Crows Nest vs WilloughbyTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Crows Nest (NSW 2065) is approximately 4 km north of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line. Willoughby (NSW 2068) is approximately 7 km north of the Sydney CBD, beside Chatswood. At the 2021 Census, Crows Nest had 4,974 residents with a median age of 36, and Willoughby had 7,124 residents with a median age of 40.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Crows Nest and separate houses in Willoughby. Flats and apartments made up 61% of occupied dwellings in Crows Nest and 32% in Willoughby, while 55% of Crows Nest households rented compared with 31% in Willoughby. 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 2065 · Lower North Shore
Crows Nest
Crows Nest gained a metro station in August 2024, and is 61.0 per cent apartments with 54.5 per cent renting and only 11.2 per cent houses.
North Sydney. Approximately 4 km north of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line.
Read the full Crows Nest guideNSW 2068 · Lower North Shore
Willoughby
Willoughby is a lower North Shore suburb where houses hold 56.5 per cent of homes and tenure divides almost perfectly evenly three ways.
Willoughby. Approximately 7 km north of the Sydney CBD, beside Chatswood.
Read the full Willoughby guide
What buying in Crows Nest and Willoughby 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 Crows Nest and Willoughby.
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 Crows Nest to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Willoughby to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
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.
Crows Nest and Willoughby: 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 | Crows Nest | Willoughby |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 4,974 | 7,124 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 36 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,614 | $2,995 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $550 | $583 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $3,033 | $3,500 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 55% | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 34% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 20% | 34% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 11% | 56% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 26% | 11% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 61% | 32% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 69% | 37% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 6% | 31% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 11% | 8% |
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 Crows Nest and Willoughby
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.
Crows Nest
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios often fall below minimum internal floor areas.
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily in a suburb of 2,364 occupied dwellings.
- Older walk-up blocks and recent buildings raise quite different strata questions.
- The metro station opened in August 2024, after the Census described here.
- Willoughby Road is a licensed dining strip affecting nearby amenity at night.
Willoughby
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Median monthly repayments of $3,500 mean serviceability binds well before deposit.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio above value thresholds.
- At 2,489 occupied dwellings, sales volume in any period is modest.
- Heritage listing can raise insurance and the cost of compliant repairs.
- There is no station in the suburb, though Chatswood serves two rail systems.
Housing stock in Crows Nest and Willoughby compared
Crows Nest
- Apartments
- The 1,441 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 61.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Terraces and semi-detached dwellings
- At 622 dwellings, or 26.3 per cent of occupied homes, unusually high for inner Sydney.
- Very few freestanding houses
- Separate houses numbered only 264 at the 2021 Census, 11.2 per cent of occupied homes.
Willoughby
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,406 at the 2021 Census, 56.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- Apartments toward Chatswood
- The 788 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 31.7 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 802 dwellings had three bedrooms and 592 had four, with 179 having five or more.
Official sale price and rent figures for Crows Nest and Willoughby
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.
Crows Nest
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Crows Nest, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Willoughby
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Willoughby, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Crows Nest and Willoughby
Crows Nest
Transport
- Crows Nest Metro (metro)
- St Leonards Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Pacific Highway (road)
Amenities
- Willoughby Road precinct
- Royal North Shore Hospital
- Crows Nest local parks
Willoughby
Transport
- Chatswood Station (train)
- Chatswood Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Pacific Highway (road)
Amenities
- Chatswood Chase
- Willoughby local parks
- Willoughby Incinerator
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.
Compare Crows Nest or Willoughby with another suburb
Change either suburb, or add a third.
Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: Crows Nest or Willoughby
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Crows Nest and Willoughby, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.