Bendalong vs Manyana
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bendalong: a median of $1.38 million, against $840,000 in Manyana. On these figures, Bendalong tends to suit people living alone, while Manyana 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
Manyana
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 67/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (41% vs 33%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Manyana
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($840,000 vs $1,382,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
- Bendalong sits closer to the CBD (214 km vs 217.9 km)
- Manyana is more walkable (31/100 vs 5/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Manyana
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (31/100 vs 5/100)
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 67/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bendalong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (42.1% vs 28.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bendalong and Manyana 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
Manyana has more residents (670 vs 135); Bendalong has higher household incomes ($63,648 vs $56,940).
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 | 670 +396% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +42.1% | +28.6% |
| Median age | 55 same for both | |
| Median household income | $63,648/yr +11% vs other | $56,940/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk | $325/wk +5% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
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 (5.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,382,500 | $840,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $860,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 38 days from 4 sales |
Zoning mix
Bendalong has more land zoned for conservation (62% vs 17%); Bendalong has more rural and farming land (28% vs 16%).
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 62% | 17% |
| Residential | 1% | 55% |
| Rural and farming | 28% | 16% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| Planning zones cover 98% of Bendalong and 97% of Manyana. 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
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 854 across Shoalhaven same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -10% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 89% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 71% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 89% of NSW |
Liveability
Manyana is more walkable (31 vs 5).
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 27/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Bendalong carries more crime risk (67 vs 35).
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 94/100 | High 97/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 67/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 44/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Beaches | 7 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Manyana sits further from the CBD (217.9 km vs 214 km).
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 31/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 214 km | 217.9 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 181 min | 178 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2539 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2539 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 (65.6%).
Setting
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 54 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.8 km 2.8 km to a named beach | 569 m 886 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 43/100 | 80/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 170 premises | 46% 791 premises |
Climate
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,302 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr same for both | |
| Council | Shoalhaven same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bendalong | Manyana | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bendalong
Other comparisons with Manyana
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.