Kogarah vs Carlton

Kogarah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Carlton. In Kogarah, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Carlton, most households own their home, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are couple families. Units cost more in Carlton: a median of $810,000, against $740,000 in Kogarah. Kogarah is closer to the city centre: 18.2 km, against 20.3 km. On these figures, Kogarah tends to suit renters.

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

Carlton

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (47% vs 21%)
  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 67/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 54%)
  • But Kogarah has more schools inside the suburb (8 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, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Kogarah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (50% vs 39%)

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

Commuting to the city

Kogarah

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (18% vs 11%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (18.2 km vs 20.3 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Kogarah

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (10 vs 2)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (79% vs 53%)
  • But Carlton carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 67/100)

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

Investors

Kogarah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.5% vs -0.8%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kogarah Carlton
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.

Kogarah Carlton
Walkability 96 / 94
Kogarah — Walkability: 96/100 Carlton — Walkability: 94/100
Safety 33 / 61
Kogarah — Safety: 33/100 Carlton — Safety: 61/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kogarah — Low fire risk: 100/100 Carlton — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Kogarah has more residents (16,416 vs 10,631); Carlton skews older (38 vs 35).

Kogarah Carlton
Population 16,416
+35% vs other
 10,631
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.5% -0.8%
Median age 35 38
Median household income $98,956/yr
+2% vs other
 $96,720/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kogarah Carlton
0-4 6.0% / 5.1%
Kogarah — 0-4: 6.0% Carlton — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 9.2% / 10.4%
Kogarah — 5-14: 9.2% Carlton — 5-14: 10.4%
15-19 3.6% / 5.1%
Kogarah — 15-19: 3.6% Carlton — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 7.8% / 7.2%
Kogarah — 20-24: 7.8% Carlton — 20-24: 7.2%
25-34 23.2% / 16.2%
Kogarah — 25-34: 23.2% Carlton — 25-34: 16.2%
35-44 17.1% / 14.8%
Kogarah — 35-44: 17.1% Carlton — 35-44: 14.8%
45-54 10.6% / 12.5%
Kogarah — 45-54: 10.6% Carlton — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 9.0% / 12.4%
Kogarah — 55-64: 9.0% Carlton — 55-64: 12.4%
65-74 6.3% / 9.3%
Kogarah — 65-74: 6.3% Carlton — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 4.3% / 4.9%
Kogarah — 75-84: 4.3% Carlton — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 3.0% / 1.9%
Kogarah — 85+: 3.0% Carlton — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kogarah 40.9% couple families
Kogarah — Couple Families: 40.9% Kogarah — Lone Person: 35.2% Kogarah — One Parent Families: 12.6% Kogarah — Group Household: 8.4% Kogarah — Other Families: 3.0%
Carlton 47.3% couple families
Carlton — Couple Families: 47.3% Carlton — Lone Person: 29.2% Carlton — One Parent Families: 15.6% Carlton — Group Household: 5.7% Carlton — Other Families: 2.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kogarah 50.0% renting
Kogarah — Owned Outright: 22.3% Kogarah — Mortgage: 27.7% Kogarah — Renting: 50.0%
Carlton 38.6% renting
Carlton — Owned Outright: 31.8% Carlton — Mortgage: 29.7% Carlton — Renting: 38.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Kogarah Carlton
Bachelor Degree 21.5% / 18.7%
Kogarah — Bachelor Degree: 21.5% Carlton — Bachelor Degree: 18.7%
Postgraduate Degree 10.6% / 7.9%
Kogarah — Postgraduate Degree: 10.6% Carlton — Postgraduate Degree: 7.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 8.9%
Kogarah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Carlton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Certificate III & IV 6.9% / 8.5%
Kogarah — Certificate III & IV: 6.9% Carlton — Certificate III & IV: 8.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.5%
Kogarah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Carlton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).

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.

Kogarah Carlton
China 8.2% / 11.3%
Kogarah — China: 8.2% Carlton — China: 11.3%
Nepal 11.3% / 5.5%
Kogarah — Nepal: 11.3% Carlton — Nepal: 5.5%
India 6.0% / 1.7%
Kogarah — India: 6.0% Carlton — India: 1.7%
Philippines 3.9% / 2.9%
Kogarah — Philippines: 3.9% Carlton — Philippines: 2.9%
Greece 2.2% / 2.4%
Kogarah — Greece: 2.2% Carlton — Greece: 2.4%
Bangladesh 2.9% / 1.3%
Kogarah — Bangladesh: 2.9% Carlton — Bangladesh: 1.3%
Lebanon — / 1.9%
Kogarah — Lebanon: not among its largest Carlton — Lebanon: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kogarah 72.2% flats / apartments
Kogarah — Flats / Apartments: 72.2% Kogarah — Houses: 20.9% Kogarah — Townhouses: 6.9%
Carlton 47.2% flats / apartments
Carlton — Flats / Apartments: 47.2% Carlton — Houses: 46.6% Carlton — Townhouses: 6.2%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Kogarah Carlton
Median house price $1,862,500 $1,805,000
Median unit price $740,000 $810,000
Median land price $272,250 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 39 sales
 24 days
from 46 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.

