Lake Illawarra vs Warilla

In Lake Illawarra, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Warilla, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses.

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

Warilla

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 7)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (71% vs 50%)

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

Warilla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $328/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

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

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Lake Illawarra has more units and townhouses to downsize into (50% vs 29%)
  • Warilla has more GPs (3 vs 0)

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

Investors

Lake Illawarra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.0% vs -3.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lake Illawarra Warilla
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.

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Walkability 81 / 87
Lake Illawarra — Walkability: 81/100 Warilla — Walkability: 87/100
Safety 20 / 16
Lake Illawarra — Safety: 20/100 Warilla — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Lake Illawarra — Low fire risk: 100/100 Warilla — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Warilla has more residents (6,226 vs 3,288); Warilla skews older (45 vs 43).

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Population 3,288 6,226
+89% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.0% -3.5%
Median age 43 45
Median household income $55,588/yr
+8% vs other
 $51,324/yr
Median weekly rent $328/wk
+9% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lake Illawarra Warilla
0-4 5.6% / 5.1%
Lake Illawarra — 0-4: 5.6% Warilla — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 10.2% / 11.6%
Lake Illawarra — 5-14: 10.2% Warilla — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 4.9% / 6.0%
Lake Illawarra — 15-19: 4.9% Warilla — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 6.5% / 5.8%
Lake Illawarra — 20-24: 6.5% Warilla — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 13.1% / 10.3%
Lake Illawarra — 25-34: 13.1% Warilla — 25-34: 10.3%
35-44 11.1% / 10.1%
Lake Illawarra — 35-44: 11.1% Warilla — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 11.6% / 12.5%
Lake Illawarra — 45-54: 11.6% Warilla — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 16.1% / 13.9%
Lake Illawarra — 55-64: 16.1% Warilla — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 11.2% / 11.8%
Lake Illawarra — 65-74: 11.2% Warilla — 65-74: 11.8%
75-84 6.9% / 9.5%
Lake Illawarra — 75-84: 6.9% Warilla — 75-84: 9.5%
85+ 2.9% / 3.3%
Lake Illawarra — 85+: 2.9% Warilla — 85+: 3.3%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lake Illawarra 49.8% lone person
Lake Illawarra — Lone Person: 49.8% Lake Illawarra — Couple Families: 23.7% Lake Illawarra — One Parent Families: 20.6% Lake Illawarra — Group Household: 4.1% Lake Illawarra — Other Families: 1.8%
Warilla 43.7% lone person
Warilla — Lone Person: 43.7% Warilla — Couple Families: 26.2% Warilla — One Parent Families: 24.3% Warilla — Group Household: 4.2% Warilla — Other Families: 1.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lake Illawarra 50.3% renting
Lake Illawarra — Owned Outright: 27.8% Lake Illawarra — Mortgage: 21.9% Lake Illawarra — Renting: 50.3%
Warilla 41.9% renting
Warilla — Owned Outright: 36.0% Warilla — Mortgage: 22.1% Warilla — Renting: 41.9%
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.

Lake Illawarra Warilla
England 4.7% / 4.5%
Lake Illawarra — England: 4.7% Warilla — England: 4.5%
New Zealand 1.2% / 0.9%
Lake Illawarra — New Zealand: 1.2% Warilla — New Zealand: 0.9%
Scotland 0.7% / 1.1%
Lake Illawarra — Scotland: 0.7% Warilla — Scotland: 1.1%
Philippines 0.9% / 0.8%
Lake Illawarra — Philippines: 0.9% Warilla — Philippines: 0.8%
Germany 0.6% / 0.8%
Lake Illawarra — Germany: 0.6% Warilla — Germany: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

Qualifications

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

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Certificate III & IV 19.0% / 16.7%
Lake Illawarra — Certificate III & IV: 19.0% Warilla — Certificate III & IV: 16.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 5.4%
Lake Illawarra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Warilla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4%
Bachelor Degree 5.6% / 4.7%
Lake Illawarra — Bachelor Degree: 5.6% Warilla — Bachelor Degree: 4.7%
Postgraduate Degree 1.6% / 1.3%
Lake Illawarra — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6% Warilla — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 0.6%
Lake Illawarra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Warilla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lake Illawarra 49.9% houses
Lake Illawarra — Houses: 49.9% Lake Illawarra — Townhouses: 26.6% Lake Illawarra — Flats / Apartments: 23.5%
Warilla 70.9% houses
Warilla — Houses: 70.9% Warilla — Townhouses: 13.8% Warilla — Flats / Apartments: 15.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Median house price $907,500 $900,000
Median unit price $717,500 $720,000
Median land price — $950,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 16 sales
 26 days
from 39 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.

Lake Illawarra Warilla
2 bed $610K / $500K
Lake Illawarra — 2 bed: $610K (13 sales) Warilla — 2 bed: $500K (11 sales)

13 vs 11 sales

3 bed $865K / $755K
Lake Illawarra — 3 bed: $865K (11 sales) Warilla — 3 bed: $755K (10 sales)

11 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Residential 63% 72%
Parks and recreation 27% 18%
Commercial 2% 5%
Environmental 5% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 4%
Industrial 2% 0%
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

Lake Illawarra Warilla
New dwellings approved 883
across Shellharbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +25%
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.

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Houses 3.6%
$650/wk on $950K
 3.5%
$700/wk on $1.05M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Lake Illawarra Warilla
House price Higher than 42% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
Income Higher than 16% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 66% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 29% of NSW
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 30% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW

Liveability

Warilla scores higher overall (49 vs 44).

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Grade C B
Score 44/100 49/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
80/100
 High
84/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
64/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Lake Illawarra

  • Lake Illawarra High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Lake Illawarra South Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Warilla

  • Warilla Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Warilla North Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Peterborough School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 7 18
Childcare 1 3
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 1
same for both

Mobility

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Walkability score 81/100 87/100
Distance to Sydney 99.8 km 101.1 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 94 min 96 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 43.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 85.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2528
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2528
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.

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Car (driver) 73.6% / 73.3%
Lake Illawarra — Car (driver): 73.6% Warilla — Car (driver): 73.3%
Worked from Home 18.3% / 15.7%
Lake Illawarra — Worked from Home: 18.3% Warilla — Worked from Home: 15.7%
Car (passenger) 5.0% / 5.9%
Lake Illawarra — Car (passenger): 5.0% Warilla — Car (passenger): 5.9%
Walked Only 1.5% / 2.5%
Lake Illawarra — Walked Only: 1.5% Warilla — Walked Only: 2.5%
Bus 1.4% / 1.9%
Lake Illawarra — Bus: 1.4% Warilla — Bus: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.6%).

Setting

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Elevation 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 412 m
3.2 km to a named beach
 912 m
2.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Connectivity score 64/100 68/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 35%
1,831 premises
 42%
3,123 premises

Climate

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Lake Illawarra Warilla
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.37 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Average residential rate $1,788/yr
same for both
Council Shellharbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Division Whitlam
same for both
Member Carol Berry
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lake Illawarra Warilla
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lake Illawarra

Coastal Parks Townhouses

Warilla

Coastal Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lake Illawarra

Lake Illawarra vs Mount Warrigal

Other comparisons with Warilla

Warilla vs Barrack Heights Warilla vs Mount Warrigal Warilla vs Barrack Point
Full data on Lake Illawarra Full data on Warilla
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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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