Brimbin vs Melinga
Melinga is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 55 in Brimbin. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Brimbin: a median of $925,000, against $600,000 in Melinga, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Brimbin tends to suit older residents, while Melinga suits 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
Brimbin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 67/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Melinga
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 30%)
- has cheaper houses ($600,000 vs $925,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Melinga
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 48%)
- has cheaper rent ($360/wk vs $450/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Brimbin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (323 km vs 328.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Brimbin
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 67/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Brimbin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.0% vs 8.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Brimbin and Melinga 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
Melinga has higher household incomes ($76,336 vs $48,516); Melinga has more residents (112 vs 75).
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 | 112 +49% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +23.0% | +8.7% |
| Median age | 55 | 52 |
| Median household income | $48,516/yr | $76,336/yr +57% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $450/wk +20% vs other | $360/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (29.3%).
Property market
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $925,000 | $600,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Brimbin has more land zoned for conservation (34% vs 7%); Melinga has more rural and farming land (66% vs 55%).
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 55% | 66% |
| Environmental | 34% | 7% |
| Residential | 11% | 23% |
| Industrial | 0% | 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
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 82% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
Liveability
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Melinga carries more crime risk (67 vs 28).
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 50/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Moderate 67/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 7 |
Mobility
Melinga sits further from the CBD (328.2 km vs 323 km).
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 323 km | 328.2 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 226 min | 227 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2430 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 2430 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 (89.2%).
Setting
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 20 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 53 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 15.9 km | 16.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 75/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 65% 91 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Climate
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Brimbin | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Melinga
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Brimbin
Other comparisons with Melinga
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.