Lavender Bay vs North Sydney

North Sydney is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 43 in Lavender Bay. In both, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Lavender Bay: a median of $1.3 million, against $1.04 million in North Sydney, though rent is higher in North Sydney. North Sydney is closer to the city centre: 4.3 km, against 5.1 km. On these figures, Lavender Bay tends to suit older residents, while North Sydney suits 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

North Sydney

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (14 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (11 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 8)

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

First-home buyers

North Sydney

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($3,200,000 vs $4,487,500)
  • has cheaper units ($1,045,000 vs $1,300,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lavender Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $575/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

  • Lavender Bay has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 14%)
  • North Sydney has more GPs (5 vs 0)

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

Investors

North Sydney

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.3% vs -7.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lavender Bay North Sydney
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.

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Walkability 100 / 100
Lavender Bay — Walkability: 100/100 North Sydney — Walkability: 100/100
Safety 48 / 40
Lavender Bay — Safety: 48/100 North Sydney — Safety: 40/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Lavender Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100 North Sydney — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

North Sydney has more residents (8,964 vs 870); Lavender Bay skews older (43 vs 36).

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Population 870 8,964
+930% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -7.5% +16.3%
Median age 43 36
Median household income $123,708/yr $125,060/yr
+1% vs other
Median weekly rent $500/wk $575/wk
+15% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lavender Bay North Sydney
0-4 2.1% / 4.4%
Lavender Bay — 0-4: 2.1% North Sydney — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 5.9% / 6.2%
Lavender Bay — 5-14: 5.9% North Sydney — 5-14: 6.2%
15-19 3.2% / 3.2%
Lavender Bay — 15-19: 3.2% North Sydney — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 6.0% / 5.7%
Lavender Bay — 20-24: 6.0% North Sydney — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 19.7% / 26.3%
Lavender Bay — 25-34: 19.7% North Sydney — 25-34: 26.3%
35-44 16.0% / 19.4%
Lavender Bay — 35-44: 16.0% North Sydney — 35-44: 19.4%
45-54 11.5% / 11.3%
Lavender Bay — 45-54: 11.5% North Sydney — 45-54: 11.3%
55-64 13.4% / 9.4%
Lavender Bay — 55-64: 13.4% North Sydney — 55-64: 9.4%
65-74 13.7% / 6.9%
Lavender Bay — 65-74: 13.7% North Sydney — 65-74: 6.9%
75-84 7.2% / 5.2%
Lavender Bay — 75-84: 7.2% North Sydney — 75-84: 5.2%
85+ 1.8% / 2.1%
Lavender Bay — 85+: 1.8% North Sydney — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lavender Bay 66.0% lone person
Lavender Bay — Lone Person: 66.0% Lavender Bay — Couple Families: 20.2% Lavender Bay — One Parent Families: 6.7% Lavender Bay — Group Household: 5.7% Lavender Bay — Other Families: 1.4%
North Sydney 60.7% lone person
North Sydney — Lone Person: 60.7% North Sydney — Couple Families: 22.2% North Sydney — One Parent Families: 8.0% North Sydney — Group Household: 7.5% North Sydney — Other Families: 1.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lavender Bay 58.6% renting
Lavender Bay — Owned Outright: 27.0% Lavender Bay — Mortgage: 14.4% Lavender Bay — Renting: 58.6%
North Sydney 62.6% renting
North Sydney — Owned Outright: 19.4% North Sydney — Mortgage: 18.0% North Sydney — Renting: 62.6%
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.

Lavender Bay North Sydney
England 5.6% / 5.4%
Lavender Bay — England: 5.6% North Sydney — England: 5.4%
China 3.3% / 5.8%
Lavender Bay — China: 3.3% North Sydney — China: 5.8%
India 2.4% / 4.6%
Lavender Bay — India: 2.4% North Sydney — India: 4.6%
New Zealand 2.3% / 2.4%
Lavender Bay — New Zealand: 2.3% North Sydney — New Zealand: 2.4%
Philippines 1.8% / 1.6%
Lavender Bay — Philippines: 1.8% North Sydney — Philippines: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.8%).

