Pymble vs St Ives

In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Pymble: a median of $3.52 million, against $3.15 million in St Ives, though rent is higher in St Ives. Pymble is closer to the city centre: 20.5 km, against 23.5 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

St Ives

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (32 vs 16)
  • has more childcare (21 vs 11)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 6)
  • But Pymble has more schools rated above their peers (4 vs 2)

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

  • Pymble has cheaper units ($927,500 vs $1,100,000)
  • St Ives has cheaper houses ($3,150,000 vs $3,525,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Pymble

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($630/wk vs $688/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Pymble

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (20.5 km vs 23.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

St Ives

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 3)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)

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

Investors

St Ives

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.2% vs 2.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Pymble St Ives
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.

Pymble St Ives
Walkability 78 / 78
Pymble — Walkability: 78/100 St Ives — Walkability: 78/100
Safety 75 / 76
Pymble — Safety: 75/100 St Ives — Safety: 76/100
Low fire risk 61 / 10
Pymble — Low fire risk: 61/100 St Ives — Low fire risk: 10/100

Demographics

St Ives has more residents (18,384 vs 11,775); Pymble has higher household incomes ($175,708 vs $150,176).

Pymble St Ives
Population 11,775 18,384
+56% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.6% +6.3%
Median age 41 43
Median household income $175,708/yr
+15% vs other
 $150,176/yr
Median weekly rent $630/wk $688/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Pymble St Ives
0-4 4.7% / 4.8%
Pymble — 0-4: 4.7% St Ives — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 15.0% / 15.8%
Pymble — 5-14: 15.0% St Ives — 5-14: 15.8%
15-19 7.6% / 6.4%
Pymble — 15-19: 7.6% St Ives — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 5.6% / 4.8%
Pymble — 20-24: 5.6% St Ives — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 8.5% / 6.0%
Pymble — 25-34: 8.5% St Ives — 25-34: 6.0%
35-44 13.8% / 13.6%
Pymble — 35-44: 13.8% St Ives — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 15.2% / 14.8%
Pymble — 45-54: 15.2% St Ives — 45-54: 14.8%
55-64 13.4% / 12.0%
Pymble — 55-64: 13.4% St Ives — 55-64: 12.0%
65-74 9.6% / 10.1%
Pymble — 65-74: 9.6% St Ives — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 4.8% / 7.9%
Pymble — 75-84: 4.8% St Ives — 75-84: 7.9%
85+ 2.0% / 3.7%
Pymble — 85+: 2.0% St Ives — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Pymble 65.9% couple families
Pymble — Couple Families: 65.9% Pymble — Lone Person: 18.4% Pymble — One Parent Families: 12.9% Pymble — Group Household: 1.9% Pymble — Other Families: 0.9%
St Ives 62.5% couple families
St Ives — Couple Families: 62.5% St Ives — Lone Person: 22.9% St Ives — One Parent Families: 12.5% St Ives — Group Household: 1.4% St Ives — Other Families: 0.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Pymble 21.0% renting
Pymble — Owned Outright: 38.9% Pymble — Mortgage: 40.1% Pymble — Renting: 21.0%
St Ives 16.9% renting
St Ives — Owned Outright: 42.5% St Ives — Mortgage: 40.6% St Ives — Renting: 16.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Pymble St Ives
Bachelor Degree 27.5% / 24.5%
Pymble — Bachelor Degree: 27.5% St Ives — Bachelor Degree: 24.5%
Postgraduate Degree 16.1% / 13.2%
Pymble — Postgraduate Degree: 16.1% St Ives — Postgraduate Degree: 13.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 8.4%
Pymble — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% St Ives — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Certificate III & IV 2.6% / 4.3%
Pymble — Certificate III & IV: 2.6% St Ives — Certificate III & IV: 4.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 2.5%
Pymble — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% St Ives — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).

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.

Pymble St Ives
China 12.2% / 10.3%
Pymble — China: 12.2% St Ives — China: 10.3%
England 4.5% / 5.9%
Pymble — England: 4.5% St Ives — England: 5.9%
South Africa 2.4% / 7.1%
Pymble — South Africa: 2.4% St Ives — South Africa: 7.1%
India 2.8% / 2.0%
Pymble — India: 2.8% St Ives — India: 2.0%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.8%
Pymble — New Zealand: 1.6% St Ives — New Zealand: 1.8%
Iran 1.2% / 2.0%
Pymble — Iran: 1.2% St Ives — Iran: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Pymble 72.4% houses
Pymble — Houses: 72.4% Pymble — Flats / Apartments: 25.1% Pymble — Townhouses: 2.5%
St Ives 66.1% houses
St Ives — Houses: 66.1% St Ives — Flats / Apartments: 26.2% St Ives — Townhouses: 7.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Pymble St Ives
Median house price $3,525,000 $3,150,000
Median unit price $927,500 $1,100,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 66 sales
 26 days
from 232 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.

