Oyster Bay vs Kareela

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Oyster Bay: a median of $1.9 million, against $1.74 million in Kareela, though rent is higher in Kareela.

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

  • Oyster Bay has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Kareela has more parks and reserves (14 vs 4)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

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

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Oyster Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper rent ($620/wk vs $695/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Kareela

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (75/100 vs 64/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (29 km vs 31.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Kareela

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
  • is more walkable (75/100 vs 64/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Oyster Bay Kareela
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.

Oyster Bay Kareela
Walkability 64 / 75
Oyster Bay — Walkability: 64/100 Kareela — Walkability: 75/100
Safety 81 / 78
Oyster Bay — Safety: 81/100 Kareela — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 76 / 100
Oyster Bay — Low fire risk: 76/100 Kareela — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Oyster Bay has more residents (5,689 vs 3,572); Oyster Bay has higher household incomes ($163,124 vs $143,780).

Oyster Bay Kareela
Population 5,689
+37% vs other
 3,572
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.7% +3.3%
Median age 40 42
Median household income $163,124/yr
+12% vs other
 $143,780/yr
Median weekly rent $620/wk $695/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Oyster Bay Kareela
0-4 5.5% / 5.6%
Oyster Bay — 0-4: 5.5% Kareela — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 16.8% / 15.5%
Oyster Bay — 5-14: 16.8% Kareela — 5-14: 15.5%
15-19 7.7% / 6.3%
Oyster Bay — 15-19: 7.7% Kareela — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 5.1% / 5.0%
Oyster Bay — 20-24: 5.1% Kareela — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 7.0% / 6.4%
Oyster Bay — 25-34: 7.0% Kareela — 25-34: 6.4%
35-44 14.0% / 14.7%
Oyster Bay — 35-44: 14.0% Kareela — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 16.6% / 14.5%
Oyster Bay — 45-54: 16.6% Kareela — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 11.1% / 10.2%
Oyster Bay — 55-64: 11.1% Kareela — 55-64: 10.2%
65-74 9.7% / 11.7%
Oyster Bay — 65-74: 9.7% Kareela — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 4.9% / 8.8%
Oyster Bay — 75-84: 4.9% Kareela — 75-84: 8.8%
85+ 1.6% / 1.6%
Oyster Bay — 85+: 1.6% Kareela — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Oyster Bay 70.5% couple families
Oyster Bay — Couple Families: 70.5% Oyster Bay — Lone Person: 16.3% Oyster Bay — One Parent Families: 10.8% Oyster Bay — Group Household: 1.5% Oyster Bay — Other Families: 0.8%
Kareela 69.6% couple families
Kareela — Couple Families: 69.6% Kareela — Lone Person: 17.0% Kareela — One Parent Families: 12.1% Kareela — Group Household: 0.9% Kareela — Other Families: 0.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Oyster Bay 9.9% renting
Oyster Bay — Owned Outright: 39.6% Oyster Bay — Mortgage: 50.5% Oyster Bay — Renting: 9.9%
Kareela 4.9% renting
Kareela — Owned Outright: 47.4% Kareela — Mortgage: 47.7% Kareela — Renting: 4.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Oyster Bay Kareela
Bachelor Degree 17.2% / 16.6%
Oyster Bay — Bachelor Degree: 17.2% Kareela — Bachelor Degree: 16.6%
Certificate III & IV 11.6% / 12.5%
Oyster Bay — Certificate III & IV: 11.6% Kareela — Certificate III & IV: 12.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.3% / 9.6%
Oyster Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3% Kareela — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.6%
Postgraduate Degree 6.3% / 5.9%
Oyster Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 6.3% Kareela — Postgraduate Degree: 5.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 2.3%
Oyster Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Kareela — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

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.

