Sylvania vs Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 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 Oyster Bay, most households are couple families. Sylvania is closer to the city centre: 25.4 km, against 31.4 km. On these figures, Sylvania tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Oyster Bay suits families with children and 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

Oyster Bay

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 46/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (80% vs 60%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 65%)
  • But Sylvania has more childcare (12 vs 4)

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

First-home buyers

Oyster Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% 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 10%)
  • has cheaper rent ($530/wk vs $620/wk)
  • But Oyster Bay leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 27%)

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

Commuting to the city

Sylvania

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 64/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (33 min vs 41 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (25.4 km vs 31.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Sylvania

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (40% vs 20%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 16%)
  • But Oyster Bay carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 46/100)

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

Sylvania and Oyster Bay 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 Oyster Bay
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 Oyster Bay
Walkability 86 / 64
Sylvania — Walkability: 86/100 Oyster Bay — Walkability: 64/100
Safety 54 / 81
Sylvania — Safety: 54/100 Oyster Bay — Safety: 81/100
Low fire risk 100 / 76
Sylvania — Low fire risk: 100/100 Oyster Bay — Low fire risk: 76/100

Demographics

Sylvania has more residents (10,749 vs 5,689); Oyster Bay has higher household incomes ($163,124 vs $101,972).

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Population 10,749
+47% vs other
 5,689
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% +3.7%
Median age 46 40
Median household income $101,972/yr $163,124/yr
+60% vs other
Median weekly rent $530/wk $620/wk
+17% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sylvania Oyster Bay
0-4 4.8% / 5.5%
Sylvania — 0-4: 4.8% Oyster Bay — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 12.5% / 16.8%
Sylvania — 5-14: 12.5% Oyster Bay — 5-14: 16.8%
15-19 5.8% / 7.7%
Sylvania — 15-19: 5.8% Oyster Bay — 15-19: 7.7%
20-24 4.7% / 5.1%
Sylvania — 20-24: 4.7% Oyster Bay — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 8.5% / 7.0%
Sylvania — 25-34: 8.5% Oyster Bay — 25-34: 7.0%
35-44 12.2% / 14.0%
Sylvania — 35-44: 12.2% Oyster Bay — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 14.0% / 16.6%
Sylvania — 45-54: 14.0% Oyster Bay — 45-54: 16.6%
55-64 11.9% / 11.1%
Sylvania — 55-64: 11.9% Oyster Bay — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 10.8% / 9.7%
Sylvania — 65-74: 10.8% Oyster Bay — 65-74: 9.7%
75-84 9.8% / 4.9%
Sylvania — 75-84: 9.8% Oyster Bay — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 5.1% / 1.6%
Sylvania — 85+: 5.1% Oyster Bay — 85+: 1.6%

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

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%
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%
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%
Oyster Bay 9.9% renting
Oyster Bay — Owned Outright: 39.6% Oyster Bay — Mortgage: 50.5% Oyster Bay — Renting: 9.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Bachelor Degree 14.0% / 17.2%
Sylvania — Bachelor Degree: 14.0% Oyster Bay — Bachelor Degree: 17.2%
Certificate III & IV 12.4% / 11.6%
Sylvania — Certificate III & IV: 12.4% Oyster Bay — Certificate III & IV: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 9.3%
Sylvania — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Oyster Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3%
Postgraduate Degree 4.6% / 6.3%
Sylvania — Postgraduate Degree: 4.6% Oyster Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 6.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 2.6%
Sylvania — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Oyster Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6%

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.

