Emerton vs Lake Illawarra
Property investment comparison - Emerton, NSW 2770 vs Lake Illawarra, NSW 2528
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Emerton wins 3, Lake Illawarra wins 1. The better choice depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow, growth, affordability, or liquidity, the table below highlights the winner on each metric.
| Metric | Emerton | Lake Illawarra |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $940K | $935K |
| Median unit price | - | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | - | 3.67% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 4.35% | - |
| 1-year house growth | +8.7% | +6.7% |
| 3-year house growth | +42.1% | +25.4% |
| Vacancy rate | 1.0% | 1.4% |
| Population | 2,295 | 3,288 |
Emerton vs Lake Illawarra: what the numbers say
The median house price is $940K in Emerton and $935K in Lake Illawarra, so Lake Illawarra is the cheaper entry point, with Emerton houses about 1% dearer.
Over the past year house prices moved +8.7% in Emerton and +6.7% in Lake Illawarra, so recent momentum favours Emerton, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Emerton houses are +42.1% and Lake Illawarra houses +25.4%, so Emerton has compounded faster than Lake Illawarra over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 1.0% in Emerton and 1.4% in Lake Illawarra, so landlords in Emerton face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Lake Illawarra is the bigger suburb, with a population of 3,288 against 2,295, larger than Emerton; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Lake Illawarra for a lower purchase price, Emerton for recent price momentum, Emerton for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.
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Lake Illawarra, NSW 2528
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