Harrisdale vs Piara Waters

Harrisdale and Piara Waters are neighbouring suburbs with similar rental costs and house prices around $950,000–$962,000. Harrisdale scores notably higher on liveability (73 vs 61) and walkability (63 vs 53), suggesting better local amenity and foot-traffic appeal, while Piara Waters sits slightly closer to the CBD at 26.8 km. Piara Waters has a marginally higher socio-economic decile (10 vs 9) and lower crime risk (36 vs 48), whereas Harrisdale offers a more established feel with a slightly older median age. Both have minimal flood risk and comparable household incomes, making the choice largely about whether you prioritise walkability and community feel or proximity to the city and lower crime rates.

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

Piara Waters

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (11 vs 7)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 4)
  • carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 48/100)
  • But Harrisdale has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Harrisdale is more walkable (63/100 vs 53/100)
  • Piara Waters sits closer to the CBD (26.8 km vs 28.8 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Harrisdale

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (63/100 vs 53/100)
  • But Piara Waters carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 48/100)

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

Investors

Piara Waters

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (64.9% vs 28.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Harrisdale Piara Waters
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.

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Walkability 63 / 53
Harrisdale — Walkability: 63/100 Piara Waters — Walkability: 53/100
Safety 52 / 64
Harrisdale — Safety: 52/100 Piara Waters — Safety: 64/100
Low fire risk 41 / 43
Harrisdale — Low fire risk: 41/100 Piara Waters — Low fire risk: 43/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Harrisdale — Low flood risk: 100/100 Piara Waters — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Piara Waters has more residents (15,029 vs 11,667); Harrisdale skews older (33 vs 31).

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Population 11,667 15,029
+29% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +28.5% +64.9%
Median age 33 31
Median household income $125,424/yr $128,804/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $420/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Harrisdale Piara Waters
0-4 9.5% / 11.8%
Harrisdale — 0-4: 9.5% Piara Waters — 0-4: 11.8%
5-14 19.5% / 18.7%
Harrisdale — 5-14: 19.5% Piara Waters — 5-14: 18.7%
15-19 5.5% / 4.4%
Harrisdale — 15-19: 5.5% Piara Waters — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 4.4% / 4.6%
Harrisdale — 20-24: 4.4% Piara Waters — 20-24: 4.6%
25-34 15.2% / 19.4%
Harrisdale — 25-34: 15.2% Piara Waters — 25-34: 19.4%
35-44 23.3% / 23.6%
Harrisdale — 35-44: 23.3% Piara Waters — 35-44: 23.6%
45-54 10.7% / 9.2%
Harrisdale — 45-54: 10.7% Piara Waters — 45-54: 9.2%
55-64 6.6% / 4.9%
Harrisdale — 55-64: 6.6% Piara Waters — 55-64: 4.9%
65-74 3.9% / 2.7%
Harrisdale — 65-74: 3.9% Piara Waters — 65-74: 2.7%
75-84 1.1% / 0.7%
Harrisdale — 75-84: 1.1% Piara Waters — 75-84: 0.7%
85+ 0.2% / 0.1%
Harrisdale — 85+: 0.2% Piara Waters — 85+: 0.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Harrisdale 71.4% couple families
Harrisdale — Couple Families: 71.4% Harrisdale — Lone Person: 13.4% Harrisdale — One Parent Families: 12.3% Harrisdale — Group Household: 1.7% Harrisdale — Other Families: 1.2%
Piara Waters 72.9% couple families
Piara Waters — Couple Families: 72.9% Piara Waters — Lone Person: 13.5% Piara Waters — One Parent Families: 9.9% Piara Waters — Group Household: 2.4% Piara Waters — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Harrisdale 20.3% renting
Harrisdale — Owned Outright: 11.7% Harrisdale — Mortgage: 68.0% Harrisdale — Renting: 20.3%
Piara Waters 16.1% renting
Piara Waters — Owned Outright: 8.2% Piara Waters — Mortgage: 75.7% Piara Waters — Renting: 16.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Bachelor Degree 16.8% / 18.3%
Harrisdale — Bachelor Degree: 16.8% Piara Waters — Bachelor Degree: 18.3%
Certificate III & IV 11.1% / 11.2%
Harrisdale — Certificate III & IV: 11.1% Piara Waters — Certificate III & IV: 11.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.3% / 8.6%
Harrisdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3% Piara Waters — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 7.0% / 6.2%
Harrisdale — Postgraduate Degree: 7.0% Piara Waters — Postgraduate Degree: 6.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.7%
Harrisdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Piara Waters — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

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.

