Arcadia Vale vs Awaba

Awaba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Arcadia Vale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Awaba, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Arcadia Vale: a median of $860,000, against $735,000 in Awaba, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Awaba tends to suit couples.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Arcadia Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 82/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Awaba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($735,000 vs $860,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Awaba

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $385/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Arcadia Vale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (45/100 vs 18/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (100 min vs 105 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Arcadia Vale

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 82/100)
  • is more walkable (45/100 vs 18/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 15%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Arcadia Vale and Awaba drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Walkability 45 / 18
Arcadia Vale — Walkability: 45/100 Awaba — Walkability: 18/100
Safety 73 / 18
Arcadia Vale — Safety: 73/100 Awaba — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 21 / 33
Arcadia Vale — Low fire risk: 21/100 Awaba — Low fire risk: 33/100

Demographics

Arcadia Vale has more residents (1,431 vs 430); Arcadia Vale rents higher ($385/wk vs $300/wk).

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Population 1,431
+70% vs other
 430
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.8% +7.0%
Median age 45 40
Median household income $80,600/yr $89,752/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $385/wk
+22% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
0-4 4.7% / 4.2%
Arcadia Vale — 0-4: 4.7% Awaba — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 12.4% / 15.8%
Arcadia Vale — 5-14: 12.4% Awaba — 5-14: 15.8%
15-19 6.1% / 7.9%
Arcadia Vale — 15-19: 6.1% Awaba — 15-19: 7.9%
20-24 5.6% / 6.7%
Arcadia Vale — 20-24: 5.6% Awaba — 20-24: 6.7%
25-34 9.7% / 10.5%
Arcadia Vale — 25-34: 9.7% Awaba — 25-34: 10.5%
35-44 10.8% / 9.3%
Arcadia Vale — 35-44: 10.8% Awaba — 35-44: 9.3%
45-54 14.3% / 17.2%
Arcadia Vale — 45-54: 14.3% Awaba — 45-54: 17.2%
55-64 16.4% / 15.6%
Arcadia Vale — 55-64: 16.4% Awaba — 55-64: 15.6%
65-74 12.1% / 8.8%
Arcadia Vale — 65-74: 12.1% Awaba — 65-74: 8.8%
75-84 6.4% / 4.4%
Arcadia Vale — 75-84: 6.4% Awaba — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 2.2% / 1.9%
Arcadia Vale — 85+: 2.2% Awaba — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Arcadia Vale 43.1% couple families
Arcadia Vale — Couple Families: 43.1% Arcadia Vale — Lone Person: 33.2% Arcadia Vale — One Parent Families: 21.4% Arcadia Vale — Group Household: 2.3%
Awaba 57.1% couple families
Awaba — Couple Families: 57.1% Awaba — Lone Person: 28.6% Awaba — One Parent Families: 10.2% Awaba — Group Household: 4.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Arcadia Vale 17.7% renting
Arcadia Vale — Owned Outright: 37.6% Arcadia Vale — Mortgage: 44.7% Arcadia Vale — Renting: 17.7%
Awaba 8.6% renting
Awaba — Owned Outright: 39.6% Awaba — Mortgage: 51.8% Awaba — Renting: 8.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Certificate III & IV 23.0% / 22.6%
Arcadia Vale — Certificate III & IV: 23.0% Awaba — Certificate III & IV: 22.6%
Bachelor Degree 7.6% / 8.8%
Arcadia Vale — Bachelor Degree: 7.6% Awaba — Bachelor Degree: 8.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 4.9%
Arcadia Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Awaba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9%
Postgraduate Degree 2.1% / 0.9%
Arcadia Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1% Awaba — Postgraduate Degree: 0.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 0.7%
Arcadia Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Awaba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
England 2.9% / 2.1%
Arcadia Vale — England: 2.9% Awaba — England: 2.1%
New Zealand 1.5% / —
Arcadia Vale — New Zealand: 1.5% Awaba — New Zealand: not among its largest
Canada — / 0.9%
Arcadia Vale — Canada: not among its largest Awaba — Canada: 0.9%
Ireland 0.8% / —
Arcadia Vale — Ireland: 0.8% Awaba — Ireland: not among its largest
Thailand 0.6% / —
Arcadia Vale — Thailand: 0.6% Awaba — Thailand: not among its largest
Scotland 0.6% / —
Arcadia Vale — Scotland: 0.6% Awaba — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Arcadia Vale 98.2% houses
Arcadia Vale — Houses: 98.2% Arcadia Vale — Flats / Apartments: 1.3% Arcadia Vale — Townhouses: 0.6%
Awaba 97.9% houses
Awaba — Houses: 97.9% Awaba — Flats / Apartments: 2.1% Awaba — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Median house price $860,000 $735,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $417,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 13 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Awaba has more land zoned for conservation (80% vs 28%).

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Environmental 28% 80%
Residential 62% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 11%
Parks and recreation 6% 1%
Rural and farming 1% 5%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Arcadia Vale Awaba
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Houses 4.1%
$650/wk on $830K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Arcadia Vale Awaba
House price Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Income Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 61% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 76% of NSW —

Liveability

Arcadia Vale is more walkable (45 vs 18).

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Grade C —
Score 40/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Awaba carries more crime risk (82 vs 27); Arcadia Vale carries more bushfire risk (79 vs 67).

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Bushfire High
79/100
 Moderate
67/100
Crime Low
27/100
 High
82/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Arcadia Vale

  • Arcadia Vale Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Awaba

  • Awaba Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 2 0
Waterways 0 7

Mobility

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Walkability score 45/100 18/100
Distance to Sydney 126.8 km 128.6 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 100 min 105 min
Public transport score 49/100
Bus
 37/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 18.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 4.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 8 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2283
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 2283
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Car (driver) 71.4% / 76.3%
Arcadia Vale — Car (driver): 71.4% Awaba — Car (driver): 76.3%
Worked from Home 24.2% / 18.6%
Arcadia Vale — Worked from Home: 24.2% Awaba — Worked from Home: 18.6%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 5.1%
Arcadia Vale — Car (passenger): 3.1% Awaba — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Train 1.3% / —
Arcadia Vale — Train: 1.3% Awaba — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.3%).

Setting

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 57 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.6 km 11.5 km

NBN connectivity

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Connectivity score 94/100 50/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 70%
657 premises
 10%
161 premises

Climate

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm 1,025 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C 25.4°C
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C 10.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Arcadia Vale Awaba
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.27 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Arcadia Vale Awaba
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Arcadia Vale

Large Blocks Quiet

Awaba

Rural Trains

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Arcadia Vale

Arcadia Vale vs Wangi Wangi Arcadia Vale vs Buttaba

Other comparisons with Awaba

Awaba vs Cooranbong Awaba vs Toronto Awaba vs Wangi Wangi Awaba vs Blackalls Park Awaba vs Rathmines Awaba vs Buttaba
Full data on Arcadia Vale Full data on Awaba
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or