Maroubra vs Malabar

Maroubra is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 46 in Malabar. In both, most households own their home. In Maroubra, about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Malabar, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Malabar: a median of $3.2 million, against $2.85 million in Maroubra, though rent is higher in Maroubra. Maroubra is closer to the city centre: 14.5 km, against 16.4 km.

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

Maroubra

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (11 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (24 vs 5)
  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 10)
  • But Malabar has more separate houses rather than flats (62% vs 30%)

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

First-home buyers

Maroubra

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($1,095,000 vs $2,157,500)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 50%)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,850,000 vs $3,200,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Malabar

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $540/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 25%)

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

Commuting to the city

Maroubra

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (22 min vs 29 min)
  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 75/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Maroubra

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (7 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (70% vs 38%)
  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 75/100)

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

Investors

Maroubra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (0.1% vs -13.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Maroubra Malabar
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.

Maroubra Malabar
Walkability 92 / 75
Maroubra — Walkability: 92/100 Malabar — Walkability: 75/100
Safety 31 / 37
Maroubra — Safety: 31/100 Malabar — Safety: 37/100
Low fire risk 100 / 70
Maroubra — Low fire risk: 100/100 Malabar — Low fire risk: 70/100

Demographics

Maroubra has more residents (30,722 vs 4,714); Maroubra rents higher ($540/wk vs $150/wk).

Maroubra Malabar
Population 30,722
+85% vs other
 4,714
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.1% -13.0%
Median age 39 46
Median household income $111,332/yr
+16% vs other
 $93,080/yr
Median weekly rent $540/wk
+72% vs other
 $150/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Maroubra Malabar
0-4 5.2% / 3.5%
Maroubra — 0-4: 5.2% Malabar — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 10.8% / 9.4%
Maroubra — 5-14: 10.8% Malabar — 5-14: 9.4%
15-19 4.8% / 5.2%
Maroubra — 15-19: 4.8% Malabar — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 5.7% / 5.2%
Maroubra — 20-24: 5.7% Malabar — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 15.8% / 11.0%
Maroubra — 25-34: 15.8% Malabar — 25-34: 11.0%
35-44 15.3% / 13.2%
Maroubra — 35-44: 15.3% Malabar — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 13.2% / 16.6%
Maroubra — 45-54: 13.2% Malabar — 45-54: 16.6%
55-64 11.1% / 14.5%
Maroubra — 55-64: 11.1% Malabar — 55-64: 14.5%
65-74 8.8% / 11.2%
Maroubra — 65-74: 8.8% Malabar — 65-74: 11.2%
75-84 6.1% / 7.4%
Maroubra — 75-84: 6.1% Malabar — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 3.0% / 2.8%
Maroubra — 85+: 3.0% Malabar — 85+: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Maroubra 40.1% couple families
Maroubra — Couple Families: 40.1% Maroubra — Lone Person: 36.9% Maroubra — One Parent Families: 13.8% Maroubra — Group Household: 7.3% Maroubra — Other Families: 1.9%
Malabar 45.2% couple families
Malabar — Couple Families: 45.2% Malabar — Lone Person: 37.2% Malabar — One Parent Families: 13.9% Malabar — Group Household: 2.1% Malabar — Other Families: 1.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Maroubra 44.1% renting
Maroubra — Owned Outright: 30.8% Maroubra — Mortgage: 25.0% Maroubra — Renting: 44.1%
Malabar 35.5% renting
Malabar — Owned Outright: 37.4% Malabar — Mortgage: 27.1% Malabar — Renting: 35.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Maroubra Malabar
Bachelor Degree 21.9% / 12.2%
Maroubra — Bachelor Degree: 21.9% Malabar — Bachelor Degree: 12.2%
Certificate III & IV 8.2% / 9.4%
Maroubra — Certificate III & IV: 8.2% Malabar — Certificate III & IV: 9.4%
Postgraduate Degree 10.0% / 6.0%
Maroubra — Postgraduate Degree: 10.0% Malabar — Postgraduate Degree: 6.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 6.2%
Maroubra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Malabar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 1.1%
Maroubra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Malabar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

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.