Sylvania Oyster Bay
England 2.5% / 4.2%
Sylvania — England: 2.5% Oyster Bay — England: 4.2%
China 3.3% / 1.5%
Sylvania — China: 3.3% Oyster Bay — China: 1.5%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.4%
Sylvania — New Zealand: 1.5% Oyster Bay — New Zealand: 1.4%
Greece 1.8% / —
Sylvania — Greece: 1.8% Oyster Bay — Greece: not among its largest
Egypt 1.3% / —
Sylvania — Egypt: 1.3% Oyster Bay — Egypt: not among its largest
South Africa — / 0.6%
Sylvania — South Africa: not among its largest Oyster Bay — South Africa: 0.6%
Ireland — / 0.5%
Sylvania — Ireland: not among its largest Oyster Bay — Ireland: 0.5%

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

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%
Oyster Bay 80.0% houses
Oyster Bay — Houses: 80.0% Oyster Bay — Townhouses: 17.6% Oyster Bay — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Median house price $1,905,000 $1,900,000
Median unit price $833,750 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 102 sales
 23 days
from 42 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 Oyster Bay
3 bed $1.65M / $1.69M
Sylvania — 3 bed: $1.65M (42 sales) Oyster Bay — 3 bed: $1.69M (19 sales)

42 vs 19 sales

4 bed $1.95M / $1.9M
Sylvania — 4 bed: $1.95M (62 sales) Oyster Bay — 4 bed: $1.9M (39 sales)

62 vs 39 sales

5 bed $2.33M / $2.69M
Sylvania — 5 bed: $2.33M (36 sales) Oyster Bay — 5 bed: $2.69M (18 sales)

36 vs 18 sales

Zoning mix

Oyster Bay has more land zoned for conservation (58% vs 17%).

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Residential 67% 35%
Environmental 17% 58%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 2%
Parks and recreation 5%
same for both
Commercial 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

Sylvania Oyster Bay
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 Oyster Bay
Houses 4.1%
$1,300/wk on $1.66M
 3.6%
$1,250/wk on $1.8M
Units 4.3%
$700/wk on $850K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Sylvania Oyster Bay
House price Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Income Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Schools Higher than 69% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 36% of NSW —

Liveability

Sylvania is more walkable (86 vs 64).

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Grade A
same for both
Score 77/100 81/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Oyster Bay carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0); Sylvania carries more crime risk (46 vs 19).

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
24/100
Crime Moderate
46/100
 Low
19/100
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 Oyster Bay
Inside the suburb 3 2
Rated above peers 1
same for both
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 Oyster Bay

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

Amenities in the suburb

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Supermarkets 2 0
Parks & reserves 9 4
Childcare 12 4
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 2 1
Banks & Bank@Post 4 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Oyster Bay sits further from the CBD (31.4 km vs 25.4 km).

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Walkability score 86/100 64/100
Distance to Sydney 25.4 km 31.4 km
+24% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 33 min 41 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 135.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 159.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 2224
 2.1%
postcode 2225
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 2224
 37
postcode 2225

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 Oyster Bay
Worked from Home 42.0% / 54.1%
Sylvania — Worked from Home: 42.0% Oyster Bay — Worked from Home: 54.1%
Car (driver) 50.4% / 39.8%
Sylvania — Car (driver): 50.4% Oyster Bay — Car (driver): 39.8%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 2.4%
Sylvania — Car (passenger): 3.3% Oyster Bay — Car (passenger): 2.4%
Train 2.0% / 2.7%
Sylvania — Train: 2.0% Oyster Bay — Train: 2.7%
Walked Only 1.7% / 0.4%
Sylvania — Walked Only: 1.7% Oyster Bay — Walked Only: 0.4%

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

Setting

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Elevation 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 43 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.2 km 4.3 km

NBN connectivity

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Connectivity score 74/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
4,959 premises
 1%
1,978 premises

Climate

Sylvania Oyster Bay
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Sylvania Oyster Bay
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

Oyster Bay

Family Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sylvania

Sylvania vs Miranda Sylvania vs Sans Souci Sylvania vs Gymea Sylvania vs Blakehurst Sylvania vs Kareela Sylvania vs Sylvania Waters

Other comparisons with Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay vs Oatley Oyster Bay vs Jannali Oyster Bay vs Como Oyster Bay vs Kareela Oyster Bay vs Connells Point Oyster Bay vs Kangaroo Point
Full data on Sylvania Full data on Oyster Bay
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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