Castle Cove vs Willoughby East.
Comparing two suburbs with median house prices of $3,880,000 and $4,050,000.
Castle Cove (median $3,880,000) is roughly 4% cheaper to buy into than Willoughby East ($4,050,000). Over the past year, Willoughby East (+9.5%) ran 12.5 percentage points ahead of Castle Cove (-3%) on house-price growth.
Willoughby East scores higher on walkability (36/100 vs 42/100 ), useful if you're optimising for a car-light household. On school quality, the average ICSEA across schools serving Castle Cove (1153) sits above Willoughby East (1150).
For buyers
Castle Cove is the lower entry point at $3,880,000 median, 4% below the other suburb. For first home buyers, that translates to a smaller deposit and lower stamp duty bill.
For investors
Investors face a yield-versus-growth split: Castle Cove delivers the better gross yield (2.14% vs 1.96%), but Willoughby East has run faster on capital growth this year. The right pick depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow or capital appreciation.
For families
Castle Cove edges out on average school ICSEA (1153 vs 1150).
Common questions
Is Castle Cove or Willoughby East cheaper to buy in?
Castle Cove has the lower median house price at $3,880,000, roughly 4% below Willoughby East ($4,050,000). The gap on units is usually similar but worth checking on the full suburb profiles.
Which has stronger property growth, Castle Cove or Willoughby East?
Over the past 12 months, Willoughby East grew +9.5% vs -3% in Castle Cove, a gap of 12.5 percentage points. Twelve-month growth can swing year to year, so weight long-run trends from the individual suburb profiles before making a buy decision.
Does Castle Cove or Willoughby East have better schools?
On average school ICSEA (the ACARA index that benchmarks educational advantage), Castle Cove scores 1153 vs 1150 in Willoughby East. ICSEA is a school-community indicator, not a quality rating, so always check NAPLAN results and catchment boundaries for the specific address you're considering.
Which is more walkable, Castle Cove or Willoughby East?
Willoughby East scores 42/100 on walkability vs 36/100. Above 70 is considered very walkable (most errands on foot), 50-69 is walkable for some errands, below 50 typically requires a car for daily life.
Which suburb has higher rental yield, Castle Cove or Willoughby East?
Gross rental yield on houses is 2.14% in Castle Cove vs 1.96% in Willoughby East. Gross yield equals annual rent divided by purchase price. Net yield (after strata, rates, insurance, agent fees and maintenance) typically runs 1.5-2 percentage points lower.
The numbers behind the take
Price & Market
Rental
Lifestyle & Demographics
Risk & Hazard
Schools
Climate
Green dot = better on that metric (lower price, higher growth, higher walkability, lower risk).
Compare Castle Cove against another suburb