Qualifications

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

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Bachelor Degree 32.6% / 32.3%
Lavender Bay — Bachelor Degree: 32.6% North Sydney — Bachelor Degree: 32.3%
Postgraduate Degree 20.2% / 18.0%
Lavender Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 20.2% North Sydney — Postgraduate Degree: 18.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 7.9%
Lavender Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% North Sydney — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9%
Certificate III & IV 4.6% / 4.2%
Lavender Bay — Certificate III & IV: 4.6% North Sydney — Certificate III & IV: 4.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 3.0%
Lavender Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% North Sydney — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lavender Bay 66.7% flats / apartments
Lavender Bay — Flats / Apartments: 66.7% Lavender Bay — Townhouses: 23.3% Lavender Bay — Houses: 9.9%
North Sydney 85.1% flats / apartments
North Sydney — Flats / Apartments: 85.1% North Sydney — Townhouses: 8.9% North Sydney — Houses: 6.0%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Median house price $4,487,500 $3,200,000
Median unit price $1,300,000 $1,045,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 15 days
from 3 sales
 20 days
from 15 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.

Lavender Bay North Sydney
1 bed $840K / $750K
Lavender Bay — 1 bed: $840K (10 sales) North Sydney — 1 bed: $750K (111 sales)

10 vs 111 sales

2 bed $1.43M / $1.31M
Lavender Bay — 2 bed: $1.43M (14 sales) North Sydney — 2 bed: $1.31M (99 sales)

14 vs 99 sales

3 bed $2.94M / $2.2M
Lavender Bay — 3 bed: $2.94M (5 sales) North Sydney — 3 bed: $2.2M (27 sales)

5 vs 27 sales

Zoning mix

North Sydney has more commercially zoned land (12% vs 0%).

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Residential 63% 37%
Infrastructure and transport 21% 39%
Parks and recreation 15% 11%
Commercial 0% 12%
Planning zones cover 100% of Lavender Bay and 99% of North Sydney. 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

Lavender Bay North Sydney
New dwellings approved 455
across North Sydney
same for both
Approvals change year on year -69%
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.

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Houses — 2.9%
$1,550/wk on $2.77M
Units — 5.4%
$850/wk on $825K

Ranking within NSW

Lavender Bay North Sydney
House price Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Income Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 35% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 100% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 3% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 18% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 80% of NSW

Liveability

Lavender Bay scores higher overall (89 vs 76).

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Grade A+ A
Score 89/100 76/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Moderate
60/100
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 4
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Inside the suburb 1 11
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 5
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 0.8 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.6% 2.3%

Schools in Lavender Bay

  • Cameragal Montessori School, Lavender Bay Campus Independent · Primary

Schools in North Sydney

  • North Sydney Boys High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Cammeraygal High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Marist Catholic College North Shore Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College Independent · Secondary at peers
  • North Sydney Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Wenona School Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Supermarkets 0 6
Cafes & restaurants 1 104
Parks & reserves 8 16
Childcare 1 14
GPs 0 5
Pharmacies 0 5
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4

Mobility

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Walkability score 100/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 5.1 km
+16% vs other
 4.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 11 min 8 min
Public transport score 66/100
Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 32.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 534.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.6%
postcode 2060
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 4
postcode 2060
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.

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Worked from Home 65.0% / 68.7%
Lavender Bay — Worked from Home: 65.0% North Sydney — Worked from Home: 68.7%
Car (driver) 18.2% / 13.3%
Lavender Bay — Car (driver): 18.2% North Sydney — Car (driver): 13.3%
Walked Only 6.0% / 7.8%
Lavender Bay — Walked Only: 6.0% North Sydney — Walked Only: 7.8%
Train 6.4% / 6.1%
Lavender Bay — Train: 6.4% North Sydney — Train: 6.1%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 1.5%
Lavender Bay — Car (passenger): 3.5% North Sydney — Car (passenger): 1.5%
Bus — / 2.0%
Lavender Bay — Bus: not among its largest North Sydney — Bus: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.7%).

Setting

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Elevation 15 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 88 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.2 km
1.0 km to a named beach
 4.0 km
1.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Connectivity score 71/100 73/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the building
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 5%
615 premises
 24%
10,586 premises

Climate

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Lavender Bay North Sydney
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 13.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.84 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Average residential rate $1,035/yr
same for both
Council North Sydney
same for both

Federal electorate

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Division Warringah
same for both
Member Zali Steggall
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lavender Bay North Sydney
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lavender Bay

Apartments Cafe Culture Inner Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban

North Sydney

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lavender Bay

Lavender Bay vs Milsons Point Lavender Bay vs McMahons Point

Other comparisons with North Sydney

North Sydney vs Neutral Bay North Sydney vs Wollstonecraft North Sydney vs Cammeray North Sydney vs Crows Nest North Sydney vs Kirribilli North Sydney vs Waverton
Full data on Lavender Bay Full data on North Sydney
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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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