Booker Bay vs Ettalong Beach

In both, most households own their home. In Booker Bay, about half of households are people living alone. In Ettalong Beach, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Booker Bay: a median of $1.61 million, against $1.32 million in Ettalong Beach. On these figures, Ettalong Beach tends to suit 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Booker Bay carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 68/100)
  • Ettalong Beach has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Ettalong Beach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($845,000 vs $1,195,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,318,000 vs $1,610,000)

Weighs house prices, unit 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

Booker Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 68/100)

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

Investors

Booker Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Booker Bay and Ettalong 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.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
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.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Walkability 65 / 72
Booker Bay — Walkability: 65/100 Ettalong Beach — Walkability: 72/100
Safety 54 / 32
Booker Bay — Safety: 54/100 Ettalong Beach — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Booker Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100 Ettalong Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ettalong Beach has more residents (5,161 vs 1,442); Booker Bay has higher household incomes ($63,336 vs $56,004).

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Population 1,442 5,161
+258% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.7% +7.7%
Median age 54
same for both
Median household income $63,336/yr
+12% vs other
 $56,004/yr
Median weekly rent $400/wk
+2% vs other
 $390/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
0-4 5.5% / 4.9%
Booker Bay — 0-4: 5.5% Ettalong Beach — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 8.6% / 8.0%
Booker Bay — 5-14: 8.6% Ettalong Beach — 5-14: 8.0%
15-19 3.2% / 3.1%
Booker Bay — 15-19: 3.2% Ettalong Beach — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 2.5% / 4.7%
Booker Bay — 20-24: 2.5% Ettalong Beach — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 7.4% / 9.3%
Booker Bay — 25-34: 7.4% Ettalong Beach — 25-34: 9.3%
35-44 13.5% / 10.0%
Booker Bay — 35-44: 13.5% Ettalong Beach — 35-44: 10.0%
45-54 9.8% / 11.0%
Booker Bay — 45-54: 9.8% Ettalong Beach — 45-54: 11.0%
55-64 13.6% / 15.0%
Booker Bay — 55-64: 13.6% Ettalong Beach — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 18.4% / 18.1%
Booker Bay — 65-74: 18.4% Ettalong Beach — 65-74: 18.1%
75-84 15.0% / 11.6%
Booker Bay — 75-84: 15.0% Ettalong Beach — 75-84: 11.6%
85+ 3.1% / 4.4%
Booker Bay — 85+: 3.1% Ettalong Beach — 85+: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Booker Bay 51.2% lone person
Booker Bay — Lone Person: 51.2% Booker Bay — Couple Families: 26.8% Booker Bay — One Parent Families: 15.8% Booker Bay — Group Household: 4.5% Booker Bay — Other Families: 1.7%
Ettalong Beach 57.1% lone person
Ettalong Beach — Lone Person: 57.1% Ettalong Beach — Couple Families: 19.2% Ettalong Beach — One Parent Families: 16.7% Ettalong Beach — Group Household: 5.7% Ettalong Beach — Other Families: 1.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Booker Bay 33.4% renting
Booker Bay — Owned Outright: 45.4% Booker Bay — Mortgage: 21.1% Booker Bay — Renting: 33.4%
Ettalong Beach 38.7% renting
Ettalong Beach — Owned Outright: 44.7% Ettalong Beach — Mortgage: 16.7% Ettalong Beach — Renting: 38.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Certificate III & IV 15.3% / 17.1%
Booker Bay — Certificate III & IV: 15.3% Ettalong Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.1%
Bachelor Degree 10.8% / 10.0%
Booker Bay — Bachelor Degree: 10.8% Ettalong Beach — Bachelor Degree: 10.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 8.1%
Booker Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Ettalong Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 2.6%
Booker Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Ettalong Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.0%
Booker Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Ettalong Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

