Kanwal vs Woongarrah

Woongarrah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 45 in Kanwal. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Woongarrah, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Woongarrah: a median of $990,000, against $836,000 in Kanwal, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Kanwal tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Woongarrah suits families with children and 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

Woongarrah

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (7 vs 3)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 58%)
  • But Kanwal has more parks and reserves (10 vs 5)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Kanwal has cheaper houses ($835,750 vs $990,000)
  • Woongarrah leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 30%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Kanwal has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $510/wk)
  • Woongarrah leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 28%)

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

Commuting to the city

Woongarrah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (103.1 km vs 105.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Kanwal

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (15% vs 1%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 13%)
  • But Woongarrah carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 74/100)

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

Investors

Woongarrah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.1% vs 2.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kanwal Woongarrah
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.

Kanwal Woongarrah
Walkability 65 / 66
Kanwal — Walkability: 65/100 Woongarrah — Walkability: 66/100
Safety 26 / 42
Kanwal — Safety: 26/100 Woongarrah — Safety: 42/100
Low fire risk 100 / 43
Kanwal — Low fire risk: 100/100 Woongarrah — Low fire risk: 43/100

Demographics

Woongarrah has higher household incomes ($117,260 vs $69,888); Woongarrah has more residents (5,962 vs 4,194).

Kanwal Woongarrah
Population 4,194 5,962
+42% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.3% +14.1%
Median age 45 36
Median household income $69,888/yr $117,260/yr
+68% vs other
Median weekly rent $380/wk $510/wk
+34% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kanwal Woongarrah
0-4 5.0% / 6.3%
Kanwal — 0-4: 5.0% Woongarrah — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 11.0% / 18.3%
Kanwal — 5-14: 11.0% Woongarrah — 5-14: 18.3%
15-19 6.2% / 8.9%
Kanwal — 15-19: 6.2% Woongarrah — 15-19: 8.9%
20-24 6.1% / 5.5%
Kanwal — 20-24: 6.1% Woongarrah — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 11.1% / 10.0%
Kanwal — 25-34: 11.1% Woongarrah — 25-34: 10.0%
35-44 10.3% / 14.3%
Kanwal — 35-44: 10.3% Woongarrah — 35-44: 14.3%
45-54 11.5% / 14.8%
Kanwal — 45-54: 11.5% Woongarrah — 45-54: 14.8%
55-64 11.0% / 8.8%
Kanwal — 55-64: 11.0% Woongarrah — 55-64: 8.8%
65-74 11.3% / 7.3%
Kanwal — 65-74: 11.3% Woongarrah — 65-74: 7.3%
75-84 9.4% / 4.6%
Kanwal — 75-84: 9.4% Woongarrah — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 7.0% / 1.5%
Kanwal — 85+: 7.0% Woongarrah — 85+: 1.5%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kanwal 35.6% couple families
Kanwal — Couple Families: 35.6% Kanwal — Lone Person: 35.8% Kanwal — One Parent Families: 22.4% Kanwal — Group Household: 4.4% Kanwal — Other Families: 1.7%
Woongarrah 63.3% couple families
Woongarrah — Couple Families: 63.3% Woongarrah — Lone Person: 13.4% Woongarrah — One Parent Families: 19.5% Woongarrah — Group Household: 3.0% Woongarrah — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kanwal 28.0% renting
Kanwal — Owned Outright: 34.4% Kanwal — Mortgage: 37.5% Kanwal — Renting: 28.0%
Woongarrah 24.3% renting
Woongarrah — Owned Outright: 27.9% Woongarrah — Mortgage: 47.8% Woongarrah — Renting: 24.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Kanwal Woongarrah
England 3.5% / 3.4%
Kanwal — England: 3.5% Woongarrah — England: 3.4%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.5%
Kanwal — New Zealand: 1.5% Woongarrah — New Zealand: 1.5%
Philippines 0.8% / 1.0%
Kanwal — Philippines: 0.8% Woongarrah — Philippines: 1.0%
India 0.6% / 1.1%
Kanwal — India: 0.6% Woongarrah — India: 1.1%
Scotland 0.7% / 0.5%
Kanwal — Scotland: 0.7% Woongarrah — Scotland: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