Oyster Bay Kareela
England 4.2% / 3.8%
Oyster Bay — England: 4.2% Kareela — England: 3.8%
China 1.5% / 3.8%
Oyster Bay — China: 1.5% Kareela — China: 3.8%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.5%
Oyster Bay — New Zealand: 1.4% Kareela — New Zealand: 1.5%
Germany 0.5% / 1.0%
Oyster Bay — Germany: 0.5% Kareela — Germany: 1.0%
Greece — / 0.7%
Oyster Bay — Greece: not among its largest Kareela — Greece: 0.7%
South Africa 0.6% / —
Oyster Bay — South Africa: 0.6% Kareela — South Africa: not among its largest
Ireland 0.5% / —
Oyster Bay — Ireland: 0.5% Kareela — Ireland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Oyster Bay 80.0% houses
Oyster Bay — Houses: 80.0% Oyster Bay — Townhouses: 17.6% Oyster Bay — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Kareela 88.5% houses
Kareela — Houses: 88.5% Kareela — Townhouses: 11.2% Kareela — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Oyster Bay Kareela
Median house price $1,900,000 $1,741,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 42 sales
 22 days
from 53 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.

Oyster Bay Kareela
3 bed $1.69M / $1.59M
Oyster Bay — 3 bed: $1.69M (19 sales) Kareela — 3 bed: $1.59M (23 sales)

19 vs 23 sales

4 bed $1.9M / $1.74M
Oyster Bay — 4 bed: $1.9M (39 sales) Kareela — 4 bed: $1.74M (43 sales)

39 vs 43 sales

5 bed $2.69M / $2.01M
Oyster Bay — 5 bed: $2.69M (18 sales) Kareela — 5 bed: $2.01M (18 sales)

18 vs 18 sales

Zoning mix

Oyster Bay has more land zoned for conservation (58% vs 34%).

Oyster Bay Kareela
Environmental 58% 34%
Residential 35% 33%
Parks and recreation 5% 28%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 4%
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

Oyster Bay Kareela
New dwellings approved 1,449
across Sutherland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +117%
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.

Oyster Bay Kareela
Houses 3.6%
$1,250/wk on $1.8M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Oyster Bay Kareela
House price Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Income Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 12% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 51% of NSW —

Liveability

Oyster Bay scores higher overall (81 vs 69); Kareela is more walkable (75 vs 64).

Oyster Bay Kareela
Grade A B
Score 81/100 69/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Oyster Bay carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0).

Oyster Bay Kareela
Bushfire Low
24/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
19/100
 Low
22/100
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 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Oyster Bay Kareela
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Oyster Bay

  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Como - Oyster Bay Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Oyster Bay Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Kareela

  • Kareela Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Aspect South East Sydney School, Kareela Independent · Primary · Special school
  • Bates Drive School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Oyster Bay Kareela
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 4 14
Childcare 4 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Oyster Bay sits further from the CBD (31.4 km vs 29 km).

Oyster Bay Kareela
Walkability score 64/100 75/100
Distance to Sydney 31.4 km
+8% vs other
 29 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 41 min 37 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 76/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 159.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 73.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 2225
 1.5%
postcode 2232
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 37
postcode 2225
 22
postcode 2232

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.

Oyster Bay Kareela
Worked from Home 54.1% / 49.0%
Oyster Bay — Worked from Home: 54.1% Kareela — Worked from Home: 49.0%
Car (driver) 39.8% / 43.2%
Oyster Bay — Car (driver): 39.8% Kareela — Car (driver): 43.2%
Train 2.7% / 2.9%
Oyster Bay — Train: 2.7% Kareela — Train: 2.9%
Car (passenger) 2.4% / 3.1%
Oyster Bay — Car (passenger): 2.4% Kareela — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Walked Only 0.4% / 0.9%
Oyster Bay — Walked Only: 0.4% Kareela — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.1%).

Setting

Oyster Bay Kareela
Elevation 43 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.3 km 3.9 km

NBN connectivity

Oyster Bay Kareela
Connectivity score 75/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
1,978 premises
 11%
1,253 premises

Climate

Oyster Bay Kareela
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm 1,038 mm
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C —
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Oyster Bay Kareela
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

Oyster Bay Kareela
Average residential rate $1,552/yr
same for both
Council Sutherland
same for both

Federal electorate

Oyster Bay Kareela
Division Cook
same for both
Member Simon Kennedy
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Oyster Bay Kareela
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Oyster Bay

Family Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals

Kareela

Outer Parks Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay vs Sylvania Oyster Bay vs Oatley Oyster Bay vs Jannali Oyster Bay vs Como Oyster Bay vs Connells Point Oyster Bay vs Kangaroo Point

Other comparisons with Kareela

Kareela vs Kirrawee Kareela vs Sylvania Kareela vs Gymea Kareela vs Jannali
Full data on Oyster Bay Full data on Kareela
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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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