Bega vs Tarraganda
Bega is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 50 in Tarraganda. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Tarraganda, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Tarraganda: a median of $1.4 million, against $625,000 in Bega, though rent is higher in Bega. On these figures, Bega tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Tarraganda suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bega has more parks and reserves (15 vs 0)
- Tarraganda carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 82/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Bega has cheaper houses ($625,000 vs $1,400,000)
- Tarraganda has cheaper land ($445,000 vs $905,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Tarraganda
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $320/wk)
- But Bega has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 13%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bega
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (57/100 vs 17/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bega
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (5 vs 0)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (12% vs 2%)
- is more walkable (57/100 vs 17/100)
- But Tarraganda carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 82/100)
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
Bega and Tarraganda drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Bega has more residents (5,013 vs 346); Tarraganda has higher household incomes ($83,824 vs $62,192).
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,013 +93% vs other | 346 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.4% | +3.6% |
| Median age | 43 | 50 |
| Median household income | $62,192/yr | $83,824/yr +35% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk +16% vs other | $270/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $625,000 | $1,400,000 |
| Median unit price | $443,750 | — |
| Median land price | $905,000 | $445,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 59 days from 13 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Tarraganda has more rural and farming land (77% vs 56%).
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 56% | 77% |
| Residential | 29% | 17% |
| Environmental | 5% | 3% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% same for both | |
| Industrial | 3% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 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
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Bega Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -32% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.7% $555/wk on $778K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 40% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 68% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 27% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 69% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 86% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 57% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Bega is more walkable (57 vs 17).
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 36/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Bega carries more crime risk (82 vs 54).
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 82/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| 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 | 4 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 6 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 3 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 0 |
Schools in Bega
- St Patrick's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Bega High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Bega Valley Public School Government · Primary at peers
- Mumbulla School for Rudolf Steiner Education Independent · Primary at peers
- Sapphire Coast Anglican College Independent · Combined below peers
- Thomas More Christian Montessori School Independent · Primary below peers
Schools in Tarraganda
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 11 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 15 | 0 |
| Childcare | 6 | 0 |
| GPs | 5 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 8 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 4 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 1 |
Mobility
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 57/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 510.6 km | 510.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 351 min | 353 min |
| Public transport score | 67/100 Bus | 20/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 63.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2550 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2550 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.9%).
Setting
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 43 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 12.2 km | 10.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 76/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 38% 3,119 premises | 0% 145 premises |
Climate
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 768 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,767/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bega Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bega | Tarraganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bega
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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.