Boolambayte vs Topi Topi
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Boolambayte, most households are people living alone. In Topi Topi, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Topi Topi: a median of $1.26 million, against $586,000 in Boolambayte, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Boolambayte tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Topi Topi suits 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
Topi Topi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 33%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Boolambayte has cheaper houses ($586,000 vs $1,260,000)
- Topi Topi leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 39%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Boolambayte has cheaper rent ($315/wk vs $350/wk)
- Topi Topi leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 30%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Boolambayte
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (177 min vs 191 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (248.8 km vs 261.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Boolambayte and Topi Topi 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
Topi Topi has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $55,224); Boolambayte has more residents (85 vs 53).
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 85 +38% vs other | 53 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.3% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 53 same for both | |
| Median household income | $55,224/yr | $117,000/yr +112% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $315/wk | $350/wk +11% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).
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 (7.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.5%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $586,000 | $1,260,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $665,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Boolambayte has more land zoned for conservation (53% vs 5%); Topi Topi has more rural and farming land (92% vs 46%).
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 46% | 92% |
| Environmental | 53% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 3% |
| 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
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 34% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
Liveability
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Boolambayte carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 71).
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 71/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 45/100 | Moderate 49/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 22 | 7 |
Mobility
Topi Topi sits further from the CBD (261.3 km vs 248.8 km).
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 248.8 km | 261.3 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 177 min | 191 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2423 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2423 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 (83.3%).
Setting
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 13 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 100 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 15.3 km | 15.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 25 premises | 0% 20 premises |
Council rates
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Boolambayte | Topi Topi | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Boolambayte
Topi Topi
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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.