Kareela is a suburb in New South Wales, 29 km from Sydney CBD, around 37 minutes by car. Population is 3,572; the median age is 42 and the median household income is $143,780 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 3.3% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $695 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $3,000. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure. 3 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Kareela a good suburb?
Kareela scores a B (69/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, safety, and community, weaker on schools.
Below the state average
3 schools · Bottom 12% in NSW
Very walkable
Walkability 75/100 · 29 km · 37 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $1.74M · Pricier than 80% of NSW
Low all-round risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 22/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 42 · 3,572 residents
Liveability Rating
69 / 100 · Ranked #316 in NSWEach bar is Kareela's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Kareela?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
69 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataKareela's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.74 million, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
$1,741,000
5% below its 5 neighbours (median $1,830,000)
Based on 87 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 22 days — median across 53 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 23 sales $1.59M
- 4 bed 43 sales $1.74M
- 5 bed 18 sales $2.01M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Kareela are currently listed at around $1.62 million on average. Based on 18 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.62M
18 houses listed in the last 6 months.
18 of the suburb's 1,154 dwellings (1.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $910/wk
- 26 bonds
- +35% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $700/wk
- 128 bonds
- +47% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2232 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025107 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2232.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Short-Stay Rentals
4 active Airbnb listings: 3 whole homes and 1 room. Whole homes are about 0.3% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Kareela safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Kareela sits in the low band, with 49 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 22% on the prior year.
49 offences
22.2% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20255 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Sutherland Shire Council has published 6 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Three schools serve Kareela, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 334 students across 2 schools (avg 167)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Independent
- • ICSEA 1018-1102, median 1060 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Kareela Public School (272 students)
Primary
Combined
Walkability
Kareela is very walkable on foot — at 75/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Kareela.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 73.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 42.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 27.5 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 15.5 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Kareela.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 11%
- Premises covered
- 1,253
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Sutherland: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 8 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Kareela is home to about 3,600 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $144,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,572
Median Age
42
Median Household Income
$143,780/yr
Census Median Rent
$695/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$3,000/mo
Avg Household Size
3.0
Median Personal Income
$51,116/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
2.5%
Total Dwellings
1,154
Owner-Occupier Rate
95.1%
Houses
88.5%
Rental Stress
25.1%
Mortgage Stress
25.0%
Work From Home
49.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 75.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 79.1%
- Employment Rate
- 60.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 50.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
57 residents (1.6%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,373 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
21% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (354 of 1,704).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 829 people work here; 1,704 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.5 jobs per working resident. At least 51% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,552 a year through Sutherland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 34%
- Residential 33%
- Parks and recreation 28%
- Infrastructure and transport 4%
- Zones under 1% 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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Sutherland
In the year to August 2026, 1,449 new dwellings were approved across Sutherland. That mix is 213 houses and 1,236 units. Approvals are up 117.3% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 16.1 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.79 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Earlwood monitoring station, 12.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Lucas Heights (Ansto), 10.3 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 39 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 3.9 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 12.8% of addresses
- 165 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,038 mm
- 89 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 2232, 399 of 26,272 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.2% (1,109 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2232, 3,239 rooftop-solar systems totalling 23.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,575 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 295 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb, 25 across postcode 2232.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $1,741,000 this is $1,141,000 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Simon Kennedy Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Simon Kennedy | 42.8% | 57.2% | +4.4 |
| 2022 | Scott Morrison | 37.6% | 62.4% | -6.6 |
| 2019 | Scott Morrison | 31.0% | 69.0% | +3.6 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Eleni Petinos Liberal
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eleni Petinos LP | 52.4% |
| 2019 | Eleni Petinos LP | 64.6% |
| 2015 | Eleni Petinos LP | 63.0% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Kareela?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 3,572 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
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Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Sydney There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Sydney suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Compare Kareela to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Kareela
Is Kareela a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Kareela is low (22/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Kareela?
Kareela has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Kareela a good place to live?
Kareela has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (69/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Kareela?
Kareela, NSW had a population of 3,572 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Kareela, NSW?
The postcode for Kareela, NSW is 2232.
How far is Kareela from Sydney?
Kareela is 29 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 37 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Kareela?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Kareela was $143,780 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Kareela?
There are too few current rental listings in Kareela for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $695, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Kareela?
The median age of residents in Kareela was 42 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Kareela?
There are 3 schools inside the Kareela boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Kareela walkable?
Kareela scores 75/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Kareela?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Kareela (Earlwood) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 16.1 µg/m³. That puts Kareela below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Kareela?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Kareela, Lucas Heights (Ansto) (10.3 km away), 1,038 mm of rain a year over 89 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Kareela?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Kareela belong to?
Kareela sits within the Sutherland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Kareela?
The average residential rates bill through Sutherland is $1,552 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Kareela?
Across Sutherland, 1,449 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 117.3% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Kareela in?
Kareela sits within the federal Division of Cook, currently held by Simon Kennedy (Liberal).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.