Coogee
A population of 14,634 sits within just 1.92 square kilometres, producing a density of 7,631.8 people per square kilometre. That intensity is paired with an apartment share of 80.0% and renting at 55.0%, so Coogee feels more urban and tenure-flexible than detached-house areas around Maroubra. Household income sits at the 97.1st percentile nationally, while the median age of 35 is 5 years below the national comparison. The profile is affluent, highly educated and mobile, with 2.2-person households and a 12.4% vacancy rate. Internal migration and a 5.66% annual growth trend add momentum, even as the area moves toward an aging trajectory compared with younger inner-city markets.
Population
14,634
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,976/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
132
Coogee suits buyers prioritising apartment living over land, because 80.0% of dwellings are apartments and only 10.6% are separate houses. The bedroom mix is concentrated in 2-bedroom stock at 51.1%, followed by 3-bedroom homes at 23.8%, while 14.2% are studios or 1-bedroom dwellings. A monthly mortgage figure of $3,226 compares with weekly rent of $650, and mortgage costs equal 25.0% of household income, below common stress benchmarks. Renting accounts for 55.0%, higher than outright ownership at 23.3% and mortgage ownership at 20.6%. Buyers should compare strata fees, building condition and resale depth with detached options in Maroubra or apartment markets in Randwick.
For Buyers
Coogee suits buyers prioritising apartment living over land, because 80.0% of dwellings are apartments and only 10.6% are separate houses. The bedroom mix is concentrated in 2-bedroom stock at 51.1%, followed by 3-bedroom homes at 23.8%, while 14.2% are studios or 1-bedroom dwellings. A monthly mortgage figure of $3,226 compares with weekly rent of $650, and mortgage costs equal 25.0% of household income, below common stress benchmarks. Renting accounts for 55.0%, higher than outright ownership at 23.3% and mortgage ownership at 20.6%. Buyers should compare strata fees, building condition and resale depth with detached options in Maroubra or apartment markets in Randwick.
For Investors
Coogee has a renter-majority base, with 55.0% renting and a weekly rent of $650, supporting demand for smaller apartments. The 12.4% vacancy rate is above a low-vacancy market, however, so tenants have more choice and leasing periods may require sharper pricing than in tighter nearby pockets. Rent growth is recorded at -38.7%, reinforcing the need to stress-test returns rather than assume automatic uplift. Development activity reached 131 matters in 12 months, which can improve amenity but also add competing stock. The 5.66% annual growth trend, driven by internal migration, is a positive demand signal, while 80.0% apartment supply makes building quality, levies and exact micro-location more important than a simple suburb-wide yield comparison.
Development Activity
Total DAs
751
Last 12 Months
132
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-4.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Coogee
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Demographics
Coogee's median age is 35, 5 years below the national comparison, and 62.6% of residents hold a university qualification, 32.5 percentage points above the national figure. Overseas-born residents account for 40.9%, 19.3 points above nationally, adding to the suburb's international profile. English ancestry is the largest recorded group at 5,300, followed by Irish at 2,853 and Scottish at 1,462; French, Portuguese and Greek are among the listed languages. No religion is the largest religious response at 7,039, ahead of Christianity at 5,826. Average household size is 2.2, 0.3 below the national comparison, which helps distinguish Coogee from the more family-oriented parts of Maroubra, while turnover of 34.4% points to a mobile population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
10.6%
Houses
9.0%
Townhouse
80.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Coogee's housing structure is markedly apartment-led: 80.0% of dwellings are apartments, compared with 10.6% separate houses and 9.0% semi-detached homes. Two-bedroom properties dominate at 51.1%, while 23.8% have 3 bedrooms and 14.2% have 0 or 1 bedroom. Tenure is renter-heavy, with 55.0% renting, 23.3% owned outright and 20.6% under mortgage. The weekly rent is $650 and the monthly mortgage figure is $3,226; mortgage costs equal 25.0% of household income, while rent costs equal 21.8%. Density reaches 7,631.8 people per square kilometre and vacancy is 12.4%, making Coogee more comparable with Randwick's apartment market than detached-house parts of Maroubra. Household income at the 97.1st percentile nationally is higher than the housing mix might suggest.
Mortgage / mo
$3,226
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (April to June 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $650.
$995
Bond data Jun 2026 · houses $1,380 · units $970
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$1,555
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
12.4%
Unoccupied
879
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.0%
Couples with children
50.9%
Couples, no children
11.1%
Single parent
3,701
Total families
Economy & Employment
Professional and technical work leads employment at 19.1% with 1,448 workers, followed by healthcare at 14.9% with 1,131, education at 10.4% with 787, finance at 9.5% with 724 and construction at 8.7% with 661. Professionals number 3,930 and managers 1,861, reinforcing a knowledge-worker base. Participation is 75.1%, unemployment is 3.3% and full-time employment is 68.0%, consistent with strong labour-market attachment. Socioeconomic advantage is high: IEO, IRSD and IRSAD all sit in decile 10, while IER is lower at decile 7. That gap indicates household resources are less uniform than the headline advantage suggests. Compared with the national baseline, the 97.1st household-income percentile points to substantially higher earning power.
