Top 20 safest suburbs to live in Sydney

• Sydney's north shore is home to some of the safest suburbs.
• Many of the suburbs are highly affluent.
• Sydney is also one of the top global performers.

Sydney has long been famed for many things, including “the coathanger” bridge, the Opera House, and Bondi Beach. And nowadays the harbour city is known for something slightly less ideal – absurdly expensive property. So how does Sydney stack up when it comes to crime and which suburbs are safest for Sydneysiders to settle down in?

Sydney was ranked in the top five overall on The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index 2021. Ranked fourth after Copenhagen, Toronto, and Singapore, the harbour city was the best in the world for Digital Security, tenth for Health Security, equal ninth for Infrastructure Security, eleventh for Personal Security, and sixteenth for Environmental Security.

Sydney’s safest suburbs by local government area (LGA)

Referring to NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) data up to March 2022, the safest council areas were:

1. Ku-Ring-Gai
2. Lane Cove
3. Hunters Hill
4. Mosman
5. Upper Lachlan Shire
6. Hornsby
7. Canada Bay
8. North Sydney
9. Willoughby
10. The Northern Beaches.

Ku-Ring-Gai LGA

Ku-Ring-Gai is famed for some of Sydney’s most beautiful national parks, home to the unsurprisingly named Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. Peppered with incredible sapphire blue waterways and inlets, and lush greenery, the Ku-Ring-Gai local government area includes the suburbs of East Gordon, East Killara, East Lindfield, Fox Valley, Gordon, Killara, Lindfield, North Turramurra, North St Ives, North Wahroonga, Pymble, Roseville (part), Roseville Chase, South Turramurra, St Ives, St Ives Chase, Turramurra, Wahroonga (part), and Warrawee.

The BOSCAR data (up to March 2022) noted there were 172.4 incidents per 100,000 people.

Below you will see the red outline of Ku-Ring-Gai north of the harbour.

Lane Cove LGA

Another location north of Sydney, the local government area of Lane Cove, is also a picturesque corner of Sydney, tucked away to the west of the main North Sydney CBD.

Suburbs within the Lane Cove LGA include Greenwich, Lane Cove, Lane Cove North (part), Lane Cove West, Linley Point, Longueville, Northwood, Riverview, and St Leonards (part).

The data noted that there were 202.3 incidents per 100,000 people.

Hunters Hill LGA

Part of Sydney’s Lower North Shore, Hunters Hill is shaped somewhat like a boot, or Italy, and is located to the immediate west of Lane Cove. Another picturesque part of Sydney, the area is home to suburbs such as Gladesville (part), Henley, Hunters Hill, Huntleys Cove, Huntleys Point, and Woolwich.

The area is also home to several heritage-listed sites, including The Garibaldi, and The Priory, and countless waterside luxury and prestige properties.

Hunters Hill LGA recorded 207.2 incidents per 100,000 people.

Mosman LGA

Yet another affluent north Sydney area, the local government area of Mosman, is home to several Sydney icons, including Taronga Zoo, Sydney Harbour National Park, Spit Junction, Shell Cove, Balmoral Beach, and many other beaches and bays.

Mosman LGA recorded 224.1 incidents per 100,000 people.

Upper Lachlan Shire LGA

Unlike the first four, this local government area is located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales. The local government area is home to towns and localities such as Crookwell, Bigga, Binda, Collector (part), Dalton, Garbben Gullen, Gunning, Laggan, and Taralga.

The shire is some 46 kilometres north of Goulburn, 138 kilometres from Canberra, and 238 kilometres from Sydney.

Farming of sheep, cattle, and alpacas comprise the main industries in this semi-regional location, alongside potato growing and the wool industry.

Upper Lachlan Shire LGA recorded 229.6 incidents per 100,000 people.

Top 20 safest suburbs NSW by postcode

The following list is retrieved from Budget Direct, with data accounting for only break and enter, malicious damage to property, other theft, and steal from dwelling events. The included suburbs are not exhaustive for the postcode.

1. 2865, Gumble, Manildra, Bocobra
2. 2625, Thredbo
3. 2628, Beloka, Berridale, Byadbo Wilderness, Cootralantra, Dalgety, Numbla Vale, Paupong, Rocky Plain, Snowy Plain, Eucumbene, Braemar Bay, Lower Eucembene
4. 2776, Faulconbridge
5. 2797, Garland, Lyndhurst
6. 2085, Belrose, Davidson
7. 2225, Caravan Head, Oyster Bay
8. 2645, Coonong, Urana, Yuluma, Cullivel
9. 2090, Cremorne
10. 2405, Boomi, Garah
11. 2490, Tumbulgum
12. 2125, West Pennant Hills
13. 2171, Pleasure Point, Sandy Point, Voyager Point
14. 2867, Baldry, Cumnock, Yullundry, Eurimbla, Loombah
15. 2086, Frenchs Forest
16. 2218, Allawah, Carlton
17. 2352, Kootingal, Limbri, Mulla Creek, Tintinhull
18. 2578, Bundanoon
19. 2479, Bangalow, binna Burra, Brookley, Coopers Shoot, Coorabell, Fernleigh, Knockrow, McLeods Shoot, Nashua, Newrybar, Possum Creek, St Helena
20. 2353, Moonbi

How does this compare to previous years?

Canstar’s safest suburbs report looked at BOSCAR data for 2021, and considered criminal offences including murder, assault, robbery, theft, and drugs. The Canstar report found the safest suburbs included: Gilead, Chatswood West, Oxford Falls, Gledswood Hills, Tennyson, Camden Park, Orangeville, Berambing, Northwood, and Yellow Rock (Blue Mountains).

Note: The LGA data is based on old data retrieved via Upside. The BOSCAR website was inaccessible at the time of writing. Please also note that these figures have not provided with any additional context, nor have gone through additional analysis.