Batemans Bay vs Surfside

Surfside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 53 in Batemans Bay. In Batemans Bay, most households rent and most households are people living alone. In Surfside, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Batemans Bay tends to suit renters, people living alone, and older residents, while Surfside suits families with children.

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

Surfside

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 25%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (89% vs 40%)
  • carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 98/100)
  • But Batemans Bay has more parks and reserves (5 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Surfside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 38%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Batemans Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (58% vs 27%)
  • has cheaper rent ($285/wk vs $350/wk)
  • But Surfside leaves renters under less rental stress (30% vs 36%)

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

Commuting to the city

Surfside

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (46/100 vs 4/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (228 min vs 239 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (276.9 km vs 285.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Batemans Bay

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (60% vs 11%)
  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 25%)
  • But Surfside is more walkable (46/100 vs 4/100)

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

Investors

Surfside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Batemans Bay Surfside
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.

Batemans Bay Surfside
Walkability 4 / 46
Batemans Bay — Walkability: 4/100 Surfside — Walkability: 46/100
Safety 2 / 53
Batemans Bay — Safety: 2/100 Surfside — Safety: 53/100
Low fire risk 22 / 100
Batemans Bay — Low fire risk: 22/100 Surfside — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Surfside has higher household incomes ($60,736 vs $41,132); Surfside rents higher ($350/wk vs $285/wk).

Batemans Bay Surfside
Population 1,573
+7% vs other
 1,456
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.8% +6.2%
Median age 53 47
Median household income $41,132/yr $60,736/yr
+48% vs other
Median weekly rent $285/wk $350/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Batemans Bay Surfside
0-4 4.6% / 4.8%
Batemans Bay — 0-4: 4.6% Surfside — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 7.1% / 13.9%
Batemans Bay — 5-14: 7.1% Surfside — 5-14: 13.9%
15-19 2.9% / 6.1%
Batemans Bay — 15-19: 2.9% Surfside — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 4.3% / 3.4%
Batemans Bay — 20-24: 4.3% Surfside — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 11.1% / 10.3%
Batemans Bay — 25-34: 11.1% Surfside — 25-34: 10.3%
35-44 8.5% / 9.3%
Batemans Bay — 35-44: 8.5% Surfside — 35-44: 9.3%
45-54 13.0% / 12.4%
Batemans Bay — 45-54: 13.0% Surfside — 45-54: 12.4%
55-64 14.9% / 14.6%
Batemans Bay — 55-64: 14.9% Surfside — 55-64: 14.6%
65-74 16.2% / 16.6%
Batemans Bay — 65-74: 16.2% Surfside — 65-74: 16.6%
75-84 13.0% / 7.6%
Batemans Bay — 75-84: 13.0% Surfside — 75-84: 7.6%
85+ 4.5% / 1.2%
Batemans Bay — 85+: 4.5% Surfside — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Batemans Bay 67.1% lone person
Batemans Bay — Lone Person: 67.1% Batemans Bay — Couple Families: 11.1% Batemans Bay — One Parent Families: 13.5% Batemans Bay — Group Household: 6.7% Batemans Bay — Other Families: 1.7%
Surfside 38.5% lone person
Surfside — Lone Person: 38.5% Surfside — Couple Families: 30.2% Surfside — One Parent Families: 25.3% Surfside — Group Household: 4.1% Surfside — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Batemans Bay 57.5% renting
Batemans Bay — Owned Outright: 33.0% Batemans Bay — Mortgage: 9.4% Batemans Bay — Renting: 57.5%
Surfside 27.2% renting
Surfside — Owned Outright: 43.1% Surfside — Mortgage: 29.8% Surfside — Renting: 27.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Batemans Bay Surfside
Certificate III & IV 16.3% / 20.0%
Batemans Bay — Certificate III & IV: 16.3% Surfside — Certificate III & IV: 20.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.8% / 7.1%
Batemans Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8% Surfside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Bachelor Degree 5.3% / 5.8%
Batemans Bay — Bachelor Degree: 5.3% Surfside — Bachelor Degree: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / 1.2%
Batemans Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Surfside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.0% / 1.0%
Batemans Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0% Surfside — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

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.