Qualifications

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

Kanwal Woongarrah
Certificate III & IV 18.1% / 16.6%
Kanwal — Certificate III & IV: 18.1% Woongarrah — Certificate III & IV: 16.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 7.7%
Kanwal — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Woongarrah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Bachelor Degree 6.1% / 7.0%
Kanwal — Bachelor Degree: 6.1% Woongarrah — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / 2.2%
Kanwal — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% Woongarrah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.5% / 1.3%
Kanwal — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.5% Woongarrah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kanwal 85.1% houses
Kanwal — Houses: 85.1% Kanwal — Flats / Apartments: 11.3% Kanwal — Townhouses: 3.6%
Woongarrah 99.4% houses
Woongarrah — Houses: 99.4% Woongarrah — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Woongarrah — Townhouses: 0.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Kanwal Woongarrah
Median house price $835,750 $990,000
Median unit price $677,500 —
Median land price — $465,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 17 sales
 23 days
from 95 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.

Kanwal Woongarrah
3 bed $805K / $838K
Kanwal — 3 bed: $805K (41 sales) Woongarrah — 3 bed: $838K (20 sales)

41 vs 20 sales

4 bed $970K / $978K
Kanwal — 4 bed: $970K (10 sales) Woongarrah — 4 bed: $978K (142 sales)

10 vs 142 sales

5 bed $941K / $1.2M
Kanwal — 5 bed: $941K (5 sales) Woongarrah — 5 bed: $1.2M (42 sales)

5 vs 42 sales

Zoning mix

Woongarrah has more rural and farming land (42% vs 31%).

Kanwal Woongarrah
Residential 54% 45%
Rural and farming 31% 42%
Parks and recreation 8% 2%
Environmental 3% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 3%
same for both
Industrial 2% 0%
Commercial 0% 2%
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

Kanwal Woongarrah
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
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.

Kanwal Woongarrah
Houses 4.0%
$670/wk on $870K
 4.0%
$800/wk on $1.05M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Kanwal Woongarrah
House price Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Income Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 66% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW

Liveability

Kanwal Woongarrah
Grade C
same for both
Score 46/100 45/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Woongarrah carries more bushfire risk (57 vs 0); Kanwal carries more crime risk (74 vs 58).

Kanwal Woongarrah
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
57/100
Crime High
74/100
 Moderate
58/100
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 2
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Kanwal Woongarrah
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Kanwal

  • Kanwal Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Woongarrah

  • Woongarrah Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • MacKillop Catholic College Catholic · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Kanwal Woongarrah
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 10 5
Childcare 3 7
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1 0

Mobility

Kanwal sits further from the CBD (105.4 km vs 103.1 km).

Kanwal Woongarrah
Walkability score 65/100 66/100
Distance to Sydney 105.4 km
+2% vs other
 103.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 84 min 82 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 106.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 88.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2259
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2259
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.

Kanwal Woongarrah
Car (driver) 71.0% / 64.1%
Kanwal — Car (driver): 71.0% Woongarrah — Car (driver): 64.1%
Worked from Home 19.7% / 27.7%
Kanwal — Worked from Home: 19.7% Woongarrah — Worked from Home: 27.7%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 6.0%
Kanwal — Car (passenger): 5.6% Woongarrah — Car (passenger): 6.0%
Walked Only 1.4% / 0.9%
Kanwal — Walked Only: 1.4% Woongarrah — Walked Only: 0.9%
Train 1.1% / 1.0%
Kanwal — Train: 1.1% Woongarrah — Train: 1.0%
Bus 1.3% / 0.3%
Kanwal — Bus: 1.3% Woongarrah — Bus: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.0%).

Setting

Kanwal Woongarrah
Elevation 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 29 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.8 km 8.0 km

NBN connectivity

Kanwal Woongarrah
Connectivity score 64/100 80/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 34%
1,764 premises
 64%
2,170 premises

Climate

Kanwal Woongarrah
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Kanwal Woongarrah
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.36 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Kanwal Woongarrah
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Kanwal Woongarrah
Division Dobell
same for both
Member Emma Mcbride
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kanwal Woongarrah
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kanwal

Large Blocks Parks Retirees

Woongarrah

Family Large Blocks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kanwal

Kanwal vs Hamlyn Terrace Kanwal vs Gorokan Kanwal vs Wadalba Kanwal vs Lake Haven Kanwal vs Wyongah

Other comparisons with Woongarrah

Woongarrah vs Hamlyn Terrace Woongarrah vs Lake Haven Woongarrah vs Charmhaven Woongarrah vs Warnervale Woongarrah vs Wallarah
Full data on Kanwal Full data on Woongarrah
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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