St Leonards
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Greenwich St Leonards
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 15.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.62 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Greenwich St Leonards
Average residential rate $1,377/yr $1,275/yr
Council Lane Cove Willoughby

Federal electorate

Greenwich St Leonards
Division Bennelong Bradfield
Member Jerome Laxale Nicolette Boele
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Greenwich St Leonards
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Greenwich

Apartments Inner Parks Professionals River Urban

St Leonards

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Parks Professionals Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Greenwich

Greenwich vs Lane Cove Greenwich vs Artarmon Greenwich vs Wollstonecraft Greenwich vs Northwood

Other comparisons with St Leonards

St Leonards vs Artarmon St Leonards vs Wollstonecraft St Leonards vs Naremburn St Leonards vs Crows Nest
Full data on Greenwich Full data on St Leonards
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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