Narraweena vs Beacon Hill

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Narraweena, about half of households are couple families. In Beacon Hill, most households are couple families. On these figures, Narraweena tends to suit people living alone, while Beacon Hill suits couples.

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

Beacon Hill

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (11 vs 7)
  • is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 64%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (89% vs 73%)
  • But Narraweena has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Narraweena has cheaper units ($1,017,500 vs $1,825,000)
  • Beacon Hill leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Narraweena

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 17%)
  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $730/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Narraweena

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 61/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Narraweena

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (27% vs 11%)
  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 61/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Narraweena Beacon Hill
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.

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Walkability 71 / 61
Narraweena — Walkability: 71/100 Beacon Hill — Walkability: 61/100
Safety 70 / 73
Narraweena — Safety: 70/100 Beacon Hill — Safety: 73/100
Low fire risk 4 / 6
Narraweena — Low fire risk: 4/100 Beacon Hill — Low fire risk: 6/100

Demographics

Beacon Hill rents higher ($730/wk vs $400/wk); Beacon Hill has higher household incomes ($152,724 vs $100,620).

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Population 6,971 7,814
+12% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.5% +4.8%
Median age 43 41
Median household income $100,620/yr $152,724/yr
+52% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $730/wk
+82% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Narraweena Beacon Hill
0-4 6.0% / 5.6%
Narraweena — 0-4: 6.0% Beacon Hill — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 13.1% / 14.7%
Narraweena — 5-14: 13.1% Beacon Hill — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 5.8% / 7.2%
Narraweena — 15-19: 5.8% Beacon Hill — 15-19: 7.2%
20-24 5.6% / 6.4%
Narraweena — 20-24: 5.6% Beacon Hill — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 9.2% / 8.3%
Narraweena — 25-34: 9.2% Beacon Hill — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 12.9% / 12.7%
Narraweena — 35-44: 12.9% Beacon Hill — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 14.5% / 16.0%
Narraweena — 45-54: 14.5% Beacon Hill — 45-54: 16.0%
55-64 12.1% / 13.4%
Narraweena — 55-64: 12.1% Beacon Hill — 55-64: 13.4%
65-74 9.1% / 8.3%
Narraweena — 65-74: 9.1% Beacon Hill — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 7.9% / 5.5%
Narraweena — 75-84: 7.9% Beacon Hill — 75-84: 5.5%
85+ 3.7% / 2.1%
Narraweena — 85+: 3.7% Beacon Hill — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Narraweena 49.1% couple families
Narraweena — Couple Families: 49.1% Narraweena — Lone Person: 32.2% Narraweena — One Parent Families: 14.7% Narraweena — Group Household: 2.5% Narraweena — Other Families: 1.5%
Beacon Hill 66.9% couple families
Beacon Hill — Couple Families: 66.9% Beacon Hill — Lone Person: 15.3% Beacon Hill — One Parent Families: 14.6% Beacon Hill — Group Household: 2.4% Beacon Hill — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Narraweena 34.6% renting
Narraweena — Owned Outright: 31.7% Narraweena — Mortgage: 33.7% Narraweena — Renting: 34.6%
Beacon Hill 16.9% renting
Beacon Hill — Owned Outright: 37.9% Beacon Hill — Mortgage: 45.2% Beacon Hill — Renting: 16.9%
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.

Narraweena Beacon Hill
England 5.9% / 5.5%
Narraweena — England: 5.9% Beacon Hill — England: 5.5%
Italy 3.9% / 2.3%
Narraweena — Italy: 3.9% Beacon Hill — Italy: 2.3%
China 3.4% / 2.6%
Narraweena — China: 3.4% Beacon Hill — China: 2.6%
New Zealand 2.0% / 2.0%
Narraweena — New Zealand: 2.0% Beacon Hill — New Zealand: 2.0%
Philippines 1.4% / 1.7%
Narraweena — Philippines: 1.4% Beacon Hill — Philippines: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).

