Yarralumla vs Curtin

Curtin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 50 in Yarralumla. In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Yarralumla: a median of $1.97 million, against $1.41 million in Curtin, and rent is higher there too. Yarralumla is closer to the city centre: 7.6 km, against 10.3 km. On these figures, Yarralumla tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Curtin suits families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Curtin

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 51/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 65%)
  • But Yarralumla has more parks and reserves (15 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Curtin

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($352,500 vs $775,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,412,500 vs $1,967,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Curtin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($450/wk vs $547/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Yarralumla sits closer to the CBD (7.6 km vs 10.3 km)
  • Curtin is more walkable (79/100 vs 66/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Curtin

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 51/100)
  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 66/100)
  • But Yarralumla has more units and townhouses to downsize into (35% vs 16%)

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

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

Yarralumla Curtin
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.

Yarralumla Curtin
Walkability 66 / 79
Yarralumla — Walkability: 66/100 Curtin — Walkability: 79/100
Safety 49 / 70
Yarralumla — Safety: 49/100 Curtin — Safety: 70/100
Low fire risk 38 / 2
Yarralumla — Low fire risk: 38/100 Curtin — Low fire risk: 2/100
Low flood risk 34 / 70
Yarralumla — Low flood risk: 34/100 Curtin — Low flood risk: 70/100

Demographics

Curtin has more residents (5,569 vs 3,120); Yarralumla skews older (50 vs 41).

Yarralumla Curtin
Population 3,120 5,569
+78% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.0% +6.3%
Median age 50 41
Median household income $173,004/yr
+13% vs other
 $150,072/yr
Median weekly rent $547/wk
+18% vs other
 $450/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Yarralumla Curtin
0-4 3.9% / 4.9%
Yarralumla — 0-4: 3.9% Curtin — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 11.3% / 14.5%
Yarralumla — 5-14: 11.3% Curtin — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 5.8% / 5.6%
Yarralumla — 15-19: 5.8% Curtin — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 4.6% / 5.4%
Yarralumla — 20-24: 4.6% Curtin — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 6.7% / 10.6%
Yarralumla — 25-34: 6.7% Curtin — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 11.0% / 14.1%
Yarralumla — 35-44: 11.0% Curtin — 35-44: 14.1%
45-54 13.3% / 14.0%
Yarralumla — 45-54: 13.3% Curtin — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 14.8% / 12.2%
Yarralumla — 55-64: 14.8% Curtin — 55-64: 12.2%
65-74 17.0% / 8.3%
Yarralumla — 65-74: 17.0% Curtin — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 8.6% / 6.6%
Yarralumla — 75-84: 8.6% Curtin — 75-84: 6.6%
85+ 2.7% / 3.5%
Yarralumla — 85+: 2.7% Curtin — 85+: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Yarralumla 45.4% couple families
Yarralumla — Couple Families: 45.4% Yarralumla — Lone Person: 40.7% Yarralumla — One Parent Families: 9.6% Yarralumla — Group Household: 4.0% Yarralumla — Other Families: 0.4%
Curtin 50.8% couple families
Curtin — Couple Families: 50.8% Curtin — Lone Person: 32.2% Curtin — One Parent Families: 12.7% Curtin — Group Household: 3.4% Curtin — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Yarralumla 23.6% renting
Yarralumla — Owned Outright: 49.1% Yarralumla — Mortgage: 27.3% Yarralumla — Renting: 23.6%
Curtin 24.7% renting
Curtin — Owned Outright: 41.2% Curtin — Mortgage: 34.1% Curtin — Renting: 24.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Yarralumla Curtin
Bachelor Degree 26.1% / 23.6%
Yarralumla — Bachelor Degree: 26.1% Curtin — Bachelor Degree: 23.6%
Postgraduate Degree 18.0% / 15.2%
Yarralumla — Postgraduate Degree: 18.0% Curtin — Postgraduate Degree: 15.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 6.6%
Yarralumla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% Curtin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.0% / 4.5%
Yarralumla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.0% Curtin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.5%
Certificate III & IV 3.6% / 5.7%
Yarralumla — Certificate III & IV: 3.6% Curtin — Certificate III & IV: 5.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.1%).

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.

