Boydtown vs Kiah
Kiah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 58 in Boydtown. In both, the large majority of households own their home. In Boydtown, most homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. In Kiah, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Boydtown tends to suit people living alone, while Kiah suits families with children and 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
Kiah
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 79/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 20%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 38%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Kiah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (39% vs 57%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Boydtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($127/wk vs $215/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Boydtown
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 5/100)
- has a shorter drive in (389 min vs 398 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (555 km vs 564.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Boydtown
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (62% vs 12%)
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 5/100)
- But Kiah carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Boydtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.1% vs -28.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Boydtown and Kiah 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
Kiah rents higher ($215/wk vs $127/wk); Kiah has higher household incomes ($54,132 vs $38,428).
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 | 101 +35% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.1% | -28.9% |
| Median age | 58 | 53 |
| Median household income | $38,428/yr | $54,132/yr +41% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $127/wk | $215/wk +69% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.7%).
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 (20.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $553,750 | $560,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $440,000 |
Zoning mix
Kiah has more rural and farming land (75% vs 8%); Boydtown has more land zoned for conservation (74% vs 25%).
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 8% | 75% |
| Environmental | 74% | 25% |
| Other and special use | 15% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 0% |
| 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
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Bega Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -32% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 18% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 3% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 15% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 5% of NSW |
Liveability
Boydtown is more walkable (14 vs 5).
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Boydtown carries more crime risk (79 vs 17).
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 99/100 | High 95/100 |
| Crime | High 79/100 | Low 17/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 66/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 10 | 8 |
Mobility
Kiah sits further from the CBD (564.5 km vs 555 km).
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 555 km | 564.5 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 389 min | 398 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2551 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 2551 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 34 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 830 m 2.4 km to a named beach | 7.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 20 premises | 0% 30 premises |
Climate
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 649 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,767/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bega Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Boydtown | Kiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Boydtown
Kiah
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Boydtown
Other comparisons with Kiah
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.