Kyeemagh vs Rockdale

Rockdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 44 in Kyeemagh. In Kyeemagh, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. In Rockdale, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Kyeemagh: a median of $2.02 million, against $1.84 million in Rockdale, and rent is higher there too. Kyeemagh is closer to the city centre: 14.6 km, against 17.3 km. On these figures, Kyeemagh tends to suit families with children, couples, and older residents, while Rockdale suits renters, young adults, and people living alone.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Kyeemagh has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 24%)
  • Rockdale has more childcare (9 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Rockdale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 41%)
  • has cheaper units ($720,000 vs $805,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Rockdale

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (49% vs 14%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $575/wk)

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

  • Kyeemagh has a shorter drive in (18 min vs 23 min)
  • Rockdale gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (22% vs 2%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Rockdale

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (7 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (76% vs 16%)
  • is more walkable (96/100 vs 61/100)
  • But Kyeemagh has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Kyeemagh

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.2% vs 2.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kyeemagh Rockdale
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.

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Walkability 61 / 96
Kyeemagh — Walkability: 61/100 Rockdale — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 30 / 32
Kyeemagh — Safety: 30/100 Rockdale — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kyeemagh — Low fire risk: 100/100 Rockdale — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Rockdale has more residents (15,475 vs 935); Kyeemagh skews older (44 vs 34).

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Population 935 15,475
+1555% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.7% -0.4%
Median age 44 34
Median household income $88,348/yr $99,112/yr
+12% vs other
Median weekly rent $575/wk
+20% vs other
 $460/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kyeemagh Rockdale
0-4 4.8% / 5.9%
Kyeemagh — 0-4: 4.8% Rockdale — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 14.0% / 7.8%
Kyeemagh — 5-14: 14.0% Rockdale — 5-14: 7.8%
15-19 5.6% / 3.3%
Kyeemagh — 15-19: 5.6% Rockdale — 15-19: 3.3%
20-24 4.3% / 9.9%
Kyeemagh — 20-24: 4.3% Rockdale — 20-24: 9.9%
25-34 8.2% / 24.9%
Kyeemagh — 25-34: 8.2% Rockdale — 25-34: 24.9%
35-44 13.5% / 16.7%
Kyeemagh — 35-44: 13.5% Rockdale — 35-44: 16.7%
45-54 14.7% / 10.1%
Kyeemagh — 45-54: 14.7% Rockdale — 45-54: 10.1%
55-64 11.2% / 9.2%
Kyeemagh — 55-64: 11.2% Rockdale — 55-64: 9.2%
65-74 11.4% / 6.7%
Kyeemagh — 65-74: 11.4% Rockdale — 65-74: 6.7%
75-84 7.7% / 3.9%
Kyeemagh — 75-84: 7.7% Rockdale — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 3.9% / 1.7%
Kyeemagh — 85+: 3.9% Rockdale — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kyeemagh 49.4% couple families
Kyeemagh — Couple Families: 49.4% Kyeemagh — Lone Person: 23.8% Kyeemagh — One Parent Families: 23.8% Kyeemagh — Group Household: 2.9% Kyeemagh — Other Families: 0.0%
Rockdale 39.2% couple families
Rockdale — Couple Families: 39.2% Rockdale — Lone Person: 31.9% Rockdale — One Parent Families: 12.8% Rockdale — Group Household: 13.1% Rockdale — Other Families: 3.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kyeemagh 13.6% renting
Kyeemagh — Owned Outright: 50.7% Kyeemagh — Mortgage: 35.7% Kyeemagh — Renting: 13.6%
Rockdale 48.6% renting
Rockdale — Owned Outright: 23.1% Rockdale — Mortgage: 28.3% Rockdale — Renting: 48.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Bachelor Degree 12.1% / 20.7%
Kyeemagh — Bachelor Degree: 12.1% Rockdale — Bachelor Degree: 20.7%
Certificate III & IV 10.7% / 7.0%
Kyeemagh — Certificate III & IV: 10.7% Rockdale — Certificate III & IV: 7.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 9.7%
Kyeemagh — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Rockdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7%
Postgraduate Degree 2.7% / 9.3%
Kyeemagh — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7% Rockdale — Postgraduate Degree: 9.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.3% / 1.3%
Kyeemagh — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.3% Rockdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

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.