Yarralumla Curtin
England 5.1% / 3.8%
Yarralumla — England: 5.1% Curtin — England: 3.8%
India 2.2% / 1.8%
Yarralumla — India: 2.2% Curtin — India: 1.8%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.3%
Yarralumla — New Zealand: 1.6% Curtin — New Zealand: 1.3%
China 1.7% / 1.2%
Yarralumla — China: 1.7% Curtin — China: 1.2%
Nepal — / 1.5%
Yarralumla — Nepal: not among its largest Curtin — Nepal: 1.5%
South Africa 1.2% / —
Yarralumla — South Africa: 1.2% Curtin — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Yarralumla 65.1% houses
Yarralumla — Houses: 65.1% Yarralumla — Townhouses: 27.3% Yarralumla — Flats / Apartments: 7.5%
Curtin 83.8% houses
Curtin — Houses: 83.8% Curtin — Townhouses: 4.9% Curtin — Flats / Apartments: 11.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Yarralumla Curtin
Median house price $1,967,500 $1,412,500
Median unit price $775,000 $352,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 54 days
from 20 sales
 23 days
from 56 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.

Yarralumla Curtin
3 bed $1.9M / $1.25M
Yarralumla — 3 bed: $1.9M (7 sales) Curtin — 3 bed: $1.25M (41 sales)

7 vs 41 sales

4 bed $1.85M / $1.5M
Yarralumla — 4 bed: $1.85M (14 sales) Curtin — 4 bed: $1.5M (35 sales)

14 vs 35 sales

Development activity

Yarralumla Curtin
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
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.

Yarralumla Curtin
Houses 3.4%
$1,250/wk on $1.9M
 3.3%
$925/wk on $1.45M
Units — 7.6%
$510/wk on $349K

Ranking within ACT

Yarralumla Curtin
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 94% of ACT Higher than 84% of ACT
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 57% of ACT Higher than 81% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 79% of ACT Higher than 93% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 57% of ACT Higher than 23% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 15% of ACT Higher than 12% of ACT
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 93% of ACT

Liveability

Curtin is more walkable (79 vs 66); Curtin scores higher overall (62 vs 57).

Yarralumla Curtin
Grade B
same for both
Score 57/100 62/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Yarralumla carries more flood risk (66 vs 30); Yarralumla carries more crime risk (51 vs 30).

Yarralumla Curtin
Bushfire Moderate
62/100
 High
98/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 Low
30/100
Flood Moderate
66/100
 Low
30/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Yarralumla Curtin
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian National University, 3.7 km
 3
UNSW Canberra, 5.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.9% 3.1%

Schools in Yarralumla

  • Yarralumla Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Curtin

  • Holy Trinity Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Curtin Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Yarralumla Curtin
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 6 2
Parks & reserves 15 2
Childcare 6
same for both
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 0 1
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Curtin sits further from the CBD (10.3 km vs 7.6 km).

Yarralumla Curtin
Walkability score 66/100 79/100
Distance to Canberra 7.6 km 10.3 km
+36% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 15 min 16 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 54.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 58.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 4.2%
postcode 2600
 4.6%
postcode 2605
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 29
postcode 2600
 37
postcode 2605

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.

Yarralumla Curtin
Car (driver) 64.8% / 67.7%
Yarralumla — Car (driver): 64.8% Curtin — Car (driver): 67.7%
Worked from Home 19.4% / 13.6%
Yarralumla — Worked from Home: 19.4% Curtin — Worked from Home: 13.6%
Car (passenger) 6.2% / 6.8%
Yarralumla — Car (passenger): 6.2% Curtin — Car (passenger): 6.8%
Bus 3.2% / 6.1%
Yarralumla — Bus: 3.2% Curtin — Bus: 6.1%
Bicycle 4.1% / 2.9%
Yarralumla — Bicycle: 4.1% Curtin — Bicycle: 2.9%
Walked Only 2.0% / 2.9%
Yarralumla — Walked Only: 2.0% Curtin — Walked Only: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.7%).

Setting

Yarralumla Curtin
Elevation 564 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 576 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Yarralumla Curtin
Connectivity score 62/100 46/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 29%
1,668 premises
 2%
2,460 premises

Climate

Yarralumla Curtin
Annual rainfall 622 mm 686 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.5°C 28.2°C
Winter min (Jul) 0.8°C 0.9°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Yarralumla Curtin
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Yarralumla Curtin
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Yarralumla Curtin
Division Canberra
same for both
Member Alicia Payne
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Yarralumla Curtin
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Yarralumla

Inner Luxury Parks Professionals Quiet Retirees Townhouses

Curtin

Inner Premium Professionals

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Yarralumla

Yarralumla vs Deakin Yarralumla vs Acton

Other comparisons with Curtin

Curtin vs Phillip Curtin vs Weston Curtin vs Lyons Curtin vs Hughes Curtin vs Deakin
Full data on Yarralumla Full data on Curtin
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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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