Collaroy Plateau
A $2,800,000 median house price paired with household income in the 98.6th percentile nationally tells most of the story here, and the two reinforce each other. The suburb scores decile 10 on IRSAD, IRSD and IER, the top tier on three of four SEIFA indexes, with education and occupation (IEO) close behind at decile 9. Unusually for a market this expensive, 94.2% of dwellings are separate houses and just 3.2% are apartments, so buyers compete for genuinely scarce detached stock across a compact 1.22 km2 footprint. University qualifications reach 40.9%, which is 10.8 points above the national figure, and the average household size of 3.2 sits 0.7 above national, pointing to a family-heavy base rather than the couples-and-singles mix common to premium harbour suburbs.
Population
4,805
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,278/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
62
Median House
$2.8M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $2,800,000 median sits among Sydney's northern beaches highs, and prices rose 7.7% from $2,670,000 in 2024 to $2,875,000 in 2025. What sets this market apart from comparably priced suburbs is its detached-house dominance: 94.2% separate houses against only 3.2% apartments, so almost every purchase is a freestanding home rather than a unit. The stock skews large, with 59.8% of dwellings carrying four or more bedrooms and 32.5% holding three, a profile built for families. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,467, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because incomes sit in the 98.6th percentile. Mortgage holders (49.0%) outnumber outright owners (38.2%), unusual for established wealth, which reflects active buyers trading up into the large-home segment rather than a settled, debt-free base.
For Buyers
The $2,800,000 median sits among Sydney's northern beaches highs, and prices rose 7.7% from $2,670,000 in 2024 to $2,875,000 in 2025. What sets this market apart from comparably priced suburbs is its detached-house dominance: 94.2% separate houses against only 3.2% apartments, so almost every purchase is a freestanding home rather than a unit. The stock skews large, with 59.8% of dwellings carrying four or more bedrooms and 32.5% holding three, a profile built for families. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,467, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because incomes sit in the 98.6th percentile. Mortgage holders (49.0%) outnumber outright owners (38.2%), unusual for established wealth, which reflects active buyers trading up into the large-home segment rather than a settled, debt-free base.
For Investors
Renters make up just 12.7% of households, far below the share landlords find in most Sydney markets, so the tenant pool here is shallow by design. Weekly rent of $800 against the $2,800,000 median implies a gross yield near 1.5%, low even by premium-suburb standards. The 3.4% vacancy rate is tight, which supports rent stability, and rent has grown 29.0% over the period measured. Demand drivers are mixed: net overseas migration adds about 198 residents a year while internal migration removes 186, leaving thin natural growth. Development activity is modest at 59 applications in 12 months, mostly dwelling alterations and complying-development certificates rather than new supply, so stock stays constrained. With annual population growth of just 0.36%, the investment case rests on capital preservation and rent escalation more than yield or volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
387
Last 12 Months
62
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-7.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Collaroy Plateau iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Rose Catholic Primary School
K-6 · 227 students
Collaroy Plateau Public School
K-6 · 452 students
Wheeler Heights Public School
K-6 · 430 students
Demographics
The median age of 40 matches the national figure exactly, but the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 3.5 points while the working-age share fell 2.8 points and the young share slipped 1.7 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 23.4%, only 1.8 points above national, so the suburb is less internationally mixed than most of metropolitan Sydney. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,946), Irish (574) and Scottish (495), and the most common non-English languages are Italian (42 speakers), Serbian (25) and Mandarin (24). University qualifications at 40.9% run 10.8 points above national, and the average household size of 3.2 sits 0.7 above national, consistent with the family profile in which 2,163 of 4,344 families are couples with children against 716 couples with no children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.2%
Houses
2.6%
Townhouse
3.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts toward mortgaged owners: 49.0% carry a mortgage, 38.2% own outright and only 12.7% rent. Mortgage holders outnumbering outright owners is unusual for a high-advantage suburb and signals active buyers financing large family homes rather than a settled, debt-free base. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 94.2% separate houses, with apartments at 3.2% and semi-detached at 2.6%, which keeps house prices elevated through scarcity. Dwellings are large: 59.8% have four or more bedrooms and 32.5% have three, while one and two-bedroom homes together make up under 8%. The median rose from $2,670,000 to $2,875,000 across 2024-2025, a 7.7% one-year move. Both mortgage-to-income and rent-to-income read 24.4%, each below the 30% stress threshold, which is what 98.6th-percentile household incomes buy even against multimillion-dollar prices.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,467
Rent / wk
$800
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$1,071
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.4%
Unoccupied
51
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
16.5%
Couples, no children
4,344
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce blends trades and knowledge work in a way few premium suburbs do: Construction leads at 14.1% (252 workers), Professional/Tech follows at 13.9% (247) and Healthcare at 13.4% (238), with Education at 10.9% and Finance at 8.5%. By occupation, Professionals (639) and Managers (509) form the largest groups, which aligns with the decile 9 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment is low at 2.7% and the full-time employment rate is 62.0%, while participation reads 63.4%, held down by 1,030 residents not in the labour force as the population ages. Real incomes grew 8.9% over the decade. The decile 10 IER score for economic resources, above the decile 9 IEO, reflects how the low 12.7% renter share concentrates household wealth among owner-occupiers.