Kogarah Carlton
2 bed $1.48M / $1.6M
Kogarah — 2 bed: $1.48M (11 sales) Carlton — 2 bed: $1.6M (8 sales)

11 vs 8 sales

3 bed $1.81M / $1.7M
Kogarah — 3 bed: $1.81M (27 sales) Carlton — 3 bed: $1.7M (38 sales)

27 vs 38 sales

4 bed $2.02M / $1.95M
Kogarah — 4 bed: $2.02M (15 sales) Carlton — 4 bed: $1.95M (13 sales)

15 vs 13 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.

Kogarah Carlton
1 bed $610K / $589K
Kogarah — 1 bed: $610K (70 sales) Carlton — 1 bed: $589K (6 sales)

70 vs 6 sales

2 bed $758K / $810K
Kogarah — 2 bed: $758K (254 sales) Carlton — 2 bed: $810K (96 sales)

254 vs 96 sales

3 bed $925K / $900K
Kogarah — 3 bed: $925K (36 sales) Carlton — 3 bed: $900K (14 sales)

36 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Kogarah Carlton
Residential 70% 82%
Infrastructure and transport 14% 5%
Parks and recreation 11% 3%
Industrial 3% 6%
Commercial 1% 4%
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

Kogarah Carlton
New dwellings approved 857
across Bayside (NSW)
 920
across Georges River
Approvals change year on year +98% +91%

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.

Kogarah Carlton
Houses 2.8%
$900/wk on $1.65M
 2.4%
$870/wk on $1.89M
Units 4.9%
$720/wk on $769K
 5.1%
$780/wk on $798K

Ranking within NSW

Kogarah Carlton
House price Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Income Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Schools Higher than 57% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW

Liveability

Carlton scores higher overall (78 vs 68).

Kogarah Carlton
Grade B A
Score 68/100 78/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Kogarah carries more crime risk (67 vs 39).

Kogarah Carlton
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
67/100
 Low
39/100
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 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Kogarah Carlton
Inside the suburb 8 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 2
The University of Sydney, 9.7 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 10.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.2% 3.6%

Schools in Kogarah

  • St George Girls High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Kogarah Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Moorefield Girls High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • James Cook Boys High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Kogarah High School Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Carlton

  • Carlton South Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Kogarah Carlton
Supermarkets 5 2
Cafes & restaurants 29 2
Parks & reserves 8 9
Childcare 7
same for both
GPs 10 2
Pharmacies 8 2
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 2
Fuel stations 2 4
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Carlton sits further from the CBD (20.3 km vs 18.2 km).

Kogarah Carlton
Walkability score 96/100 94/100
Distance to Sydney 18.2 km 20.3 km
+12% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 23 min 27 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 259.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 91.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 2217
 0.9%
postcode 2218
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 12
postcode 2217
 13
postcode 2218

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.

Kogarah Carlton
Worked from Home 36.5% / 41.9%
Kogarah — Worked from Home: 36.5% Carlton — Worked from Home: 41.9%
Car (driver) 33.0% / 38.2%
Kogarah — Car (driver): 33.0% Carlton — Car (driver): 38.2%
Train 17.9% / 11.4%
Kogarah — Train: 17.9% Carlton — Train: 11.4%
Walked Only 8.2% / 3.9%
Kogarah — Walked Only: 8.2% Carlton — Walked Only: 3.9%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 3.9%
Kogarah — Car (passenger): 2.9% Carlton — Car (passenger): 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (41.9%).

Setting

Kogarah Carlton
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 38 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.5 km
4.7 km to a named beach
 2.8 km

NBN connectivity

Kogarah Carlton
Connectivity score 80/100 84/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 20%
7,986 premises
 23%
4,424 premises

Climate

Kogarah Carlton
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Kogarah Carlton
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Kogarah Carlton
Average residential rate $1,217/yr $1,381/yr
Council Bayside (NSW) Georges River

Federal electorate

Kogarah Carlton
Division Barton
same for both
Member Ash Ambihaipahar
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kogarah Carlton
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kogarah

Apartments Coastal Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Urban

Carlton

Apartments Coastal Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kogarah

Kogarah vs Bexley Kogarah vs Rockdale Kogarah vs Monterey Kogarah vs Beverley Park Kogarah vs Ramsgate

Other comparisons with Carlton

Carlton vs Hurstville Carlton vs Bexley Carlton vs Blakehurst Carlton vs Allawah Carlton vs South Hurstville Carlton vs Beverley Park
Full data on Kogarah Full data on Carlton
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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