Bensville vs Empire Bay

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bensville, most households are couple families. In Empire Bay, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Bensville tends to suit 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

Bensville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Empire Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 7%)
  • has cheaper rent ($410/wk vs $463/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Empire Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (51/100 vs 41/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Empire Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (51/100 vs 41/100)

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

Investors

Empire Bay

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (5.1% vs -1.8%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (6.0% vs 3.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bensville Empire Bay
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.

Bensville Empire Bay
Walkability 41 / 51
Bensville — Walkability: 41/100 Empire Bay — Walkability: 51/100
Safety 81 / 82
Bensville — Safety: 81/100 Empire Bay — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 29 / 36
Bensville — Low fire risk: 29/100 Empire Bay — Low fire risk: 36/100

Demographics

Bensville has higher household incomes ($113,152 vs $97,968); Bensville rents higher ($463/wk vs $410/wk).

Bensville Empire Bay
Population 2,500 2,522
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.8% +5.1%
Median age 42
same for both
Median household income $113,152/yr
+13% vs other
 $97,968/yr
Median weekly rent $463/wk
+11% vs other
 $410/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bensville Empire Bay
0-4 5.6% / 5.9%
Bensville — 0-4: 5.6% Empire Bay — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 16.1% / 14.0%
Bensville — 5-14: 16.1% Empire Bay — 5-14: 14.0%
15-19 6.6% / 6.8%
Bensville — 15-19: 6.6% Empire Bay — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 4.9% / 5.0%
Bensville — 20-24: 4.9% Empire Bay — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 7.2% / 8.7%
Bensville — 25-34: 7.2% Empire Bay — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 12.8% / 12.6%
Bensville — 35-44: 12.8% Empire Bay — 35-44: 12.6%
45-54 16.0% / 14.2%
Bensville — 45-54: 16.0% Empire Bay — 45-54: 14.2%
55-64 14.2% / 13.3%
Bensville — 55-64: 14.2% Empire Bay — 55-64: 13.3%
65-74 11.3% / 12.2%
Bensville — 65-74: 11.3% Empire Bay — 65-74: 12.2%
75-84 4.2% / 5.8%
Bensville — 75-84: 4.2% Empire Bay — 75-84: 5.8%
85+ 0.8% / 1.5%
Bensville — 85+: 0.8% Empire Bay — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bensville 65.4% couple families
Bensville — Couple Families: 65.4% Bensville — Lone Person: 19.9% Bensville — One Parent Families: 11.3% Bensville — Group Household: 2.1% Bensville — Other Families: 1.3%
Empire Bay 52.1% couple families
Empire Bay — Couple Families: 52.1% Empire Bay — Lone Person: 26.4% Empire Bay — One Parent Families: 17.7% Empire Bay — Group Household: 2.5% Empire Bay — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bensville 7.0% renting
Bensville — Owned Outright: 37.7% Bensville — Mortgage: 55.4% Bensville — Renting: 7.0%
Empire Bay 17.8% renting
Empire Bay — Owned Outright: 39.2% Empire Bay — Mortgage: 43.0% Empire Bay — Renting: 17.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bensville Empire Bay
Certificate III & IV 17.3% / 19.5%
Bensville — Certificate III & IV: 17.3% Empire Bay — Certificate III & IV: 19.5%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 9.4%
Bensville — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Empire Bay — Bachelor Degree: 9.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.6% / 8.4%
Bensville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.6% Empire Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 3.4% / 3.1%
Bensville — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4% Empire Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 1.2%
Bensville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Empire Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).

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.

