Killara vs West Pymble

In both, most households own their home and most households are couple families. In West Pymble, the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Killara: a median of $3.58 million, against $2.76 million in West Pymble, though rent is higher in West Pymble. On these figures, West Pymble tends to suit families with children, 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

West Pymble

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 55%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 71%)

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

First-home buyers

West Pymble

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($2,760,000 vs $3,585,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Killara

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 10%)
  • has cheaper rent ($620/wk vs $800/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

West Pymble

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (75/100 vs 66/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Killara has more units and townhouses to downsize into (45% vs 4%)
  • West Pymble is more walkable (75/100 vs 66/100)

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

Investors

West Pymble

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (2.6% vs 1.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Killara West Pymble
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.

Killara West Pymble
Walkability 66 / 75
Killara — Walkability: 66/100 West Pymble — Walkability: 75/100
Safety 79 / 83
Killara — Safety: 79/100 West Pymble — Safety: 83/100
Low fire risk 32 / 28
Killara — Low fire risk: 32/100 West Pymble — Low fire risk: 28/100

Demographics

Killara has more residents (10,620 vs 5,441); West Pymble rents higher ($800/wk vs $620/wk).

Killara West Pymble
Population 10,620
+49% vs other
 5,441
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.4% +2.7%
Median age 42 41
Median household income $145,704/yr $182,156/yr
+25% vs other
Median weekly rent $620/wk $800/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Killara West Pymble
0-4 4.0% / 4.9%
Killara — 0-4: 4.0% West Pymble — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 14.1% / 17.3%
Killara — 5-14: 14.1% West Pymble — 5-14: 17.3%
15-19 7.8% / 7.9%
Killara — 15-19: 7.8% West Pymble — 15-19: 7.9%
20-24 6.2% / 6.3%
Killara — 20-24: 6.2% West Pymble — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 8.4% / 5.4%
Killara — 25-34: 8.4% West Pymble — 25-34: 5.4%
35-44 13.0% / 13.3%
Killara — 35-44: 13.0% West Pymble — 35-44: 13.3%
45-54 15.4% / 16.2%
Killara — 45-54: 15.4% West Pymble — 45-54: 16.2%
55-64 12.2% / 12.6%
Killara — 55-64: 12.2% West Pymble — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 9.3% / 8.3%
Killara — 65-74: 9.3% West Pymble — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 6.1% / 5.3%
Killara — 75-84: 6.1% West Pymble — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 3.4% / 2.6%
Killara — 85+: 3.4% West Pymble — 85+: 2.6%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Killara 57.0% couple families
Killara — Couple Families: 57.0% Killara — Lone Person: 25.4% Killara — One Parent Families: 14.2% Killara — Group Household: 2.3% Killara — Other Families: 1.2%
West Pymble 72.6% couple families
West Pymble — Couple Families: 72.6% West Pymble — Lone Person: 16.5% West Pymble — One Parent Families: 9.9% West Pymble — Group Household: 0.5% West Pymble — Other Families: 0.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Killara 26.2% renting
Killara — Owned Outright: 40.6% Killara — Mortgage: 33.2% Killara — Renting: 26.2%
West Pymble 10.5% renting
West Pymble — Owned Outright: 41.2% West Pymble — Mortgage: 48.3% West Pymble — Renting: 10.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Killara West Pymble
Bachelor Degree 27.5% / 25.0%
Killara — Bachelor Degree: 27.5% West Pymble — Bachelor Degree: 25.0%
Postgraduate Degree 15.3% / 11.8%
Killara — Postgraduate Degree: 15.3% West Pymble — Postgraduate Degree: 11.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 6.7%
Killara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% West Pymble — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Certificate III & IV 3.0% / 4.6%
Killara — Certificate III & IV: 3.0% West Pymble — Certificate III & IV: 4.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 3.3%
Killara — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% West Pymble — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).

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.

