Bar Beach vs The Hill

The Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 41 in Bar Beach. In Bar Beach, most households own their home. In The Hill, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bar Beach: a median of $3.61 million, against $1.89 million in The Hill. On these figures, The Hill tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Bar Beach has more separate houses rather than flats (40% vs 13%)
  • The Hill has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

The Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,887,500 vs $3,610,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

The Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (55% vs 42%)

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

Commuting to the city

The Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (98/100 vs 89/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

The Hill

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (87% vs 60%)
  • carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 92/100)
  • is more walkable (98/100 vs 89/100)

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

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

Bar Beach The Hill
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.

Bar Beach The Hill
Walkability 89 / 98
Bar Beach — Walkability: 89/100 The Hill — Walkability: 98/100
Safety 8 / 31
Bar Beach — Safety: 8/100 The Hill — Safety: 31/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bar Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 The Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

The Hill has more residents (2,076 vs 1,292); Bar Beach has higher household incomes ($119,600 vs $96,148).

Bar Beach The Hill
Population 1,292 2,076
+61% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.9% +6.8%
Median age 41 34
Median household income $119,600/yr
+20% vs other
 $96,148/yr
Median weekly rent $393/wk $390/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bar Beach The Hill
0-4 3.4% / 2.8%
Bar Beach — 0-4: 3.4% The Hill — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 9.0% / 7.6%
Bar Beach — 5-14: 9.0% The Hill — 5-14: 7.6%
15-19 6.3% / 4.2%
Bar Beach — 15-19: 6.3% The Hill — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 9.6% / 12.9%
Bar Beach — 20-24: 9.6% The Hill — 20-24: 12.9%
25-34 14.6% / 24.2%
Bar Beach — 25-34: 14.6% The Hill — 25-34: 24.2%
35-44 10.9% / 13.0%
Bar Beach — 35-44: 10.9% The Hill — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 15.9% / 11.5%
Bar Beach — 45-54: 15.9% The Hill — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 15.1% / 10.1%
Bar Beach — 55-64: 15.1% The Hill — 55-64: 10.1%
65-74 9.4% / 8.9%
Bar Beach — 65-74: 9.4% The Hill — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 4.8% / 3.8%
Bar Beach — 75-84: 4.8% The Hill — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ 1.2% / 1.2%
Bar Beach — 85+: 1.2% The Hill — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bar Beach 44.5% lone person
Bar Beach — Lone Person: 44.5% Bar Beach — Couple Families: 32.6% Bar Beach — Group Household: 13.0% Bar Beach — One Parent Families: 7.3% Bar Beach — Other Families: 2.6%
The Hill 52.5% lone person
The Hill — Lone Person: 52.5% The Hill — Couple Families: 21.0% The Hill — Group Household: 17.9% The Hill — One Parent Families: 7.9% The Hill — Other Families: 0.7%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bar Beach 42.2% renting
Bar Beach — Owned Outright: 33.3% Bar Beach — Mortgage: 24.5% Bar Beach — Renting: 42.2%
The Hill 55.4% renting
The Hill — Owned Outright: 24.8% The Hill — Mortgage: 19.8% The Hill — Renting: 55.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bar Beach The Hill
Bachelor Degree 25.6% / 29.5%
Bar Beach — Bachelor Degree: 25.6% The Hill — Bachelor Degree: 29.5%
Postgraduate Degree 10.0% / 12.7%
Bar Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 10.0% The Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 12.7%
Certificate III & IV 10.1% / 9.2%
Bar Beach — Certificate III & IV: 10.1% The Hill — Certificate III & IV: 9.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.7% / 7.0%
Bar Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7% The Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 3.8%
Bar Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% The Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.5%).

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.