Bensville Empire Bay
England 6.7% / 4.6%
Bensville — England: 6.7% Empire Bay — England: 4.6%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.3%
Bensville — New Zealand: 1.0% Empire Bay — New Zealand: 1.3%
South Africa 0.6% / 0.5%
Bensville — South Africa: 0.6% Empire Bay — South Africa: 0.5%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.4%
Bensville — Scotland: 0.6% Empire Bay — Scotland: 0.4%
Germany 0.8% / —
Bensville — Germany: 0.8% Empire Bay — Germany: not among its largest
China — / 0.4%
Bensville — China: not among its largest Empire Bay — China: 0.4%
Italy — / 0.4%
Bensville — Italy: not among its largest Empire Bay — Italy: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bensville 98.6% houses
Bensville — Houses: 98.6% Bensville — Townhouses: 0.6% Bensville — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Empire Bay 93.3% houses
Empire Bay — Houses: 93.3% Empire Bay — Townhouses: 3.9% Empire Bay — Flats / Apartments: 2.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bensville Empire Bay
Median house price $1,230,000 $1,167,500
Median unit price — $817,500
Median land price $2,190,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 16 sales
 43 days
from 19 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.

Bensville Empire Bay
3 bed $1.11M / $1.1M
Bensville — 3 bed: $1.11M (18 sales) Empire Bay — 3 bed: $1.1M (19 sales)

18 vs 19 sales

4 bed $1.23M / $1.27M
Bensville — 4 bed: $1.23M (30 sales) Empire Bay — 4 bed: $1.27M (15 sales)

30 vs 15 sales

5 bed $1.55M / $1.94M
Bensville — 5 bed: $1.55M (16 sales) Empire Bay — 5 bed: $1.94M (6 sales)

16 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Bensville Empire Bay
Environmental 75% 77%
Residential 15% 16%
Parks and recreation 8% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 3%
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

Bensville Empire Bay
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
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.

Bensville Empire Bay
Houses 3.7%
$850/wk on $1.19M
 6.0%
$1,000/wk on $872K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bensville Empire Bay
House price Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Income Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW

Liveability

Empire Bay is more walkable (51 vs 41).

Bensville Empire Bay
Grade B
same for both
Score 54/100 53/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Bensville Empire Bay
Bushfire High
71/100
 Moderate
64/100
Crime Low
19/100
 Low
18/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Bensville Empire Bay
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Bensville

  • Coast Christian School Independent · Primary above peers

Schools in Empire Bay

  • Empire Bay Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Bensville Empire Bay
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 4
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Bensville Empire Bay
Walkability score 41/100 51/100
Distance to Sydney 91 km
same for both
Drive time (normal traffic) 87 min
same for both
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus · Ferry
Peak arrivals per hour 43.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 94.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 2251
 0.9%
postcode 2257
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 38
postcode 2251
 31
postcode 2257

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.

Bensville Empire Bay
Car (driver) 58.2% / 58.7%
Bensville — Car (driver): 58.2% Empire Bay — Car (driver): 58.7%
Worked from Home 36.7% / 34.3%
Bensville — Worked from Home: 36.7% Empire Bay — Worked from Home: 34.3%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 3.5%
Bensville — Car (passenger): 2.3% Empire Bay — Car (passenger): 3.5%
Train 2.1% / 1.6%
Bensville — Train: 2.1% Empire Bay — Train: 1.6%
Walked Only — / 1.4%
Bensville — Walked Only: not among its largest Empire Bay — Walked Only: 1.4%
Bus 0.4% / 0.5%
Bensville — Bus: 0.4% Empire Bay — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.7%).

Setting

Bensville Empire Bay
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 -2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.8 km
2.8 km to a named beach
 1.5 km
3.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Bensville Empire Bay
Connectivity score 67/100 63/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 41%
910 premises
 32%
978 premises

Climate

Bensville Empire Bay
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bensville Empire Bay
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.36 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Bensville Empire Bay
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Bensville Empire Bay
Division Robertson
same for both
Member Gordon Reid
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Bensville

Coastal Large Blocks Outer

Empire Bay

Coastal Large Blocks Outer Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bensville

Bensville vs Kincumber Bensville vs Macmasters Beach Bensville vs Kincumber South

Other comparisons with Empire Bay

Empire Bay vs Davistown Empire Bay vs St Huberts Island Empire Bay vs Killcare Heights Empire Bay vs Kincumber South Empire Bay vs Daleys Point Empire Bay vs Killcare
Full data on Bensville Full data on Empire Bay
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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