Benandarah vs Nelligen
Nelligen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 57 in Benandarah. In both, the large majority of households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Benandarah, most households are people living alone. In Nelligen, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Benandarah: a median of $2.44 million, against $849,000 in Nelligen, though rent is higher in Nelligen. On these figures, Benandarah tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Nelligen suits 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
Nelligen
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 62%)
- is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 36%)
- carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Nelligen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($849,000 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 $400/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 35%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Benandarah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (271.9 km vs 290.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (235 min vs 247 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Benandarah
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (38% vs 2%)
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 24%)
- But Nelligen carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Nelligen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.2% vs -0.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Benandarah and Nelligen 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
Nelligen has more residents (399 vs 165); Nelligen rents higher ($400/wk vs $230/wk).
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 165 | 399 +142% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.6% | +20.2% |
| Median age | 57 | 53 |
| Median household income | $53,300/yr | $59,696/yr +12% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $230/wk | $400/wk +74% 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 (2.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,440,000 | $849,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 233 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
Benandarah has more land zoned for conservation (26% vs 14%); Nelligen has more rural and farming land (84% vs 74%).
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 74% | 84% |
| Environmental | 26% | 14% |
| 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 | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 211 across Eurobodalla same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -9% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
Liveability
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 57); Nelligen carries more bushfire risk (72 vs 60).
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | High 72/100 |
| Crime | High 76/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 40/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 4 | 0 |
| Waterways | 27 | 11 |
Mobility
Nelligen sits further from the CBD (290.6 km vs 271.9 km).
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 271.9 km | 290.6 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 235 min | 247 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 | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 136 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 107 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.6 km | 8.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 111 premises | 0% 240 premises |
Climate
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,246/yr same for both | |
| Council | Eurobodalla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Benandarah | Nelligen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Nelligen
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.