Killara West Pymble
China 13.8% / 5.0%
Killara — China: 13.8% West Pymble — China: 5.0%
England 4.3% / 4.8%
Killara — England: 4.3% West Pymble — England: 4.8%
India 2.2% / 1.8%
Killara — India: 2.2% West Pymble — India: 1.8%
South Africa 1.8% / 1.7%
Killara — South Africa: 1.8% West Pymble — South Africa: 1.7%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.7%
Killara — New Zealand: 1.4% West Pymble — New Zealand: 1.7%
Malaysia 1.7% / 0.8%
Killara — Malaysia: 1.7% West Pymble — Malaysia: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Killara 54.7% houses
Killara — Houses: 54.7% Killara — Flats / Apartments: 42.5% Killara — Townhouses: 2.8%
West Pymble 96.1% houses
West Pymble — Houses: 96.1% West Pymble — Flats / Apartments: 1.5% West Pymble — Townhouses: 2.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Killara West Pymble
Median house price $3,585,000 $2,760,000
Median unit price $1,130,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 31 sales
 26 days
from 32 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.

Killara West Pymble
3 bed $3.3M / $2.65M
Killara — 3 bed: $3.3M (9 sales) West Pymble — 3 bed: $2.65M (21 sales)

9 vs 21 sales

4 bed $3.12M / $2.82M
Killara — 4 bed: $3.12M (12 sales) West Pymble — 4 bed: $2.82M (16 sales)

12 vs 16 sales

5 bed $4.71M / $2.88M
Killara — 5 bed: $4.71M (14 sales) West Pymble — 5 bed: $2.88M (9 sales)

14 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

West Pymble has more land zoned for conservation (41% vs 9%).

Killara West Pymble
Residential 74% 49%
Environmental 9% 41%
Parks and recreation 12% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 3%
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

Killara West Pymble
New dwellings approved 908
across Ku-ring-gai
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

Killara West Pymble
Houses 1.9%
$1,850/wk on $5.01M
 2.6%
$1,475/wk on $3M
Units 4.5%
$905/wk on $1.05M
 —

Ranking within NSW

Killara West Pymble
House price Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Income — Higher than 99% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 93% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 32% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 1% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 43% of NSW —

Liveability

West Pymble is more walkable (75 vs 66); West Pymble scores higher overall (79 vs 73).

Killara West Pymble
Grade A
same for both
Score 73/100 79/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Killara West Pymble
Bushfire Moderate
68/100
 High
72/100
Crime Low
21/100
 Low
17/100
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 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Killara West Pymble
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 2
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 3.1 km
 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 1.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.9% 4.8%

Schools in Killara

  • Beaumont Road Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Killara Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in West Pymble

  • Gordon West Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • West Pymble Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Killara West Pymble
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 2
same for both
Parks & reserves 13 12
Childcare 8
same for both
GPs 0 1
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 5 12

Mobility

Killara West Pymble
Walkability score 66/100 75/100
Distance to Sydney 16.5 km 17.7 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 24 min 21 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 109.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 137.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 4.8%
postcode 2071
 4.6%
postcode 2073
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 2071
 30
postcode 2073

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.

Killara West Pymble
Worked from Home 62.8% / 62.7%
Killara — Worked from Home: 62.8% West Pymble — Worked from Home: 62.7%
Car (driver) 28.7% / 30.8%
Killara — Car (driver): 28.7% West Pymble — Car (driver): 30.8%
Train 4.9% / 1.9%
Killara — Train: 4.9% West Pymble — Train: 1.9%
Car (passenger) 2.0% / 2.2%
Killara — Car (passenger): 2.0% West Pymble — Car (passenger): 2.2%
Walked Only 1.1% / 1.7%
Killara — Walked Only: 1.1% West Pymble — Walked Only: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.8%).

Setting

Killara West Pymble
Elevation 118 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 69 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.6 km 12.0 km

NBN connectivity

Killara West Pymble
Connectivity score 76/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
4,376 premises
 0%
1,844 premises

Climate

Killara West Pymble
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Killara West Pymble
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.23 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Killara West Pymble
Average residential rate $1,626/yr
same for both
Council Ku-ring-gai
same for both

Federal electorate

Killara West Pymble
Division Bradfield
same for both
Member Nicolette Boele
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Killara West Pymble
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Killara

Apartments Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals River Trains Transport Hub

West Pymble

Family Large Blocks Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Killara

Killara vs Macquarie Park Killara vs Lindfield Killara vs Gordon Killara vs East Killara

Other comparisons with West Pymble

West Pymble vs Turramurra West Pymble vs Pymble West Pymble vs Macquarie Park West Pymble vs Gordon West Pymble vs South Turramurra
Full data on Killara Full data on West Pymble
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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