Maroubra Malabar
England 4.0% / 4.0%
Maroubra — England: 4.0% Malabar — England: 4.0%
China 3.4% / 1.5%
Maroubra — China: 3.4% Malabar — China: 1.5%
Brazil 3.2% / —
Maroubra — Brazil: 3.2% Malabar — Brazil: not among its largest
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.6%
Maroubra — New Zealand: 1.6% Malabar — New Zealand: 1.6%
Ireland 1.9% / 0.9%
Maroubra — Ireland: 1.9% Malabar — Ireland: 0.9%
France 1.6% / 1.0%
Maroubra — France: 1.6% Malabar — France: 1.0%
Indonesia 2.2% / —
Maroubra — Indonesia: 2.2% Malabar — Indonesia: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 1.0%
Maroubra — Malaysia: not among its largest Malabar — Malaysia: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Maroubra 29.6% houses
Maroubra — Houses: 29.6% Maroubra — Flats / Apartments: 49.5% Maroubra — Townhouses: 20.9%
Malabar 61.8% houses
Malabar — Houses: 61.8% Malabar — Flats / Apartments: 26.1% Malabar — Townhouses: 12.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Maroubra Malabar
Median house price $2,850,000 $3,200,000
Median unit price $1,095,000 $2,157,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 116 sales
 28 days
from 11 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.

Maroubra Malabar
3 bed $2.55M / $3.29M
Maroubra — 3 bed: $2.55M (68 sales) Malabar — 3 bed: $3.29M (8 sales)

68 vs 8 sales

4 bed $3.19M / $2.83M
Maroubra — 4 bed: $3.19M (52 sales) Malabar — 4 bed: $2.83M (13 sales)

52 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Malabar has more land zoned for conservation (20% vs 0%).

Maroubra Malabar
Residential 71% 23%
Parks and recreation 17% 39%
Environmental 0% 20%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 18%
Commercial 4% 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

Maroubra Malabar
New dwellings approved 455
across Randwick
same for both
Approvals change year on year -26%
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.

Maroubra Malabar
Houses 2.6%
$1,372/wk on $2.7M
 —
Units 4.8%
$850/wk on $922K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Maroubra Malabar
House price Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Income Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
Schools Higher than 82% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 3% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 9% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 57% of NSW —

Liveability

Maroubra scores higher overall (79 vs 63); Maroubra is more walkable (92 vs 75).

Maroubra Malabar
Grade A B
Score 79/100 63/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Malabar carries more bushfire risk (30 vs 0).

Maroubra Malabar
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
30/100
Crime Moderate
69/100
 Moderate
63/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
23/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 24
within 5 km
 22
within 5 km

Schools

Maroubra Malabar
Inside the suburb 11 2
Rated above peers 5 2
Rated at peers 4 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of New South Wales, 4.1 km
 2
The University of New South Wales, 6.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.1% 2.1%

Schools in Maroubra

  • Lycee Condorcet The International French School Of Sydney Independent · Combined above peers
  • Maroubra Bay Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mount Sinai College Independent · Primary above peers
  • St Aidan's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Mary - St Joseph Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Corpus Christi College Maroubra Catholic · Secondary at peers

Schools in Malabar

  • Malabar Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Andrew's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Maroubra Malabar
Supermarkets 3 1
Cafes & restaurants 24 4
Parks & reserves 18 10
Childcare 24 5
GPs 7 1
Pharmacies 12 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 1
Fuel stations 2 0
Beaches 0 1

Mobility

Maroubra Malabar
Walkability score 92/100 75/100
Distance to Sydney 14.5 km 16.4 km
+13% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 22 min 29 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 1098.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 198.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.8%
postcode 2035
 1.6%
postcode 2036
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 16
postcode 2035
 19
postcode 2036

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.

Maroubra Malabar
Worked from Home 49.4% / 48.6%
Maroubra — Worked from Home: 49.4% Malabar — Worked from Home: 48.6%
Car (driver) 36.8% / 43.2%
Maroubra — Car (driver): 36.8% Malabar — Car (driver): 43.2%
Bus 5.5% / 2.7%
Maroubra — Bus: 5.5% Malabar — Bus: 2.7%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 3.0%
Maroubra — Car (passenger): 3.2% Malabar — Car (passenger): 3.0%
Walked Only 3.2% / 1.4%
Maroubra — Walked Only: 3.2% Malabar — Walked Only: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.4%).

Setting

Maroubra Malabar
Elevation 44 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.3 km
2.3 km to a named beach
 125 m
144 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Maroubra Malabar
Connectivity score 76/100 88/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the curb
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
15,109 premises
 41%
1,595 premises

Climate

Maroubra Malabar
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)

Maroubra Malabar
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.64 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Maroubra Malabar
Average residential rate $1,641/yr
same for both
Council Randwick
same for both

Federal electorate

Maroubra Malabar
Division Kingsford Smith
same for both
Member Matt Thistlethwaite
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Maroubra Malabar
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Maroubra

Apartments Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Urban

Malabar

Beach Beachfront Coastal Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Maroubra

Maroubra vs Randwick Maroubra vs Kingsford Maroubra vs Matraville Maroubra vs Hillsdale Maroubra vs South Coogee Maroubra vs Eastgardens

Other comparisons with Malabar

Malabar vs Matraville Malabar vs Little Bay Malabar vs Chifley
Full data on Maroubra Full data on Malabar
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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