Bangalow vs Talofa

Bangalow is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 47 in Talofa. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Bangalow tends to suit families with children, while Talofa suits young adults.

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

Bangalow

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 84/100)

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

First-home buyers

Bangalow

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 31%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Talofa

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 31%)
  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $650/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Bangalow

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (69/100 vs 14/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bangalow

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (69/100 vs 14/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 84/100)
  • But Talofa has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 16%)

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

Investors

Bangalow

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (36.2% vs -6.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bangalow Talofa
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.

Bangalow Talofa
Walkability 69 / 14
Bangalow — Walkability: 69/100 Talofa — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 56 / 16
Bangalow — Safety: 56/100 Talofa — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bangalow — Low fire risk: 100/100 Talofa — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Bangalow has more residents (2,752 vs 103); Bangalow rents higher ($650/wk vs $300/wk).

Bangalow Talofa
Population 2,752
+96% vs other
 103
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +36.2% -6.4%
Median age 40 47
Median household income $109,044/yr $159,224/yr
+46% vs other
Median weekly rent $650/wk
+54% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bangalow Talofa
0-4 7.3% / 2.9%
Bangalow — 0-4: 7.3% Talofa — 0-4: 2.9%
5-14 15.1% / 5.8%
Bangalow — 5-14: 15.1% Talofa — 5-14: 5.8%
15-19 4.5% / 5.8%
Bangalow — 15-19: 4.5% Talofa — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 3.6% / 12.6%
Bangalow — 20-24: 3.6% Talofa — 20-24: 12.6%
25-34 10.5% / 14.6%
Bangalow — 25-34: 10.5% Talofa — 25-34: 14.6%
35-44 15.7% / 10.7%
Bangalow — 35-44: 15.7% Talofa — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 15.4% / 11.7%
Bangalow — 45-54: 15.4% Talofa — 45-54: 11.7%
55-64 12.0% / 15.5%
Bangalow — 55-64: 12.0% Talofa — 55-64: 15.5%
65-74 9.8% / 15.5%
Bangalow — 65-74: 9.8% Talofa — 65-74: 15.5%
75-84 3.6% / 2.9%
Bangalow — 75-84: 3.6% Talofa — 75-84: 2.9%
85+ 2.3% / 4.9%
Bangalow — 85+: 2.3% Talofa — 85+: 4.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bangalow 51.3% couple families
Bangalow — Couple Families: 51.3% Bangalow — Lone Person: 26.0% Bangalow — One Parent Families: 15.9% Bangalow — Group Household: 6.3% Bangalow — Other Families: 0.5%
Talofa 50.0% couple families
Talofa — Couple Families: 50.0% Talofa — Lone Person: 28.6% Talofa — One Parent Families: 21.4% Talofa — Group Household: 0.0% Talofa — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bangalow 26.6% renting
Bangalow — Owned Outright: 31.8% Bangalow — Mortgage: 41.6% Bangalow — Renting: 26.6%
Talofa 26.3% renting
Talofa — Owned Outright: 39.5% Talofa — Mortgage: 34.2% Talofa — Renting: 26.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bangalow Talofa
Bachelor Degree 17.6% / 22.3%
Bangalow — Bachelor Degree: 17.6% Talofa — Bachelor Degree: 22.3%
Certificate III & IV 10.0% / 12.6%
Bangalow — Certificate III & IV: 10.0% Talofa — Certificate III & IV: 12.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 7.8%
Bangalow — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Talofa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Postgraduate Degree 5.0% / 3.9%
Bangalow — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0% Talofa — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / —
Bangalow — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Talofa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).

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.

Bangalow Talofa
England 6.8% / 3.9%
Bangalow — England: 6.8% Talofa — England: 3.9%
Malaysia — / 2.9%
Bangalow — Malaysia: not among its largest Talofa — Malaysia: 2.9%
New Zealand 2.8% / —
Bangalow — New Zealand: 2.8% Talofa — New Zealand: not among its largest
South Africa 0.7% / —
Bangalow — South Africa: 0.7% Talofa — South Africa: not among its largest
Germany 0.7% / —
Bangalow — Germany: 0.7% Talofa — Germany: not among its largest
Canada 0.4% / —
Bangalow — Canada: 0.4% Talofa — Canada: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bangalow 94.3% houses
Bangalow — Houses: 94.3% Bangalow — Flats / Apartments: 3.5% Bangalow — Townhouses: 2.2%
Talofa 97.0% houses
Talofa — Houses: 97.0% Talofa — Flats / Apartments: 3.0% Talofa — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Bangalow Talofa
Median house price $1,550,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,585,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 46 days
from 48 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Bangalow Talofa
Rural and farming 89% 93%
Residential 4% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 4%
same for both
Other and special use 0% 2%
Environmental 1% 0%
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

Bangalow Talofa
New dwellings approved 129
across Byron
same for both
Approvals change year on year -65%
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.

Bangalow Talofa
Houses 3.5%
$950/wk on $1.4M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bangalow Talofa
House price Higher than 75% of NSW —
Income Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 40% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of NSW —

Liveability

Bangalow is more walkable (69 vs 14).

Bangalow Talofa
Grade B —
Score 67/100 —
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Talofa carries more crime risk (84 vs 44).

Bangalow Talofa
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
44/100
 High
84/100
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 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Bangalow Talofa
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Bangalow

  • Bangalow Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Talofa

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Bangalow Talofa
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 13 0
Parks & reserves 4 0
Childcare 4 0
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 13 3

Mobility

Bangalow Talofa
Walkability score 69/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 748.6 km 749.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 479 min 478 min
Public transport score 38/100
Bus
 20/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 13.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 3.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 2 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.4%
postcode 2479
 1.9%
postcode 2481
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 86
postcode 2479
 61
postcode 2481

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.

Bangalow Talofa
Car (driver) 56.0% / 50.0%
Bangalow — Car (driver): 56.0% Talofa — Car (driver): 50.0%
Worked from Home 36.3% / 43.2%
Bangalow — Worked from Home: 36.3% Talofa — Worked from Home: 43.2%
Walked Only 5.2% / 6.8%
Bangalow — Walked Only: 5.2% Talofa — Walked Only: 6.8%
Car (passenger) 1.9% / —
Bangalow — Car (passenger): 1.9% Talofa — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bus 0.6% / —
Bangalow — Bus: 0.6% Talofa — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.0%).

Setting

Bangalow Talofa
Elevation 69 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 103 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.1 km 6.1 km

NBN connectivity

Bangalow Talofa
Connectivity score 52/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 26%
1,253 premises
 0%
59 premises

Climate

Bangalow Talofa
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Bangalow Talofa
Average residential rate $1,577/yr
same for both
Council Byron
same for both

Federal electorate

Bangalow Talofa
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bangalow Talofa
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bangalow

Acreage Family Parks Professionals River Village Feel

Talofa

River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bangalow

Bangalow vs Newrybar Bangalow vs Coorabell Bangalow vs Coopers Shoot Bangalow vs Possum Creek Bangalow vs Binna Burra Bangalow vs McLeods Shoot

Other comparisons with Talofa

Talofa vs Coopers Shoot Talofa vs McLeods Shoot
Full data on Bangalow Full data on Talofa
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