Qualifications

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

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Bachelor Degree 14.3% / 18.2%
Narraweena — Bachelor Degree: 14.3% Beacon Hill — Bachelor Degree: 18.2%
Certificate III & IV 12.8% / 11.1%
Narraweena — Certificate III & IV: 12.8% Beacon Hill — Certificate III & IV: 11.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.3% / 9.4%
Narraweena — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3% Beacon Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4%
Postgraduate Degree 4.4% / 5.5%
Narraweena — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4% Beacon Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 5.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 2.0%
Narraweena — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Beacon Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Narraweena 72.7% houses
Narraweena — Houses: 72.7% Narraweena — Townhouses: 15.1% Narraweena — Flats / Apartments: 12.2%
Beacon Hill 89.1% houses
Beacon Hill — Houses: 89.1% Beacon Hill — Townhouses: 5.6% Beacon Hill — Flats / Apartments: 5.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Median house price $2,350,000 $2,400,000
Median unit price $1,017,500 $1,825,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 28 sales
 25 days
from 33 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.

Narraweena Beacon Hill
2 bed $2.04M / $1.86M
Narraweena — 2 bed: $2.04M (5 sales) Beacon Hill — 2 bed: $1.86M (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

3 bed $2.21M / $2.29M
Narraweena — 3 bed: $2.21M (29 sales) Beacon Hill — 3 bed: $2.29M (21 sales)

29 vs 21 sales

4 bed $2.41M / $2.4M
Narraweena — 4 bed: $2.41M (16 sales) Beacon Hill — 4 bed: $2.4M (27 sales)

16 vs 27 sales

5 bed $2.57M / $2.65M
Narraweena — 5 bed: $2.57M (14 sales) Beacon Hill — 5 bed: $2.65M (17 sales)

14 vs 17 sales

Zoning mix

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Residential 92% 71%
Parks and recreation 6% 16%
Other and special use 0% 11%
Infrastructure and transport 2%
same for both
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

Narraweena Beacon Hill
New dwellings approved 620
across Northern Beaches
same for both
Approvals change year on year +51%
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.

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Houses 3.7%
$1,325/wk on $1.85M
 3.7%
$1,500/wk on $2.1M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Narraweena Beacon Hill
House price Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Income Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Schools Higher than 5% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW

Liveability

Beacon Hill scores higher overall (59 vs 44); Narraweena is more walkable (71 vs 61).

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Grade C B
Score 44/100 59/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Bushfire High
96/100
 High
94/100
Crime Low
30/100
 Low
27/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1
same for both

Schools in Narraweena

  • Narraweena Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St John the Apostle Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Karuna Montessori School Independent · Primary
  • EOC Broken Bay - Narraweena Catholic · Primary · Special school
  • St Lucy's, St John's Narraweena campus Independent · Primary · Special school

Schools in Beacon Hill

  • Beacon Hill Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Cafes & restaurants 4 1
Parks & reserves 7 11
Childcare 6 3
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 2 6

Mobility

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Walkability score 71/100 61/100
Distance to Sydney 21.5 km
+6% vs other
 20.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 30 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 226.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 177.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 2099
 2.0%
postcode 2100
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 17
postcode 2099
 33
postcode 2100

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.

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Car (driver) 47.8% / 45.2%
Narraweena — Car (driver): 47.8% Beacon Hill — Car (driver): 45.2%
Worked from Home 39.7% / 46.4%
Narraweena — Worked from Home: 39.7% Beacon Hill — Worked from Home: 46.4%
Car (passenger) 5.0% / 3.9%
Narraweena — Car (passenger): 5.0% Beacon Hill — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Bus 4.4% / 2.3%
Narraweena — Bus: 4.4% Beacon Hill — Bus: 2.3%
Walked Only 1.9% / 1.6%
Narraweena — Walked Only: 1.9% Beacon Hill — Walked Only: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (47.8%).

Setting

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Elevation 78 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 120 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.3 km
2.4 km to a named beach
 3.6 km
3.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Connectivity score 85/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 33%
2,660 premises
 7%
2,491 premises

Climate

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Narraweena Beacon Hill
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.23 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Average residential rate $1,696/yr
same for both
Council Northern Beaches
same for both

Federal electorate

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Division Mackellar
same for both
Member Sophie Scamps
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Narraweena Beacon Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Narraweena

Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Transport Hub Urban

Beacon Hill

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Quiet River Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Narraweena

Narraweena vs Dee Why Narraweena vs Cromer Narraweena vs Brookvale Narraweena vs Oxford Falls

Other comparisons with Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill vs Frenchs Forest Beacon Hill vs Allambie Heights Beacon Hill vs Brookvale Beacon Hill vs Oxford Falls
Full data on Narraweena Full data on Beacon Hill
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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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