Scarborough’s main draw is its beach-centred lifestyle: a public foreshore with recreation, food and drink, shops and events, supported by local parks, sport and community facilities. It can suit people who want the coast woven into everyday life, but the housing market is costly, transport convenience depends on the address, and the busy beach precinct may not suit someone seeking a quiet setting.
What makes Scarborough distinctive?
Scarborough is a coastal suburb in the City of Stirling, Perth. Its defining feature is not simply proximity to the water, but a developed beach and foreshore precinct. The City describes it as a place for recreation, food and drink, shops, events and coastal views. Its suburb profile calls the community a “vibrant, coastal and relaxed neighbourhood.” City of Stirling suburb profile; Explore Scarborough Beach.
That combination can make a beach visit part of an ordinary week rather than an occasional trip. It also means the beachfront has a visitor and evening-activity dimension; promotional descriptions alone do not establish how busy or noisy a particular street will feel.
What is everyday life like beyond the beach?
The suburb has facilities for recreation and day-to-day community life, not just beachfront activities. The City identifies 22 hectares of public open space across local, community and district areas, as well as Abbett Park, which supports football, squash, lawn bowls, tennis and cricket. Scarborough Beach also has a surf lifesaving club and other recreation facilities.
Scarborough Primary School and St John’s Primary School are in the suburb. A library and community recreation centre are near its eastern boundary. The beach precinct includes a supermarket, shops, weekend markets, a hotel and food venues, according to the City’s profile. School eligibility, facility access and current business hours should be checked for the specific address and household.
How much does it cost to live in Scarborough?
Housing ranges from older detached homes and flats to modern units and multi-storey development near the coast. The City describes an average lot size of 800 square metres, with smaller lots north of Scarborough Beach Road. This mix means that price, space and day-to-day experience can vary materially by building and location.
REIWA’s suburb profile reported a median house sale price of about $1.545 million and median rent of $890 per week, with data updated 28 September 2026. These are market snapshots, not guarantees of what a particular home will cost, and they can change. Compare properties of the same type and check current listings before setting a budget. REIWA Scarborough suburb profile.
For context, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2021 Census recorded 17,605 residents, a median age of 36, median weekly household income of $2,107, median weekly rent of $405, median monthly mortgage repayments of $2,167, and an average of 1.7 motor vehicles per dwelling. Those rent and mortgage figures describe conditions in 2021; they are not current housing costs. ABS 2021 Census QuickStats: Scarborough (WA).
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How good is public transport?
The City says the free Surf CAT runs daily from Stirling Station along Ellen Stirling Boulevard and Scarborough Beach Road to Scarborough Beach. Its destination page describes a connection to the coast every ten minutes. Routes and timetables can change, so confirm current service details with the Public Transport Authority before relying on a particular frequency. REIWA identifies Stirling and Glendalough as train-station access points, with bus links.
These connections make the beach accessible by public transport, but the sources do not establish commute times from every home in the suburb. Test the trip from the actual address to work, school or other regular destinations, including the evening return journey. The City’s profile also records resident feedback asking for better public-transport connections to other parts of Perth, particularly along the coast north and south; that is reported feedback, not a measured assessment of service quality.
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Is Scarborough a good fit for families or a changing household?
The City’s July 2025 Future Scarborough item projected 22,748 residents by 2035, a 20% increase. It also reported that 83% of households were couple families, 51% had children and 39% of homes were privately rented. These are City-reported planning and profile figures, not a current population count or a guarantee about a household’s experience. City of Stirling: Future Scarborough.
For a family, nearby schools, open space and sporting facilities may be useful, but the right choice depends on school eligibility, the route to facilities and the home’s layout. Renters and buyers should also compare dwelling type and total housing costs: the suburb includes older homes and flats as well as newer units and coastal apartments.
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What should you know about the night-time environment?
The City profile records resident feedback calling for “Better security at night for anti-social behaviour.” It says the beach precinct has been the focus of a crowded-places assessment, work with WA Police and CCTV upgrades. This establishes that night-time security has been a local concern and a focus of management; it does not establish a suburb-wide crime rate, a trend, or whether Scarborough is safer or less safe than nearby suburbs. City of Stirling suburb profile.
If quiet or a particular sense of security is a priority, visit the exact street at different times and consider how close it is to the active beach precinct. Do not treat a general suburb description as a substitute for assessing the individual location.
How to decide whether Scarborough suits you
- Choose it for the coast: the strongest case is regular access to the beach, outdoor recreation and a developed hospitality and events precinct.
- Check the budget against the home type: use current, comparable sale or rental listings rather than the 2021 Census housing figures.
- Test your real journeys: check the exact door-to-door route, service schedule and late return options instead of assuming the Surf CAT or train stations make every commute convenient.
- Match amenities to your routine: confirm school eligibility, park and sports access, shops, and community facilities from the address you are considering.
- Assess the setting in person: a home beside the active beach precinct may feel different from one elsewhere in a suburb with varied housing and lot sizes.
Scarborough is most compelling for someone who will make regular use of the coast and is comfortable with the housing costs and activity around a popular beach destination. It is less compelling if the top priorities are lower housing costs, rail access at the doorstep, or a quiet home immediately beside the beach precinct.
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