Benandarah vs Maloneys Beach
Maloneys Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 57 in Benandarah. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Benandarah, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Benandarah: a median of $2.44 million, against $820,000 in Maloneys Beach, though rent is higher in Maloneys Beach. On these figures, Benandarah tends to suit people living alone, while Maloneys Beach suits families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Maloneys Beach
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 36%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (90% vs 62%)
- carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Maloneys Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($820,000 vs $2,440,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Benandarah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $380/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 35%)
- But Maloneys Beach has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 10%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Benandarah sits closer to the CBD (271.9 km vs 280.3 km)
- Maloneys Beach is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Benandarah has more units and townhouses to downsize into (38% vs 10%)
- Maloneys Beach is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Maloneys Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.0% vs -0.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Benandarah and Maloneys Beach 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
Maloneys Beach has more residents (408 vs 165); Maloneys Beach rents higher ($380/wk vs $230/wk).
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 165 | 408 +147% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.6% | +10.0% |
| Median age | 57 | 51 |
| Median household income | $53,300/yr | $56,940/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $230/wk | $380/wk +65% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.5%).
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 (6.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,440,000 | $820,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 46 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
Benandarah has more rural and farming land (74% vs 55%); Maloneys Beach has more land zoned for conservation (39% vs 26%).
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 74% | 55% |
| Environmental | 26% | 39% |
| Residential | 0% | 5% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Benandarah and 99% of Maloneys Beach. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 211 across Eurobodalla same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -9% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
Liveability
Maloneys Beach is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Benandarah carries more crime risk (76 vs 61); Maloneys Beach carries more bushfire risk (70 vs 60).
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | High 70/100 |
| Crime | High 76/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 40/100 | Low 31/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 4 | 0 |
| Waterways | 27 | 0 |
Mobility
Maloneys Beach sits further from the CBD (280.3 km vs 271.9 km).
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 271.9 km | 280.3 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 235 min | 234 min |
| 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (93.3%).
Setting
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 136 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.6 km | 1.3 km 1.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 82/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 111 premises | 66% 268 premises |
Climate
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,246/yr same for both | |
| Council | Eurobodalla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Benandarah | Maloneys Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Benandarah
Other comparisons with Maloneys Beach
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.