Unemployment
4.1%
Labour Force
8,408
Unemployed
345
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.0%
Part-time
35.3%
Participation
63.4%
Employed
2,310
Occupations
Top Industries
University
40.9%
Postgraduate
8.7%
Born Overseas
23.4%
Dwellings
1,446
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high for a Sydney suburb: 86.1% drive to work, well above the national norm, while only 3.6% use public transport and 4.6% walk or cycle, a function of the plateau location away from rail. The suburb earns decile 10 on IRSAD, the top advantage tier nationally, and decile 10 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, meaning very few residents face deprivation. Volunteering runs at 15.6% and only 3.0% (138 people) need daily assistance despite the median age of 40. Crime statistics are not recorded for the suburb in this dataset, so the decile 10 disadvantage score serves as the indirect safety signal. No schools sit inside the 1.22 km2 boundary, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring Collaroy and Cromer, a practical trade-off for the quiet, residential setting at 3,937.9 residents per km2.
Drive
86.1%
Public Transport
3.6%
Walk / Cycle
4.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.36%/yr
(+51 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation growth is slow and steady rather than explosive: the trend runs 0.36% a year, about 51 residents, and the 10-year change reads 10.9%, classifying the suburb as established. Medium forecasts lift the area population gradually through 2031 on trend continuation, so little acceleration is expected. Overseas migration of about 198 a year is the primary driver, offset by net internal outflow of 186, which leaves natural growth thin. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying with a score of 10, fitting a suburb already at decile 10 advantage with little room to climb, though a separate early-signs reading of 26 reflects 29.0% rent growth. Affordability improved from 58.4% in 2011 to 56.3% in 2021, an easing that stays high relative to most national markets.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+198
Net Internal / yr
-186
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -186/yr, COVID recovered (-3% dip → full recovery)
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Collaroy Plateau compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Collaroy Plateau a good suburb to live in?
Collaroy Plateau ranks decile 10 on IRSAD, IRSD and IER, the top advantage tier nationally, with household income in the 98.6th percentile. University qualifications reach 40.9%, 10.8 points above national. The main trade-offs are a $2,800,000 median house price and high car dependence at 86.1% driving to work.
What is the median house price in Collaroy Plateau?
The median house price is $2,800,000, among the northern beaches highs. Prices rose 7.7% from $2,670,000 in 2024 to $2,875,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $800 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $3,467, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.4%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Collaroy Plateau?
No schools are recorded inside the 1.22 km2 Collaroy Plateau boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is highly educated, with university qualifications at 40.9%, which is 10.8 points above the national figure.
Is Collaroy Plateau safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Collaroy Plateau in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 10 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the highest tier, and only 3.0% of residents (138 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Collaroy Plateau good for property investment?
Rent of $800 a week against a $2,800,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.5%, low, though the 3.4% vacancy rate is tight and rent grew 29.0%. With only 12.7% of households renting and 0.36% annual population growth, returns depend on capital growth and rent escalation rather than yield.
How is Collaroy Plateau's population changing?
Population growth runs about 0.36% a year, roughly 51 residents, with a 10.9% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging: the senior share rose 3.5 points while the working-age share fell 2.8 points over the decade. Overseas migration of about 198 a year is the main driver against net internal outflow of 186.
What is housing like in Collaroy Plateau?
Housing is overwhelmingly detached, with 94.2% separate houses and just 3.2% apartments. Homes are large: 59.8% have four or more bedrooms and 32.5% have three. Mortgage holders make up 49.0% of households, above the 38.2% who own outright, reflecting active buyers financing family homes.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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