Unemployment
3.3%
Labour Force
9,524
Unemployed
317
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
68.0%
Part-time
23.6%
Participation
75.1%
Employed
9,207
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
62.6%
Postgraduate
19.0%
Born Overseas
40.9%
Dwellings
6,198
Transport to Work
Daily life is shaped by density of 7,631.8 people per square kilometre and a strong home-based work pattern: 61.6% work from home, compared with 25.9% who drive a car and 5.1% who use public transport for the relevant journey. Walking or cycling accounts for 5.9%, so access to shops, services and the beach can matter more than a large garage. One local government primary option is Coogee Public School; check enrolment zones against the exact address because boundaries can cut across suburb lines. Socioeconomic advantage ranks in decile 10, above the national midpoint, supporting strong access to services, but the 12.4% vacancy rate and 55.0% renting indicate a mobile population. For safety, check current NSW Police incident information before deciding rather than assuming Coogee is safer than every nearby suburb.
Drive
25.9%
Public Transport
5.1%
Walk / Cycle
5.9%
Work from Home
61.6%
Population Forecast
+5.66%/yr
(+281 people/yr)
High GrowthCoogee is classified as high growth, with an annual trend of 5.66%, and internal migration is the primary driver. Population change across the wider area is 547.2% over 10 years, a far higher trajectory than a stable market, so demand pressure can remain strong even in an established suburb. The shift is labelled Aging, with the senior share up 14.1% and the young share down 7.6%, indicating that future demand may tilt toward accessible apartments and low-maintenance homes. Gentrification is scored at 0 and labelled Not gentrifying, so the growth signal is better read as migration-led demand than a staged gentrification cycle. The combination of 5.66% annual growth and a 14.1% rise in senior share suggests expansion alongside changing household needs.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+86
Net Internal / yr
+234
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Coogee compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coogee a good suburb to live in?
Coogee suits residents who value apartment living, strong services and a high work-from-home share of 61.6%. Its 80.0% apartment rate, 7,631.8 people per square kilometre and 12.4% vacancy rate create a dense, mobile setting compared with lower-density suburbs. The IRSAD decile of 10 also indicates very high socioeconomic advantage.
What is the median house price in Coogee?
For a current median house price, check settled sales for the exact property type and date. Coogee is 80.0% apartments and only 10.6% separate houses, so a house result can differ sharply from the broader market. Comparing 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom sales with nearby Randwick or Maroubra will provide a more useful benchmark than relying on one suburb-wide figure.
What schools are in Coogee?
Coogee Public School is the local government primary option listed for the suburb. Check whether the exact address is inside its enrolment zone, since boundaries affect access and one primary school does not cover every year level. Coogee's 61.6% work-from-home share and 5.1% public transport share describe local travel patterns, not school performance.
Is Coogee safe?
Check current NSW Police incident information for the exact streets and recent 12-month pattern before deciding. Coogee has 14,634 residents and a density of 7,631.8 people per square kilometre, so conditions can vary between busy commercial areas and quieter residential blocks. Compare incident categories and times rather than relying on a blanket safer-than-neighbours label.
Is Coogee good for property investment?
Coogee has investment positives including 55.0% renters, a $650 weekly rent and 5.66% annual growth driven by internal migration. The 12.4% vacancy rate is higher than a tight rental market, while rent growth of -38.7% calls for conservative modelling. With 131 development matters and 80.0% apartments, building quality, levies and competing stock matter more than headline yield alone.
How is Coogee's population changing?
Coogee's current population is 14,634. The wider area's trend is 5.66% annual growth, driven by internal migration, while 10-year population change is 547.2%. The trajectory is Aging, with the senior share up 14.1% and the young share down 7.6%. Gentrification is scored at 0 and labelled Not gentrifying, so growth is stronger than the demographic shift toward younger residents.
What languages are spoken in Coogee?
Overseas-born residents account for 40.9%, which is 19.3 percentage points above the national comparison. French is recorded for 140 residents, Portuguese for 110 and Greek for 89, with German at 77 and Italian at 68. These figures indicate language variety alongside the largest ancestry counts of English at 5,300 and Irish at 2,853.
What development is happening in Coogee?
There were 131 development matters in the past 12 months. Examples include 1 dwelling-house modification, 1 hotel or motel accommodation matter and 1 residential alteration or addition. This level of activity can improve buildings and amenity, but it may also increase competition for established apartments. Buyers and investors should check approvals, construction impacts and strata implications before committing.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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