Boolaroo vs Hamlyn Terrace

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.0M in Boolaroo and $1.0M in Hamlyn Terrace.

For units, Boolaroo sits at a median of $455K against $695K in Hamlyn Terrace, which makes Boolaroo the more affordable unit market and Hamlyn Terrace the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +12.0% in Boolaroo and +9.3% in Hamlyn Terrace, so recent momentum favours Boolaroo, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Boolaroo houses are +35.4% and Hamlyn Terrace houses +15.6%, so Boolaroo has compounded faster than Hamlyn Terrace over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 1.4% in Hamlyn Terrace and 1.8% in Boolaroo, so landlords in Hamlyn Terrace face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Hamlyn Terrace is the bigger suburb, with a population of 8,761 against 1,636, roughly 5 times the size of Boolaroo; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: Boolaroo for recent price momentum, Hamlyn Terrace for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.