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Nepal — / 15.8%
Kyeemagh — Nepal: not among its largest Rockdale — Nepal: 15.8%
China 1.4% / 6.5%
Kyeemagh — China: 1.4% Rockdale — China: 6.5%
Greece 7.1% / —
Kyeemagh — Greece: 7.1% Rockdale — Greece: not among its largest
Lebanon 3.4% / 1.8%
Kyeemagh — Lebanon: 3.4% Rockdale — Lebanon: 1.8%
Brazil 1.7% / 2.0%
Kyeemagh — Brazil: 1.7% Rockdale — Brazil: 2.0%
Bangladesh — / 3.4%
Kyeemagh — Bangladesh: not among its largest Rockdale — Bangladesh: 3.4%
Philippines — / 3.2%
Kyeemagh — Philippines: not among its largest Rockdale — Philippines: 3.2%
India — / 3.0%
Kyeemagh — India: not among its largest Rockdale — India: 3.0%
England 1.5% / —
Kyeemagh — England: 1.5% Rockdale — England: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kyeemagh 84.3% houses
Kyeemagh — Houses: 84.3% Kyeemagh — Flats / Apartments: 6.3% Kyeemagh — Townhouses: 9.4%
Rockdale 24.3% houses
Rockdale — Houses: 24.3% Rockdale — Flats / Apartments: 71.7% Rockdale — Townhouses: 4.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Median house price $2,015,500 $1,837,500
Median unit price $805,000 $720,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 10 sales
 24 days
from 51 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.

Kyeemagh Rockdale
2 bed $1.9M / $1.5M
Kyeemagh — 2 bed: $1.9M (5 sales) Rockdale — 2 bed: $1.5M (7 sales)

5 vs 7 sales

3 bed $1.95M / $1.68M
Kyeemagh — 3 bed: $1.95M (12 sales) Rockdale — 3 bed: $1.68M (20 sales)

12 vs 20 sales

4 bed $2.37M / $2M
Kyeemagh — 4 bed: $2.37M (5 sales) Rockdale — 4 bed: $2M (18 sales)

5 vs 18 sales

Zoning mix

Kyeemagh has more rural and farming land (14% vs 0%).

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Residential 38% 61%
Parks and recreation 24% 12%
Rural and farming 14% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 12%
Industrial 0% 10%
Environmental 10% 0%
Commercial 0% 5%
Other and special use 4% 0%
Planning zones cover 97% of Kyeemagh and 100% of Rockdale. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Kyeemagh Rockdale
New dwellings approved 857
across Bayside (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +98%
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.

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Houses 3.2%
$1,100/wk on $1.8M
 2.5%
$850/wk on $1.8M
Units — 5.5%
$728/wk on $685K

Ranking within NSW

Kyeemagh Rockdale
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Income Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 2% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 76% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 85% of NSW

Liveability

Rockdale is more walkable (96 vs 61); Kyeemagh scores higher overall (65 vs 57).

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Grade B
same for both
Score 65/100 57/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
70/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
16/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 11
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of New South Wales, 6.8 km
 3
The University of Sydney, 8.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.8% 3.8%

Schools in Kyeemagh

  • Kyeemagh Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Rockdale

  • Rockdale Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • St Dominic Savio School Independent · Primary below peers
  • St Mary and St Mina's Coptic Orthodox College, Rockdale campus Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Supermarkets 0 6
Cafes & restaurants 1 19
Parks & reserves 4 6
Childcare 2 9
GPs 0 7
Pharmacies 0 5
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 0 5
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Rockdale sits further from the CBD (17.3 km vs 14.6 km).

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Walkability score 61/100 96/100
Distance to Sydney 14.6 km 17.3 km
+18% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 23 min
Public transport score 63/100
Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 23.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 244.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2216
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 10
postcode 2216
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.

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Car (driver) 56.2% / 35.6%
Kyeemagh — Car (driver): 56.2% Rockdale — Car (driver): 35.6%
Worked from Home 35.0% / 31.7%
Kyeemagh — Worked from Home: 35.0% Rockdale — Worked from Home: 31.7%
Train 2.4% / 22.4%
Kyeemagh — Train: 2.4% Rockdale — Train: 22.4%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 3.4%
Kyeemagh — Car (passenger): 2.7% Rockdale — Car (passenger): 3.4%
Walked Only 1.7% / 3.9%
Kyeemagh — Walked Only: 1.7% Rockdale — Walked Only: 3.9%
Bus 2.0% / 2.8%
Kyeemagh — Bus: 2.0% Rockdale — Bus: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.2%).

Setting

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 431 m 1.7 km

NBN connectivity

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Connectivity score 88/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 42%
369 premises
 23%
7,527 premises

Climate

Kyeemagh Rockdale
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)

Kyeemagh Rockdale
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

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Average residential rate $1,217/yr
same for both
Council Bayside (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Division Kingsford Smith Barton
Member Matt Thistlethwaite Ash Ambihaipahar
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kyeemagh Rockdale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kyeemagh

Coastal Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium Quiet

Rockdale

Apartments Coastal Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks River Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kyeemagh

Kyeemagh vs Mascot Kyeemagh vs Arncliffe Kyeemagh vs Brighton-Le-Sands Kyeemagh vs Banksia

Other comparisons with Rockdale

Rockdale vs Bexley Rockdale vs Kogarah Rockdale vs Arncliffe Rockdale vs Brighton-Le-Sands Rockdale vs Monterey Rockdale vs Banksia
Full data on Kyeemagh Full data on Rockdale
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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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