Harrisdale Piara Waters
India 14.9% / 15.0%
Harrisdale — India: 14.9% Piara Waters — India: 15.0%
England 5.2% / 4.0%
Harrisdale — England: 5.2% Piara Waters — England: 4.0%
Malaysia 4.0% / 3.5%
Harrisdale — Malaysia: 4.0% Piara Waters — Malaysia: 3.5%
South Africa 2.9% / 3.0%
Harrisdale — South Africa: 2.9% Piara Waters — South Africa: 3.0%
Philippines 2.3% / 3.1%
Harrisdale — Philippines: 2.3% Piara Waters — Philippines: 3.1%
New Zealand 2.4% / 2.5%
Harrisdale — New Zealand: 2.4% Piara Waters — New Zealand: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Harrisdale 98.5% houses
Harrisdale — Houses: 98.5% Harrisdale — Townhouses: 1.4% Harrisdale — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
Piara Waters 98.5% houses
Piara Waters — Houses: 98.5% Piara Waters — Townhouses: 1.4% Piara Waters — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Median house price $950,000 $962,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $780,000 $835,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 156 sales
 29 days
from 211 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.

Harrisdale Piara Waters
3 bed $840K / $792K
Harrisdale — 3 bed: $840K (103 sales) Piara Waters — 3 bed: $792K (98 sales)

103 vs 98 sales

4 bed $1.07M / $1.02M
Harrisdale — 4 bed: $1.07M (133 sales) Piara Waters — 4 bed: $1.02M (197 sales)

133 vs 197 sales

5 bed $1.32M / $1.2M
Harrisdale — 5 bed: $1.32M (12 sales) Piara Waters — 5 bed: $1.2M (20 sales)

12 vs 20 sales

Development activity

Harrisdale Piara Waters
New dwellings approved 1,811
across Armadale
same for both
Approvals change year on year +70%
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.

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Houses 4.2%
$850/wk on $1.05M
 4.4%
$850/wk on $1M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Harrisdale Piara Waters
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 89% of WA Higher than 91% of WA
Schools Higher than 98% of WA Higher than 42% of WA
Walkability Higher than 87% of WA Higher than 84% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 84% of WA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of WA
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 38% of WA Higher than 53% of WA

Liveability

Harrisdale scores higher overall (73 vs 61); Harrisdale is more walkable (63 vs 53).

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Grade A B
Score 73/100 61/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Harrisdale carries more crime risk (48 vs 36).

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Bushfire Moderate
59/100
 Moderate
57/100
Crime Moderate
48/100
 Low
36/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Inside the suburb 4 6
Rated above peers 3 1
Rated at peers 1 3
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Harrisdale

  • Carey Baptist College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Harrisdale Senior High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • North Harrisdale Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Harrisdale Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Piara Waters

  • Aspiri Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Piara Waters Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Piara Waters Senior High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • St John Bosco College Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Riva Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Piara Waters West Primary School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Supermarkets 5 1
Cafes & restaurants 12 4
Parks & reserves 19 13
Childcare 7 11
GPs 3 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 2
EV chargers 1 0

Mobility

Harrisdale sits further from the CBD (28.8 km vs 26.8 km).

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Walkability score 63/100 53/100
Distance to Perth 28.8 km
+7% vs other
 26.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 29 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 131.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 140.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 6112
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 75
postcode 6112
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.

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Car (driver) 78.0% / 78.8%
Harrisdale — Car (driver): 78.0% Piara Waters — Car (driver): 78.8%
Worked from Home 8.1% / 7.4%
Harrisdale — Worked from Home: 8.1% Piara Waters — Worked from Home: 7.4%
Train 6.4% / 6.8%
Harrisdale — Train: 6.4% Piara Waters — Train: 6.8%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 4.4%
Harrisdale — Car (passenger): 4.5% Piara Waters — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Bus 2.0% / 1.8%
Harrisdale — Bus: 2.0% Piara Waters — Bus: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.8%).

Setting

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 15.9 km 14.2 km

NBN connectivity

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Connectivity score 93/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 87%
3,768 premises
 87%
5,726 premises

Climate

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Annual rainfall 745 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.6°C
same for both

Council rates

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Average residential rate $2,388/yr
same for both
Council Armadale
same for both

Federal electorate

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Division Burt
same for both
Member Matt Keogh
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Harrisdale Piara Waters
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Harrisdale

Family Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Young Families

Piara Waters

Family Multicultural Outer Parks Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Harrisdale

Harrisdale vs Canning Vale Harrisdale vs Southern River Harrisdale vs Treeby Harrisdale vs Forrestdale

Other comparisons with Piara Waters

Piara Waters vs Canning Vale Piara Waters vs Treeby Piara Waters vs Banjup Piara Waters vs Forrestdale
Full data on Harrisdale Full data on Piara Waters
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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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