Batemans Bay Surfside
England 4.8% / 2.8%
Batemans Bay — England: 4.8% Surfside — England: 2.8%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.1%
Batemans Bay — New Zealand: 1.7% Surfside — New Zealand: 1.1%
Nepal 1.1% / —
Batemans Bay — Nepal: 1.1% Surfside — Nepal: not among its largest
Germany — / 1.0%
Batemans Bay — Germany: not among its largest Surfside — Germany: 1.0%
India 0.9% / —
Batemans Bay — India: 0.9% Surfside — India: not among its largest
South Africa 0.6% / —
Batemans Bay — South Africa: 0.6% Surfside — South Africa: not among its largest
Ireland — / 0.6%
Batemans Bay — Ireland: not among its largest Surfside — Ireland: 0.6%
Italy — / 0.5%
Batemans Bay — Italy: not among its largest Surfside — Italy: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Batemans Bay 39.9% houses
Batemans Bay — Houses: 39.9% Batemans Bay — Flats / Apartments: 44.8% Batemans Bay — Townhouses: 15.4%
Surfside 89.0% houses
Surfside — Houses: 89.0% Surfside — Flats / Apartments: 7.2% Surfside — Townhouses: 3.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Batemans Bay Surfside
Median house price $755,000 $740,000
Median unit price $510,000 $549,000
Median land price $737,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 66 days
from 26 sales
 65 days
from 15 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Batemans Bay Surfside
2 bed $562K / $560K
Batemans Bay — 2 bed: $562K (14 sales) Surfside — 2 bed: $560K (6 sales)

14 vs 6 sales

3 bed $718K / $740K
Batemans Bay — 3 bed: $718K (20 sales) Surfside — 3 bed: $740K (26 sales)

20 vs 26 sales

4 bed $895K / $850K
Batemans Bay — 4 bed: $895K (12 sales) Surfside — 4 bed: $850K (8 sales)

12 vs 8 sales

Zoning mix

Batemans Bay has more rural and farming land (38% vs 0%).

Batemans Bay Surfside
Environmental 55% 62%
Rural and farming 38% 0%
Residential 3% 35%
Industrial 2% 0%
Parks and recreation 1%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
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

Batemans Bay Surfside
New dwellings approved 211
across Eurobodalla
same for both
Approvals change year on year -9%
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.

Batemans Bay Surfside
Houses 3.3%
$535/wk on $850K
 4.0%
$630/wk on $811K
Units 2.6%
$450/wk on $890K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Batemans Bay Surfside
House price Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
Income Higher than 5% of NSW —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 21% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 62% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 1% of NSW —

Liveability

Surfside is more walkable (46 vs 4); Surfside scores higher overall (45 vs 7).

Batemans Bay Surfside
Grade D C
Score 7/100 45/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Batemans Bay carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 0); Batemans Bay carries more crime risk (98 vs 47).

Batemans Bay Surfside
Bushfire High
78/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
98/100
 Moderate
47/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
84/100
 High
78/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Batemans Bay Surfside
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Batemans Bay Surfside
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 22 0
Parks & reserves 5 1
Childcare 0 2
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 8 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 3 0
Beaches 0 1
Waterways 6 0

Mobility

Batemans Bay sits further from the CBD (285.8 km vs 276.9 km).

Batemans Bay Surfside
Walkability score 4/100 46/100
Distance to Sydney 285.8 km
+3% vs other
 276.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 239 min 228 min
Public transport score 61/100
Bus
 38/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 24.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 12.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2536
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 41
postcode 2536
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.

Batemans Bay Surfside
Car (driver) 70.3% / 80.3%
Batemans Bay — Car (driver): 70.3% Surfside — Car (driver): 80.3%
Walked Only 13.8% / 2.5%
Batemans Bay — Walked Only: 13.8% Surfside — Walked Only: 2.5%
Worked from Home 6.3% / 9.1%
Batemans Bay — Worked from Home: 6.3% Surfside — Worked from Home: 9.1%
Car (passenger) 8.4% / 6.8%
Batemans Bay — Car (passenger): 8.4% Surfside — Car (passenger): 6.8%
Bus — / 1.3%
Batemans Bay — Bus: not among its largest Surfside — Bus: 1.3%
Bicycle 1.2% / —
Batemans Bay — Bicycle: 1.2% Surfside — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.3%).

Setting

Batemans Bay Surfside
Elevation 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 -4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.5 km
4.1 km to a named beach
 597 m
880 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Batemans Bay Surfside
Connectivity score 60/100 76/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
2,023 premises
 58%
815 premises

Climate

Batemans Bay Surfside
Annual rainfall 914 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 23.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Batemans Bay Surfside
Average residential rate $1,246/yr
same for both
Council Eurobodalla
same for both

Federal electorate

Batemans Bay Surfside
Division Gilmore
same for both
Member Fiona Phillips
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Batemans Bay Surfside
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Batemans Bay

Affordable Apartments Coastal Retirees Rural

Surfside

Beach Coastal Large Blocks Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Batemans Bay

Batemans Bay vs Catalina Batemans Bay vs Batehaven Batemans Bay vs Long Beach Batemans Bay vs North Batemans Bay Batemans Bay vs Nelligen Batemans Bay vs Mogo

Other comparisons with Surfside

Surfside vs Long Beach Surfside vs North Batemans Bay
Full data on Batemans Bay Full data on Surfside
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.

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