Hopkins Creek vs Zara

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hopkins Creek, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Zara: a median of $3.03 million, against $501,000 in Hopkins Creek, though rent is higher in Hopkins Creek. On these figures, Hopkins Creek tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Hopkins Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 37%)

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

First-home buyers

Hopkins Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($501,000 vs $3,032,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Zara

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 40%)
  • has cheaper rent ($440/wk vs $550/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Zara

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (538 min vs 552 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (814.1 km vs 818.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Hopkins Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.0% vs 14.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Hopkins Creek Zara
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.

Hopkins Creek Zara
Walkability 18 / 12
Hopkins Creek — Walkability: 18/100 Zara — Walkability: 12/100
Safety 100 / 100
Hopkins Creek — Safety: 100/100 Zara — Safety: 100/100
Low fire risk 70 / 53
Hopkins Creek — Low fire risk: 70/100 Zara — Low fire risk: 53/100

Demographics

Hopkins Creek has more residents (139 vs 87); Hopkins Creek rents higher ($550/wk vs $440/wk).

Hopkins Creek Zara
Population 139
+37% vs other
 87
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +23.0% +14.5%
Median age 46 45
Median household income $71,500/yr $84,500/yr
+18% vs other
Median weekly rent $550/wk
+20% vs other
 $440/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hopkins Creek Zara
0-4 2.2% / 4.6%
Hopkins Creek — 0-4: 2.2% Zara — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 11.5% / 12.6%
Hopkins Creek — 5-14: 11.5% Zara — 5-14: 12.6%
15-19 12.9% / 4.6%
Hopkins Creek — 15-19: 12.9% Zara — 15-19: 4.6%
20-24 2.9% / 4.6%
Hopkins Creek — 20-24: 2.9% Zara — 20-24: 4.6%
25-34 7.9% / 4.6%
Hopkins Creek — 25-34: 7.9% Zara — 25-34: 4.6%
35-44 14.4% / 16.1%
Hopkins Creek — 35-44: 14.4% Zara — 35-44: 16.1%
45-54 15.8% / 8.0%
Hopkins Creek — 45-54: 15.8% Zara — 45-54: 8.0%
55-64 17.3% / 14.9%
Hopkins Creek — 55-64: 17.3% Zara — 55-64: 14.9%
65-74 15.1% / 13.8%
Hopkins Creek — 65-74: 15.1% Zara — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 3.6% / 5.7%
Hopkins Creek — 75-84: 3.6% Zara — 75-84: 5.7%
85+ — / —
Hopkins Creek — 85+: not among its largest Zara — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hopkins Creek 61.9% couple families
Hopkins Creek — Couple Families: 61.9% Hopkins Creek — Lone Person: 23.8% Hopkins Creek — Group Household: 0.0% Hopkins Creek — One Parent Families: 14.3%
Zara 36.8% couple families
Zara — Couple Families: 36.8% Zara — Lone Person: 31.6% Zara — Group Household: 31.6% Zara — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hopkins Creek 0.0% renting
Hopkins Creek — Owned Outright: 67.5% Hopkins Creek — Mortgage: 32.5% Hopkins Creek — Renting: 0.0%
Zara 21.7% renting
Zara — Owned Outright: 47.8% Zara — Mortgage: 30.4% Zara — Renting: 21.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hopkins Creek 100.0% houses
Hopkins Creek — Houses: 100.0%
Zara 100.0% houses
Zara — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Hopkins Creek Zara
Certificate III & IV 9.4% / 16.1%
Hopkins Creek — Certificate III & IV: 9.4% Zara — Certificate III & IV: 16.1%
Bachelor Degree 14.4% / 4.6%
Hopkins Creek — Bachelor Degree: 14.4% Zara — Bachelor Degree: 4.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 8.0%
Hopkins Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Zara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 5.8% / —
Hopkins Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 5.8% Zara — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

Property market

Hopkins Creek Zara
Median house price $501,000 $3,032,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Zara has more rural and farming land (95% vs 80%).

Hopkins Creek Zara
Rural and farming 80% 95%
Other and special use 19% 4%
Environmental 1%
same for both
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

Hopkins Creek Zara
New dwellings approved 331
across Tweed
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Hopkins Creek Zara
House price Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Income Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 64% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 24% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW

Liveability

Hopkins Creek Zara
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Zara carries more bushfire risk (47 vs 30).

Hopkins Creek Zara
Bushfire Low
30/100
 Moderate
47/100
Crime None
0/100
same for both
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 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Hopkins Creek Zara
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Hopkins Creek Zara
Waterways 5 1

Mobility

Hopkins Creek sits further from the CBD (818.4 km vs 814.1 km).

Hopkins Creek Zara
Walkability score 18/100 12/100
Distance to Sydney 818.4 km 814.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 552 min 538 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2484
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 76
postcode 2484
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.

Hopkins Creek Zara
Car (driver) 66.1% / 65.0%
Hopkins Creek — Car (driver): 66.1% Zara — Car (driver): 65.0%
Worked from Home 23.2% / 35.0%
Hopkins Creek — Worked from Home: 23.2% Zara — Worked from Home: 35.0%
Walked Only 10.7% / —
Hopkins Creek — Walked Only: 10.7% Zara — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.1%).

Setting

Hopkins Creek Zara
Elevation 183 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 29.7 km 30.3 km

NBN connectivity

Hopkins Creek Zara
Connectivity score 16/100 28/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
27 premises
 0%
36 premises

Climate

Hopkins Creek Zara
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Hopkins Creek Zara
Average residential rate $1,745/yr
same for both
Council Tweed
same for both

Federal electorate

Hopkins Creek Zara
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Hopkins Creek Zara
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hopkins Creek

Affordable Rural

Zara

Premium River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hopkins Creek

Hopkins Creek vs Limpinwood Hopkins Creek vs Chillingham Hopkins Creek vs Numinbah

Other comparisons with Zara

Zara vs Tyalgum Zara vs Eungella Zara vs Limpinwood Zara vs Chillingham
Full data on Hopkins Creek Full data on Zara
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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