Waverley vs Bondi

Bondi is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 38 in Waverley. In both, most homes are flats or apartments. In Waverley, about half of households rent. In Bondi, most households rent and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Bondi tends to suit renters, young adults, 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

Waverley

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (7 vs 2)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (17% vs 7%)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bondi

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (59% vs 45%)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

Bondi

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (94% vs 82%)
  • But Waverley has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Bondi

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (3.6% vs -3.0%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Waverley Bondi
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.

Waverley Bondi
Walkability 89 / 92
Waverley — Walkability: 89/100 Bondi — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 38 / 44
Waverley — Safety: 38/100 Bondi — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Waverley — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bondi — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Bondi has more residents (10,411 vs 4,216); Waverley has higher household incomes ($149,396 vs $132,392).

Waverley Bondi
Population 4,216 10,411
+147% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.0% +3.6%
Median age 38 34
Median household income $149,396/yr
+11% vs other
 $132,392/yr
Median weekly rent $630/wk $656/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Waverley Bondi
0-4 6.1% / 5.6%
Waverley — 0-4: 6.1% Bondi — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 11.2% / 7.2%
Waverley — 5-14: 11.2% Bondi — 5-14: 7.2%
15-19 5.1% / 2.7%
Waverley — 15-19: 5.1% Bondi — 15-19: 2.7%
20-24 3.3% / 4.9%
Waverley — 20-24: 3.3% Bondi — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 17.4% / 32.3%
Waverley — 25-34: 17.4% Bondi — 25-34: 32.3%
35-44 16.6% / 17.6%
Waverley — 35-44: 16.6% Bondi — 35-44: 17.6%
45-54 13.1% / 10.4%
Waverley — 45-54: 13.1% Bondi — 45-54: 10.4%
55-64 9.3% / 7.1%
Waverley — 55-64: 9.3% Bondi — 55-64: 7.1%
65-74 6.9% / 6.0%
Waverley — 65-74: 6.9% Bondi — 65-74: 6.0%
75-84 5.8% / 4.4%
Waverley — 75-84: 5.8% Bondi — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 5.1% / 1.8%
Waverley — 85+: 5.1% Bondi — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Waverley 41.1% lone person
Waverley — Lone Person: 41.1% Waverley — Couple Families: 39.0% Waverley — Group Household: 7.9% Waverley — One Parent Families: 10.8% Waverley — Other Families: 1.2%
Bondi 45.0% lone person
Bondi — Lone Person: 45.0% Bondi — Couple Families: 26.2% Bondi — Group Household: 19.6% Bondi — One Parent Families: 7.8% Bondi — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Waverley 45.0% renting
Waverley — Owned Outright: 23.9% Waverley — Mortgage: 31.0% Waverley — Renting: 45.0%
Bondi 58.9% renting
Bondi — Owned Outright: 20.5% Bondi — Mortgage: 20.6% Bondi — Renting: 58.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Waverley Bondi
Bachelor Degree 26.5% / 31.8%
Waverley — Bachelor Degree: 26.5% Bondi — Bachelor Degree: 31.8%
Postgraduate Degree 11.4% / 11.3%
Waverley — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4% Bondi — Postgraduate Degree: 11.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 8.8%
Waverley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Bondi — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Certificate III & IV 5.6% / 6.4%
Waverley — Certificate III & IV: 5.6% Bondi — Certificate III & IV: 6.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 2.3%
Waverley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Bondi — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.8%).

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.

Waverley Bondi
England 8.9% / 8.9%
Waverley — England: 8.9% Bondi — England: 8.9%
New Zealand 2.9% / 2.4%
Waverley — New Zealand: 2.9% Bondi — New Zealand: 2.4%
South Africa 1.7% / 3.0%
Waverley — South Africa: 1.7% Bondi — South Africa: 3.0%
Ireland 2.3% / 1.8%
Waverley — Ireland: 2.3% Bondi — Ireland: 1.8%
Brazil 0.8% / 2.7%
Waverley — Brazil: 0.8% Bondi — Brazil: 2.7%
Italy 1.5% / 1.7%
Waverley — Italy: 1.5% Bondi — Italy: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Waverley 56.3% flats / apartments
Waverley — Flats / Apartments: 56.3% Waverley — Townhouses: 26.2% Waverley — Houses: 17.4%
Bondi 81.5% flats / apartments
Bondi — Flats / Apartments: 81.5% Bondi — Townhouses: 12.0% Bondi — Houses: 6.6%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Waverley Bondi
Median house price $4,210,000 $4,050,000
Median unit price $1,450,000 $1,426,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 16 days
from 16 sales
 24 days
from 29 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.

