Pallara vs Willawong
Pallara is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 49 in Willawong. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Pallara, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Willawong: a median of $1.73 million, against $1.12 million in Pallara, though rent is higher in Pallara. Willawong is closer to the city centre: 17.6 km, against 24.9 km. On these figures, Pallara tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Willawong suits people living alone and share households.
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
Pallara
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (4 vs 0)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (85% vs 52%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Pallara
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($983,500 vs $2,700,000)
- has cheaper houses ($1,118,000 vs $1,725,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Willawong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($328/wk vs $460/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Willawong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (17.6 km vs 24.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (27 min vs 32 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Pallara carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 99/100)
- Willawong has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 4%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pallara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (655.6% vs -18.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Pallara and Willawong drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Pallara has more residents (3,861 vs 145); Willawong skews older (49 vs 31).
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,861 +96% vs other | 145 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +655.6% | -18.1% |
| Median age | 31 | 49 |
| Median household income | $118,716/yr +11% vs other | $105,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $460/wk +29% vs other | $328/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,118,000 | $1,725,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $983,500 | $2,700,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 43 days from 94 sales | 30 days from 8 sales |
Development activity
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 9,382 across Brisbane same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +9% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.5% $810/wk on $1.2M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 89% of QLD | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of QLD | Higher than 79% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 95% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 98% of QLD | Higher than 95% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 25% of QLD | — |
Liveability
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 66/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Willawong carries more crime risk (99 vs 68).
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 68/100 | High 99/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 | High 70/100 |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 8 within 5 km | 19 within 5 km |
Schools
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Brisbane South (Nathan), 9.1 km | 1 Brisbane South (Nathan), 7.0 km |
Schools in Pallara
- Pallara State School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Willawong
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 5 |
| Childcare | 4 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 8 | 6 |
Mobility
Pallara sits further from the CBD (24.9 km vs 17.6 km).
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 22/100 | 21/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 24.9 km +29% vs other | 17.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 32 min | 27 min |
| Public transport score | 56/100 Bus | 55/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 19.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 12.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual | 3 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.2% postcode 4110 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 93 postcode 4110 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.9%).
Setting
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 18 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.7 km | 21.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 98/100 | 90/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 96% 2,897 premises | 80% 404 premises |
Climate
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,032 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.9°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.99 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,519/yr same for both | |
| Council | Brisbane same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Oxley | Moreton |
| Member | Milton Dick | Julie-Ann Campbell |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Pallara | Willawong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Willawong
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Pallara
Other comparisons with Willawong
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.