Sylvania vs Kareela

Kareela is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 46 in Sylvania. In both, the large majority of households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Sylvania, about half of households are couple families. In Kareela, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Sylvania: a median of $1.91 million, against $1.74 million in Kareela, though rent is higher in Kareela. Sylvania is closer to the city centre: 25.4 km, against 29 km. On these figures, Sylvania tends to suit people living alone, while Kareela 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

Kareela

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 46/100)
  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 9)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 60%)
  • But Sylvania has more childcare (12 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Kareela

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 32%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Sylvania

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 5%)
  • has cheaper rent ($530/wk vs $695/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sylvania

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 75/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (25.4 km vs 29 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Sylvania

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (40% vs 12%)
  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 75/100)
  • But Kareela carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 46/100)

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

Sylvania 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.

Sylvania 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.

Sylvania Kareela
Walkability 86 / 75
Sylvania — Walkability: 86/100 Kareela — Walkability: 75/100
Safety 54 / 78
Sylvania — Safety: 54/100 Kareela — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Sylvania — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kareela — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Sylvania has more residents (10,749 vs 3,572); Kareela has higher household incomes ($143,780 vs $101,972).

Sylvania Kareela
Population 10,749
+67% vs other
 3,572
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% +3.3%
Median age 46 42
Median household income $101,972/yr $143,780/yr
+41% vs other
Median weekly rent $530/wk $695/wk
+31% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sylvania Kareela
0-4 4.8% / 5.6%
Sylvania — 0-4: 4.8% Kareela — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 12.5% / 15.5%
Sylvania — 5-14: 12.5% Kareela — 5-14: 15.5%
15-19 5.8% / 6.3%
Sylvania — 15-19: 5.8% Kareela — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 4.7% / 5.0%
Sylvania — 20-24: 4.7% Kareela — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 8.5% / 6.4%
Sylvania — 25-34: 8.5% Kareela — 25-34: 6.4%
35-44 12.2% / 14.7%
Sylvania — 35-44: 12.2% Kareela — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 14.0% / 14.5%
Sylvania — 45-54: 14.0% Kareela — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 11.9% / 10.2%
Sylvania — 55-64: 11.9% Kareela — 55-64: 10.2%
65-74 10.8% / 11.7%
Sylvania — 65-74: 10.8% Kareela — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 9.8% / 8.8%
Sylvania — 75-84: 9.8% Kareela — 75-84: 8.8%
85+ 5.1% / 1.6%
Sylvania — 85+: 5.1% Kareela — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sylvania 49.3% couple families
Sylvania — Couple Families: 49.3% Sylvania — Lone Person: 32.3% Sylvania — One Parent Families: 15.5% Sylvania — Group Household: 1.9% Sylvania — Other Families: 1.0%
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.

Sylvania 22.0% renting
Sylvania — Owned Outright: 43.0% Sylvania — Mortgage: 35.0% Sylvania — Renting: 22.0%
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.

Sylvania Kareela
Bachelor Degree 14.0% / 16.6%
Sylvania — Bachelor Degree: 14.0% Kareela — Bachelor Degree: 16.6%
Certificate III & IV 12.4% / 12.5%
Sylvania — Certificate III & IV: 12.4% Kareela — Certificate III & IV: 12.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 9.6%
Sylvania — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Kareela — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.6%
Postgraduate Degree 4.6% / 5.9%
Sylvania — Postgraduate Degree: 4.6% Kareela — Postgraduate Degree: 5.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 2.3%
Sylvania — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Kareela — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

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

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.

Sylvania Kareela
China 3.3% / 3.8%
Sylvania — China: 3.3% Kareela — China: 3.8%
England 2.5% / 3.8%
Sylvania — England: 2.5% Kareela — England: 3.8%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.5%
Sylvania — New Zealand: 1.5% Kareela — New Zealand: 1.5%
Greece 1.8% / 0.7%
Sylvania — Greece: 1.8% Kareela — Greece: 0.7%
Egypt 1.3% / 0.6%
Sylvania — Egypt: 1.3% Kareela — Egypt: 0.6%
Germany — / 1.0%
Sylvania — Germany: not among its largest Kareela — Germany: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sylvania 59.8% houses
Sylvania — Houses: 59.8% Sylvania — Townhouses: 27.2% Sylvania — Flats / Apartments: 13.1%
Kareela 88.5% houses
Kareela — Houses: 88.5% Kareela — Townhouses: 11.2% Kareela — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Sylvania Kareela
Median house price $1,905,000 $1,741,000
Median unit price $833,750 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 102 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.

Sylvania Kareela
3 bed $1.65M / $1.59M
Sylvania — 3 bed: $1.65M (42 sales) Kareela — 3 bed: $1.59M (23 sales)

42 vs 23 sales

4 bed $1.95M / $1.74M
Sylvania — 4 bed: $1.95M (62 sales) Kareela — 4 bed: $1.74M (43 sales)

62 vs 43 sales

5 bed $2.33M / $2.01M
Sylvania — 5 bed: $2.33M (36 sales) Kareela — 5 bed: $2.01M (18 sales)

36 vs 18 sales

Zoning mix

Kareela has more land zoned for conservation (34% vs 17%).

Sylvania Kareela
Residential 67% 33%
Environmental 17% 34%
Parks and recreation 5% 28%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 4%
Commercial 2% 1%
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

Sylvania 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.

Sylvania Kareela
Houses 4.1%
$1,300/wk on $1.66M
 —
Units 4.3%
$700/wk on $850K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Sylvania Kareela
House price Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Income Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 76% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 36% of NSW —

Liveability

Sylvania is more walkable (86 vs 75); Sylvania scores higher overall (77 vs 69).

Sylvania Kareela
Grade A B
Score 77/100 69/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Sylvania carries more crime risk (46 vs 22).

Sylvania Kareela
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
46/100
 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

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

Schools in Sylvania

  • Sylvania Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Sylvania Heights Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Sylvania High School Government · Secondary 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

Sylvania Kareela
Supermarkets 2 1
Parks & reserves 9 14
Childcare 12 2
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 0
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Kareela sits further from the CBD (29 km vs 25.4 km).

Sylvania Kareela
Walkability score 86/100 75/100
Distance to Sydney 25.4 km 29 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 33 min 37 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 76/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 135.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 73.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 2224
 1.5%
postcode 2232
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 2224
 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.

Sylvania Kareela
Car (driver) 50.4% / 43.2%
Sylvania — Car (driver): 50.4% Kareela — Car (driver): 43.2%
Worked from Home 42.0% / 49.0%
Sylvania — Worked from Home: 42.0% Kareela — Worked from Home: 49.0%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 3.1%
Sylvania — Car (passenger): 3.3% Kareela — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Train 2.0% / 2.9%
Sylvania — Train: 2.0% Kareela — Train: 2.9%
Walked Only 1.7% / 0.9%
Sylvania — Walked Only: 1.7% Kareela — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.4%).

Setting

Sylvania Kareela
Elevation 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.2 km 3.9 km

NBN connectivity

Sylvania Kareela
Connectivity score 74/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
4,959 premises
 11%
1,253 premises

Climate

Sylvania 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)

Sylvania 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

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

Federal electorate

Sylvania Kareela
Division Cook
same for both
Member Simon Kennedy
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Sylvania

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Premium Retirees River Townhouses Urban

Kareela

Outer Parks Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sylvania

Sylvania vs Miranda Sylvania vs Sans Souci Sylvania vs Gymea Sylvania vs Blakehurst Sylvania vs Oyster Bay Sylvania vs Sylvania Waters

Other comparisons with Kareela

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

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or