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.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
England 5.3% / 5.1%
Booker Bay — England: 5.3% Ettalong Beach — England: 5.1%
New Zealand 2.4% / 2.2%
Booker Bay — New Zealand: 2.4% Ettalong Beach — New Zealand: 2.2%
South Africa 0.8% / 0.6%
Booker Bay — South Africa: 0.8% Ettalong Beach — South Africa: 0.6%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.6%
Booker Bay — Scotland: 0.5% Ettalong Beach — Scotland: 0.6%
Thailand — / 0.6%
Booker Bay — Thailand: not among its largest Ettalong Beach — Thailand: 0.6%
India — / 0.6%
Booker Bay — India: not among its largest Ettalong Beach — India: 0.6%
Netherlands 0.5% / —
Booker Bay — Netherlands: 0.5% Ettalong Beach — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Booker Bay 51.5% houses
Booker Bay — Houses: 51.5% Booker Bay — Townhouses: 40.2% Booker Bay — Flats / Apartments: 8.3%
Ettalong Beach 51.5% houses
Ettalong Beach — Houses: 51.5% Ettalong Beach — Townhouses: 35.3% Ettalong Beach — Flats / Apartments: 13.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Median house price $1,610,000 $1,318,000
Median unit price $1,195,000 $845,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 118 days
from 10 sales
 32 days
from 44 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
2 bed $730K / $880K
Booker Bay — 2 bed: $730K (5 sales) Ettalong Beach — 2 bed: $880K (20 sales)

5 vs 20 sales

3 bed $1.23M / $1.2M
Booker Bay — 3 bed: $1.23M (13 sales) Ettalong Beach — 3 bed: $1.2M (18 sales)

13 vs 18 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.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
2 bed $1.53M / $1.1M
Booker Bay — 2 bed: $1.53M (6 sales) Ettalong Beach — 2 bed: $1.1M (19 sales)

6 vs 19 sales

3 bed $1.4M / $1.26M
Booker Bay — 3 bed: $1.4M (14 sales) Ettalong Beach — 3 bed: $1.26M (39 sales)

14 vs 39 sales

4 bed $1.73M / $1.43M
Booker Bay — 4 bed: $1.73M (10 sales) Ettalong Beach — 4 bed: $1.43M (22 sales)

10 vs 22 sales

Zoning mix

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Residential 89% 80%
Parks and recreation 0% 10%
Environmental 9% 1%
Commercial 0% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 4%
Planning zones cover 99% of Booker Bay and 100% of Ettalong 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

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
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.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Houses 4.3%
$850/wk on $1.02M
 3.0%
$700/wk on $1.23M
Units — 4.1%
$700/wk on $885K

Ranking within NSW

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
House price Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
Income Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 11% of NSW
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 27% of NSW

Liveability

Booker Bay scores higher overall (62 vs 52).

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Grade B
same for both
Score 62/100 52/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Ettalong Beach carries more crime risk (68 vs 46).

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
46/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
61/100
 High
85/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Booker Bay

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Ettalong Beach

  • Ettalong Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 10
Parks & reserves 0 4
Childcare 2 1
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2

Mobility

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Walkability score 65/100 72/100
Distance to Sydney 86.1 km
+1% vs other
 85.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 80 min 79 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 42.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 125.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2257
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2257
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.

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Car (driver) 52.5% / 51.6%
Booker Bay — Car (driver): 52.5% Ettalong Beach — Car (driver): 51.6%
Worked from Home 40.7% / 36.6%
Booker Bay — Worked from Home: 40.7% Ettalong Beach — Worked from Home: 36.6%
Train 2.9% / 3.7%
Booker Bay — Train: 2.9% Ettalong Beach — Train: 3.7%
Car (passenger) 1.8% / 4.6%
Booker Bay — Car (passenger): 1.8% Ettalong Beach — Car (passenger): 4.6%
Walked Only 1.3% / 1.8%
Booker Bay — Walked Only: 1.3% Ettalong Beach — Walked Only: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.5%).

Setting

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Elevation 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 274 m
1.9 km to a named beach
 172 m
1.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Connectivity score 63/100 62/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 33%
828 premises
 31%
3,448 premises

Climate

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
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)

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
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

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Division Robertson
same for both
Member Gordon Reid
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Booker Bay Ettalong Beach
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Booker Bay

Coastal Outer Retirees Townhouses

Ettalong Beach

Coastal Outer Parks Retirees Townhouses Village Feel

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Booker Bay

Booker Bay vs Blackwall Booker Bay vs Daleys Point Booker Bay vs Killcare Booker Bay vs Pretty Beach Booker Bay vs Wagstaffe

Other comparisons with Ettalong Beach

Ettalong Beach vs Umina Beach Ettalong Beach vs Blackwall Ettalong Beach vs Wagstaffe
Full data on Booker Bay Full data on Ettalong Beach
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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