Waverley Bondi
3 bed $3.13M / $4.05M
Waverley — 3 bed: $3.13M (8 sales) Bondi — 3 bed: $4.05M (22 sales)

8 vs 22 sales

4 bed $4.89M / $4.58M
Waverley — 4 bed: $4.89M (17 sales) Bondi — 4 bed: $4.58M (12 sales)

17 vs 12 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.

Waverley Bondi
1 bed $952K / $911K
Waverley — 1 bed: $952K (20 sales) Bondi — 1 bed: $911K (31 sales)

20 vs 31 sales

2 bed $1.5M / $1.47M
Waverley — 2 bed: $1.5M (31 sales) Bondi — 2 bed: $1.47M (98 sales)

31 vs 98 sales

3 bed $2.12M / $2.15M
Waverley — 3 bed: $2.12M (6 sales) Bondi — 3 bed: $2.15M (26 sales)

6 vs 26 sales

Zoning mix

Waverley Bondi
Residential 68% 86%
Infrastructure and transport 19% 2%
Commercial 8% 9%
Parks and recreation 5% 2%
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

Waverley Bondi
New dwellings approved 180
across Waverley
same for both
Approvals change year on year +42%
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.

Waverley Bondi
Houses — 2.9%
$2,225/wk on $4M
Units 4.5%
$995/wk on $1.15M
 4.4%
$1,050/wk on $1.25M

Ranking within NSW

Waverley Bondi
House price Higher than 97% of NSW
same for both
Income Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Schools Higher than 37% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 17% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW

Liveability

Bondi scores higher overall (87 vs 74).

Waverley Bondi
Grade A
same for both
Score 74/100 87/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Waverley Bondi
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
56/100
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 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Waverley Bondi
Inside the suburb 7 2
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 3 1
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of New South Wales, 3.5 km
 3
The University of New South Wales, 4.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.8%
same for both

Schools in Waverley

  • St Charles' Catholic Primary School Waverley Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Catherine's School Independent · Combined at peers
  • St Clare's College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Waverley Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Waverley College Independent · Secondary below peers
  • St Clare's College - Bronte Road Campus Catholic · Secondary

Schools in Bondi

  • Bondi Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Montessori East Independent · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Waverley Bondi
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 11 14
Parks & reserves 5 1
Childcare 7
same for both
GPs 1 4
Pharmacies 1 2
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 0 1

Mobility

Waverley Bondi
Walkability score 89/100 92/100
Distance to Sydney 8.7 km
+8% vs other
 8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 17 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 94/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 224.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 177.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.5%
postcode 2024
 3.1%
postcode 2026
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 16
postcode 2024
 7
postcode 2026

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.

Waverley Bondi
Worked from Home 62.3% / 63.4%
Waverley — Worked from Home: 62.3% Bondi — Worked from Home: 63.4%
Car (driver) 23.5% / 21.5%
Waverley — Car (driver): 23.5% Bondi — Car (driver): 21.5%
Walked Only 5.1% / 4.5%
Waverley — Walked Only: 5.1% Bondi — Walked Only: 4.5%
Train 3.1% / 4.3%
Waverley — Train: 3.1% Bondi — Train: 4.3%
Bus 2.4% / 3.4%
Waverley — Bus: 2.4% Bondi — Bus: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.4%).

Setting

Waverley Bondi
Elevation 95 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.2 km
1.4 km to a named beach
 875 m
903 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Waverley Bondi
Connectivity score 75/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
2,183 premises
 7%
5,705 premises

Climate

Waverley Bondi
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)

Waverley Bondi
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.64 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Waverley Bondi
Average residential rate $1,277/yr
same for both
Council Waverley
same for both

Federal electorate

Waverley Bondi
Division Wentworth
same for both
Member Allegra Spender
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Waverley Bondi
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Waverley

Apartments Beach Coastal Inner Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban

Bondi

Apartments Beach Cafe Culture Coastal Easy Commute Inner Parks Premium Professionals River Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Waverley

Waverley vs Randwick Waverley vs Bondi Junction Waverley vs Bronte Waverley vs Clovelly Waverley vs Queens Park

Other comparisons with Bondi

Bondi vs Bondi Beach Bondi vs Bellevue Hill Bondi vs Bondi Junction Bondi vs Bronte Bondi vs Tamarama
Full data on Waverley Full data on Bondi
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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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