Bar Beach The Hill
England 3.7% / 2.2%
Bar Beach — England: 3.7% The Hill — England: 2.2%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.8%
Bar Beach — New Zealand: 1.7% The Hill — New Zealand: 1.8%
India 0.7% / 0.9%
Bar Beach — India: 0.7% The Hill — India: 0.9%
Italy 0.5% / 0.5%
Bar Beach — Italy: 0.5% The Hill — Italy: 0.5%
South Africa 0.9% / —
Bar Beach — South Africa: 0.9% The Hill — South Africa: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.7%
Bar Beach — Germany: not among its largest The Hill — Germany: 0.7%
China — / 0.5%
Bar Beach — China: not among its largest The Hill — China: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bar Beach 39.2% flats / apartments
Bar Beach — Flats / Apartments: 39.2% Bar Beach — Houses: 40.2% Bar Beach — Townhouses: 20.7%
The Hill 62.2% flats / apartments
The Hill — Flats / Apartments: 62.2% The Hill — Houses: 13.4% The Hill — Townhouses: 24.4%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Bar Beach The Hill
Median house price $3,610,000 $1,887,500
Median unit price $757,500 $722,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 82 days
from 4 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Bar Beach The Hill
Residential 58% 73%
Parks and recreation 41% 27%
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

Bar Beach The Hill
New dwellings approved 912
across Newcastle
same for both
Approvals change year on year +77%
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.

Bar Beach The Hill
Houses — 2.2%
$800/wk on $1.85M
Units — 3.8%
$610/wk on $832K

Ranking within NSW

Bar Beach The Hill
House price Higher than 95% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Income Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 14% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 91% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 3% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 18% of NSW

Liveability

The Hill is more walkable (98 vs 89).

Bar Beach The Hill
Grade B
same for both
Score 62/100 59/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Bar Beach carries more crime risk (92 vs 69).

Bar Beach The Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 Moderate
69/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
49/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 9
within 5 km
 10
within 5 km

Schools

Bar Beach The Hill
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 1.7 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 0.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.7% 5.8%

Schools in Bar Beach

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

Schools in The Hill

  • Newcastle East Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Newcastle Grammar School Independent · Combined
  • Indie School Newcastle Independent · Secondary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Bar Beach The Hill
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 1 2
Childcare 0 1

Mobility

Bar Beach The Hill
Walkability score 89/100 98/100
Distance to Sydney 161 km
same for both
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min
same for both
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 52/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 29.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 16.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 2300
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 12
postcode 2300
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.

Bar Beach The Hill
Car (driver) 57.1% / 49.7%
Bar Beach — Car (driver): 57.1% The Hill — Car (driver): 49.7%
Worked from Home 31.2% / 36.5%
Bar Beach — Worked from Home: 31.2% The Hill — Worked from Home: 36.5%
Walked Only 4.5% / 8.8%
Bar Beach — Walked Only: 4.5% The Hill — Walked Only: 8.8%
Bicycle 3.0% / 1.8%
Bar Beach — Bicycle: 3.0% The Hill — Bicycle: 1.8%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 1.5%
Bar Beach — Car (passenger): 2.9% The Hill — Car (passenger): 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.1%).

Setting

Bar Beach The Hill
Elevation 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 50 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 207 m
344 m to a named beach
 449 m
971 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Bar Beach The Hill
Connectivity score 56/100 51/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 20%
717 premises
 12%
1,265 premises

Climate

Bar Beach The Hill
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bar Beach The Hill
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 21.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.64 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Bar Beach The Hill
Average residential rate $1,783/yr
same for both
Council Newcastle
same for both

Federal electorate

Bar Beach The Hill
Division Newcastle
same for both
Member Sharon Claydon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bar Beach The Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bar Beach

Apartments Beach Beachfront Coastal Luxury Professionals Townhouses

The Hill

Apartments Beach Cafe Culture Coastal Nightlife Parks Professionals River Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bar Beach

Bar Beach vs Merewether Bar Beach vs Cooks Hill Bar Beach vs The Junction

Other comparisons with The Hill

The Hill vs Newcastle The Hill vs Cooks Hill
Full data on Bar Beach Full data on The Hill
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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.

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