Best Central Coast suburbs for owner-occupiers

Bensville tops the list, with 93% of its occupied dwellings owner-occupied. Across the ranking, owner-occupier shares run from 78.3% to 95.9%. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 74 eligible Central Coast suburbs.

This ranking scores every eligible Central Coast suburb on the share of occupied dwellings that are owner-occupied, from the ABS 2021 census, blended with residential stability (low dwelling churn), walkability and safety. These are the settled, owner-heavy neighbourhoods where most residents own the home they live in.

Owner-occupier share leads the score, but stability matters too: a suburb where most homes are owned and the dwelling stock isn't churning through constant construction reads as an established community rather than a transient one. Walkability and safety round out the blend so the list favours neighbourhoods that are pleasant to live in, not merely owned. Percentiles are computed within Central Coast, so each suburb ranks against its own metro.

Central Coast's most owner-occupied suburbs

Ranked on the share of occupied dwellings that are owner-occupied (ABS 2021 census tenure), blended with residential stability (low dwelling churn), walkability and safety — the settled, owner-heavy neighbourhoods where most residents own the home they live in.

Bensville

NSW 2251 · 2,500 residents

7% renting · 93% owner-occupied · 55/100 safety

B 84.7

Davistown

NSW 2251 · 2,602 residents

16% renting · 84% owner-occupied · 72/100 safety

B 83.0

Avoca Beach

NSW 2251 · 4,708 residents

17% renting · 83% owner-occupied · 66/100 safety

B 81.3

Saratoga

NSW 2251 · 3,982 residents

16% renting · 84% owner-occupied · 76/100 safety

B 77.7

Lisarow

NSW 2250 · 5,299 residents

14% renting · 86% owner-occupied · 38/100 safety

B 77.1

Glenning Valley

NSW 2261 · 2,023 residents

13% renting · 87% owner-occupied · 46/100 safety

C 76.4

St Huberts Island

NSW 2257 · 1,080 residents

9% renting · 91% owner-occupied · 87/100 safety

B 76.4

Holgate

NSW 2250 · 1,023 residents

4% renting · 96% owner-occupied · 54/100 safety

B 74.3

Shelly Beach

NSW 2261 · 1,313 residents

16% renting · 84% owner-occupied · 74/100 safety

B 73.5

Lake Munmorah

NSW 2259 · 5,084 residents

18% renting · 82% owner-occupied · 24/100 safety

D 73.2

North Avoca

NSW 2260 · 2,318 residents

15% renting · 85% owner-occupied · 86/100 safety

A 73.2

Matcham

NSW 2250 · 1,038 residents

6% renting · 94% owner-occupied · 51/100 safety

B 72.9

Kincumber

NSW 2251 · 7,398 residents

22% renting · 78% owner-occupied · 66/100 safety

C 70.0

Empire Bay

NSW 2257 · 2,522 residents

18% renting · 82% owner-occupied · 59/100 safety

B 68.7

Norah Head

NSW 2263 · 1,149 residents

19% renting · 81% owner-occupied · 32/100 safety

C 67.4

Ranked from 74 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

55% owner-occupier share (percentile within Central Coast) · 25% residential stability (low 2016→2021 dwelling churn) · 10% walkability · 10% safety (bushfire, crime, flood combined). Owner-occupier share comes from ABS 2021 census tenure — the share of occupied dwellings owned outright or with a mortgage. Percentiles are computed within Central Coast's candidate pool. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are the best Central Coast suburbs for owner-occupiers?

How is this ranking scored?

Each eligible Central Coast suburb is scored on four factors: 55% owner-occupier share (the share of occupied dwellings owned outright or with a mortgage, from the ABS 2021 census, ranked as a percentile within Central Coast), 25% residential stability (low dwelling churn between the 2016 and 2021 censuses), 10% walkability, and 10% safety (bushfire, crime and flood risks combined).

What counts as owner-occupied?

A dwelling lived in by its owner — whether owned outright or with a mortgage — as opposed to rented. The figure is the owner-occupied share of all tenure-classified occupied private dwellings in the ABS 2021 census, and it's the exact complement of the rental share our investor ranking uses.

Which suburbs are eligible?

A suburb needs a resident population of at least 1,000 and a 2021 census tenure record. Suburbs below the threshold or missing census tenure data are excluded, not penalised, so the ranking isn't dominated by tiny outliers.

How often is this list updated?

The top 15 is recomputed whenever the underlying data refreshes. Tenure comes from the ABS census (every five years); the growth and safety inputs refresh alongside their own datasets.

Same list in other cities

Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

Was the information on this page useful to you?

Best Central Coast suburbs for owner-occupiers

Central Coast's most owner-occupied suburbs

Common questions about this ranking

Same list in other cities

Related

Save this page for later