Blueys Beach vs Charlotte Bay
Charlotte Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 64 in Blueys Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Blueys Beach, most households are people living alone. In Charlotte Bay, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Blueys Beach: a median of $1.42 million, against $900,000 in Charlotte Bay, though rent is higher in Charlotte Bay. On these figures, Blueys Beach tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Charlotte Bay suits families with children, couples, 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
Charlotte Bay
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 37%)
- carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Charlotte Bay
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($900,000 vs $1,420,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 36%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Blueys Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 35%)
- has cheaper rent ($255/wk vs $420/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Charlotte Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (201 min vs 209 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (277.5 km vs 282.2 km)
- But Blueys Beach is more walkable (34/100 vs 19/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Blueys Beach
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (52% vs 24%)
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 19/100)
- But Charlotte Bay carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Blueys Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (32.2% vs 1.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Blueys Beach and Charlotte 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.
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
Charlotte Bay rents higher ($420/wk vs $255/wk); Blueys Beach has more residents (242 vs 175).
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 242 +28% vs other | 175 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +32.2% | +1.7% |
| Median age | 64 | 47 |
| Median household income | $66,300/yr +7% vs other | $61,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $255/wk | $420/wk +65% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.8%).
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 (5.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,420,000 | $900,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $730,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Charlotte Bay has more rural and farming land (56% vs 17%); Blueys Beach has more land zoned for conservation (62% vs 26%).
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 62% | 26% |
| Rural and farming | 17% | 56% |
| Residential | 17% same for both | |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 0% |
| Planning zones cover 99% of Blueys Beach and 100% of Charlotte Bay. 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
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 24% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
Liveability
Blueys Beach is more walkable (34 vs 19).
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Charlotte Bay carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 0); Blueys Beach carries more crime risk (87 vs 53).
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 85/100 |
| Crime | High 87/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 48/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
Blueys Beach sits further from the CBD (282.2 km vs 277.5 km).
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 34/100 | 19/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 282.2 km +2% vs other | 277.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 209 min | 201 min |
| Public transport score | 23/100 Bus | 28/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 3.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 8.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 5 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2428 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 2428 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 (64.5%).
Setting
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 129 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 654 m 670 m to a named beach | 2.3 km 2.5 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 75/100 | 44/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 55% 303 premises | 1% 76 premises |
Council rates
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Blueys Beach | Charlotte Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Blueys Beach
Other comparisons with Charlotte Bay
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.