Caringbah South vs CronullaTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Caringbah South (NSW 2229) is approximately 25 km south of the Sydney CBD, on Port Hacking. Cronulla (NSW 2230) is approximately 26 km south of the Sydney CBD. At the 2021 Census, Caringbah South had 13,168 residents with a median age of 42, and Cronulla had 17,899 residents with a median age of 43.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Caringbah South and flats and apartments in Cronulla. Flats and apartments made up 1% of occupied dwellings in Caringbah South and 73% in Cronulla, while 12% of Caringbah South households rented compared with 42% in Cronulla. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
NSW 2229 · Sutherland Shire
Caringbah South
Caringbah South is a Sutherland Shire waterside suburb with the highest median rent in these guides at $730 a week and only 30 apartments in total.
Sutherland Shire. Approximately 25 km south of the Sydney CBD, on Port Hacking.
Read the full Caringbah South guideNSW 2230 · Sutherland Shire
Cronulla
A guide to buying in Cronulla, a beachside peninsula suburb with its own rail terminus, covering strata apartments, coastal exposure and lending.
Sutherland Shire Council. Approximately 26 km south of the Sydney CBD.
Read the full Cronulla guide
What buying in Caringbah South and Cronulla would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Caringbah South and Cronulla.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Caringbah South to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
- Loan amount
- $2,543,000
- Loan to value ratio
- 96.2%
- Transfer duty, New South Wales
- $126,652
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- Deposit under 5%
- Upfront cash needed
- $229,652
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Caringbah South and Cronulla: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Caringbah South | Cronulla |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 13,168 | 17,899 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 43 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,721 | $2,058 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $730 | $500 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $3,380 | $2,404 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 12% | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 40% | 24% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 47% | 34% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 77% | 20% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 23% | 6% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 1% | 73% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 7% | 60% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 53% | 14% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 3% | 11% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Caringbah South and Cronulla
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Caringbah South
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Median monthly repayments of $3,380 are among the highest in these guides.
- Sea walls, jetties and retaining structures may be owner responsibilities.
- Waterfront homes are not directly comparable, so upper-end valuations are less predictable.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio above value thresholds.
- Only 11.7 per cent of households rented, so the tenant pool is small.
Cronulla
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Valuers and lenders look closely at the condition of older coastal strata buildings, including concrete, balconies and waterproofing.
- Planned special levies and ordinary strata levies are counted in serviceability and can reduce borrowing capacity.
- Serviced apartments, very small studios and buildings with a holiday letting component may fall outside standard residential lending policy.
- Any company title building should be identified early, as a number of lenders restrict this form of ownership.
- Coastal or flood notations on a planning certificate can affect insurance, which lenders require to be in place at settlement.
Housing stock in Caringbah South and Cronulla compared
Caringbah South
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 3,383 at the 2021 Census, 76.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 999 dwellings, or 22.6 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
- Almost no apartments
- Only 30 flats were counted among 4,419 occupied private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Cronulla
- Older walk-up strata apartments
- Low-rise blocks between the station and the beaches, often without lifts and with limited parking.
- Beachfront and boutique apartment buildings
- Taller or newer buildings with larger floor plans, lifts and views, carrying higher levies.
- Detached houses
- Scarce freestanding homes in the quieter streets away from the town centre and beachfront.
Official sale price and rent figures for Caringbah South and Cronulla
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Caringbah South
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Caringbah South, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Cronulla
- Median dwelling price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2230)
- $1,350,000
- Median house price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2230)
- $2,643,000
- Median unit price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2230)
- $1,200,000
- Median weekly rent, house (all bedrooms), 2026 Q2 (postcode 2230)
- $1,250
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat/unit, 2026 Q2 (postcode 2230)
- $750
Source: NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
Transport, schools and amenities in Caringbah South and Cronulla
Caringbah South
Transport
- Caringbah Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- The Kingsway (road)
Amenities
- Port Hacking foreshore
- Westfield Miranda
- Cronulla beaches
Cronulla
Transport
- Cronulla Station (train)
- Cronulla to Bundeena ferry (ferry)
- Cronulla Station bus stands (bus)
- Kingsway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Cronulla Public School (primary, government)
- Cronulla South Public School (primary, government)
- Cronulla High School (secondary, government)
Amenities
- Cronulla Beach
- North Cronulla Beach
- Gunnamatta Park and baths
- Cronulla Street mall
- Don Lucas Reserve
- Monro Park
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the New South Wales education department.
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