Pymble St Ives
2 bed $856K / $975K
Pymble — 2 bed: $856K (29 sales) St Ives — 2 bed: $975K (90 sales)

29 vs 90 sales

3 bed $1.55M / $1.55M
Pymble — 3 bed: $1.55M (14 sales) St Ives — 3 bed: $1.55M (44 sales)

14 vs 44 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.

Pymble St Ives
3 bed $2.93M / $2.63M
Pymble — 3 bed: $2.93M (7 sales) St Ives — 3 bed: $2.63M (47 sales)

7 vs 47 sales

4 bed $3.26M / $3.06M
Pymble — 4 bed: $3.26M (34 sales) St Ives — 4 bed: $3.06M (118 sales)

34 vs 118 sales

5 bed $4.2M / $3.81M
Pymble — 5 bed: $4.2M (25 sales) St Ives — 5 bed: $3.81M (88 sales)

25 vs 88 sales

6 bed $3.52M / $3.83M
Pymble — 6 bed: $3.52M (5 sales) St Ives — 6 bed: $3.83M (11 sales)

5 vs 11 sales

Zoning mix

St Ives has more land zoned for conservation (45% vs 15%).

Pymble St Ives
Residential 64% 40%
Environmental 15% 45%
Parks and recreation 10% 11%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 4%
Industrial 2% 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

Pymble St Ives
New dwellings approved 908
across Ku-ring-gai
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

Pymble St Ives
Houses 2.6%
$1,700/wk on $3.4M
 3.2%
$1,675/wk on $2.73M
Units 5.3%
$880/wk on $870K
 5.0%
$875/wk on $916K

Ranking within NSW

Pymble St Ives
House price Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Income Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Schools Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 91% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 13% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 99% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 65% of NSW

Liveability

Pymble scores higher overall (84 vs 62).

Pymble St Ives
Grade A B
Score 84/100 62/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

St Ives carries more bushfire risk (90 vs 39).

Pymble St Ives
Bushfire Low
39/100
 High
90/100
Crime Low
25/100
 Low
24/100
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 1
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Pymble St Ives
Inside the suburb 6 10
Rated above peers 4 2
Rated at peers 1 5
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 4.1 km
 1
Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus at North Ryde, 7.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.6% 3.4%

Schools in Pymble

  • Gordon East Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Northside Montessori School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Pymble Ladies' College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Pymble Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • St Lucys, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary Campus Independent · Primary · Special school

Schools in St Ives

  • St Ives High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Ives North Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Brigidine College St Ives Independent · Secondary at peers
  • Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Masada College Independent · Combined at peers
  • St Ives Park Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Pymble St Ives
Supermarkets 0 5
Cafes & restaurants 1 22
Parks & reserves 16 32
Childcare 11 21
GPs 3 5
Pharmacies 1 6
Banks & Bank@Post 1 5
Fuel stations 2 4
Waterways 22 12

Mobility

St Ives sits further from the CBD (23.5 km vs 20.5 km).

Pymble St Ives
Walkability score 78/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 20.5 km 23.5 km
+15% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 25 min 27 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 227.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 440.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 4.6%
postcode 2073
 4.2%
postcode 2075
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 2073
 31
postcode 2075

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.

Pymble St Ives
Worked from Home 64.0% / 60.9%
Pymble — Worked from Home: 64.0% St Ives — Worked from Home: 60.9%
Car (driver) 28.7% / 32.6%
Pymble — Car (driver): 28.7% St Ives — Car (driver): 32.6%
Train 3.4% / 2.0%
Pymble — Train: 3.4% St Ives — Train: 2.0%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 2.3%
Pymble — Car (passenger): 2.3% St Ives — Car (passenger): 2.3%
Walked Only 1.0% / 1.3%
Pymble — Walked Only: 1.0% St Ives — Walked Only: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.0%).

Setting

Pymble St Ives
Elevation 128 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 165 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.3 km 11.6 km

NBN connectivity

Pymble St Ives
Connectivity score 78/100 76/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
4,900 premises
 7%
7,408 premises

Climate

Pymble St Ives
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Pymble St Ives
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

Pymble St Ives
Average residential rate $1,626/yr
same for both
Council Ku-ring-gai
same for both

Federal electorate

Pymble St Ives
Division Bradfield
same for both
Member Nicolette Boele
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Pymble St Ives
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Pymble

Easy Commute Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Transport Hub

St Ives

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Pymble

Pymble vs Turramurra Pymble vs Gordon Pymble vs West Pymble

Other comparisons with St Ives

St Ives vs Turramurra St Ives vs Gordon St Ives vs Belrose St Ives vs North Turramurra St Ives vs St Ives Chase St Ives vs East Killara
Full data on Pymble Full data on St Ives
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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