Buff Point vs San Remo

San Remo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 44 in Buff Point. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Buff Point: a median of $895,000, against $800,000 in San Remo. On these figures, Buff Point tends to suit people living alone and older residents.

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

  • Buff Point carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 88/100)
  • San Remo has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

San Remo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($800,000 vs $895,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

San Remo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 23%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

San Remo

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (66/100 vs 54/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (108 km vs 111.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Buff Point

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 14%)
  • carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 88/100)
  • But San Remo is more walkable (66/100 vs 54/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Buff Point and San Remo drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Buff Point San Remo
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.

Buff Point San Remo
Walkability 54 / 66
Buff Point — Walkability: 54/100 San Remo — Walkability: 66/100
Safety 34 / 12
Buff Point — Safety: 34/100 San Remo — Safety: 12/100
Low fire risk 50 / 52
Buff Point — Low fire risk: 50/100 San Remo — Low fire risk: 52/100

Demographics

Buff Point skews older (44 vs 34).

Buff Point San Remo
Population 3,559 4,434
+25% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.4% +1.9%
Median age 44 34
Median household income $68,796/yr $71,500/yr
+4% vs other
Median weekly rent $380/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Buff Point San Remo
0-4 5.6% / 7.4%
Buff Point — 0-4: 5.6% San Remo — 0-4: 7.4%
5-14 13.0% / 14.3%
Buff Point — 5-14: 13.0% San Remo — 5-14: 14.3%
15-19 5.5% / 6.4%
Buff Point — 15-19: 5.5% San Remo — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 4.2% / 7.7%
Buff Point — 20-24: 4.2% San Remo — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 11.4% / 15.0%
Buff Point — 25-34: 11.4% San Remo — 25-34: 15.0%
35-44 11.5% / 10.6%
Buff Point — 35-44: 11.5% San Remo — 35-44: 10.6%
45-54 11.5% / 13.8%
Buff Point — 45-54: 11.5% San Remo — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 14.7% / 11.5%
Buff Point — 55-64: 14.7% San Remo — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 12.0% / 8.0%
Buff Point — 65-74: 12.0% San Remo — 65-74: 8.0%
75-84 8.3% / 3.9%
Buff Point — 75-84: 8.3% San Remo — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 2.3% / 1.6%
Buff Point — 85+: 2.3% San Remo — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Buff Point 36.9% couple families
Buff Point — Couple Families: 36.9% Buff Point — Lone Person: 38.7% Buff Point — One Parent Families: 19.9% Buff Point — Group Household: 3.3% Buff Point — Other Families: 1.1%
San Remo 34.5% couple families
San Remo — Couple Families: 34.5% San Remo — Lone Person: 28.6% San Remo — One Parent Families: 29.9% San Remo — Group Household: 5.3% San Remo — Other Families: 1.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Buff Point 22.7% renting
Buff Point — Owned Outright: 40.0% Buff Point — Mortgage: 37.4% Buff Point — Renting: 22.7%
San Remo 34.6% renting
San Remo — Owned Outright: 26.4% San Remo — Mortgage: 39.0% San Remo — Renting: 34.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Buff Point San Remo
England 4.0% / 1.9%
Buff Point — England: 4.0% San Remo — England: 1.9%
New Zealand 1.3% / 1.6%
Buff Point — New Zealand: 1.3% San Remo — New Zealand: 1.6%
Philippines 0.4% / 0.5%
Buff Point — Philippines: 0.4% San Remo — Philippines: 0.5%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.3%
Buff Point — Scotland: 0.6% San Remo — Scotland: 0.3%
Italy 0.4% / 0.2%
Buff Point — Italy: 0.4% San Remo — Italy: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).

Qualifications

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

Buff Point San Remo
Certificate III & IV 21.0% / 19.8%
Buff Point — Certificate III & IV: 21.0% San Remo — Certificate III & IV: 19.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 5.1%
Buff Point — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% San Remo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1%
Bachelor Degree 6.2% / 3.8%
Buff Point — Bachelor Degree: 6.2% San Remo — Bachelor Degree: 3.8%
Postgraduate Degree 1.2% / 0.7%
Buff Point — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2% San Remo — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 0.6%
Buff Point — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% San Remo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Buff Point 96.2% houses
Buff Point — Houses: 96.2% Buff Point — Townhouses: 2.4% Buff Point — Flats / Apartments: 1.4%
San Remo 96.0% houses
San Remo — Houses: 96.0% San Remo — Townhouses: 3.1% San Remo — Flats / Apartments: 1.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Buff Point San Remo
Median house price $895,000 $800,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 31 days
from 30 sales
 23 days
from 31 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.

Buff Point San Remo
2 bed $695K / $720K
Buff Point — 2 bed: $695K (5 sales) San Remo — 2 bed: $720K (11 sales)

5 vs 11 sales

3 bed $855K / $778K
Buff Point — 3 bed: $855K (33 sales) San Remo — 3 bed: $778K (48 sales)

33 vs 48 sales

4 bed $972K / $842K
Buff Point — 4 bed: $972K (16 sales) San Remo — 4 bed: $842K (22 sales)

16 vs 22 sales

5 bed $1.2M / $895K
Buff Point — 5 bed: $1.2M (6 sales) San Remo — 5 bed: $895K (11 sales)

6 vs 11 sales

Zoning mix

Buff Point San Remo
Residential 62% 66%
Infrastructure and transport 17% 14%
Parks and recreation 15%
same for both
Environmental 5% 4%
Commercial 0% 1%
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

Buff Point San Remo
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.

Buff Point San Remo
Houses 3.9%
$675/wk on $900K
 4.1%
$635/wk on $810K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Buff Point San Remo
House price Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
Income Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 28% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW

Liveability

Buff Point scores higher overall (33 vs 25); San Remo is more walkable (66 vs 54).

Buff Point San Remo
Grade C D
Score 33/100 25/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

San Remo carries more crime risk (88 vs 66).

Buff Point San Remo
Bushfire Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
48/100
Crime Moderate
66/100
 High
88/100
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
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Buff Point San Remo
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Buff Point

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

Schools in San Remo

  • Northlakes High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Northlakes Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Buff Point San Remo
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 4
same for both
Childcare 1 2
Pharmacies 1 2

Mobility

Buff Point sits further from the CBD (111.4 km vs 108 km).

Buff Point San Remo
Walkability score 54/100 66/100
Distance to Sydney 111.4 km
+3% vs other
 108 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 87 min 84 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 62.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 72.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2262
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 43
postcode 2262
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.

Buff Point San Remo
Car (driver) 70.0% / 78.0%
Buff Point — Car (driver): 70.0% San Remo — Car (driver): 78.0%
Worked from Home 23.6% / 13.9%
Buff Point — Worked from Home: 23.6% San Remo — Worked from Home: 13.9%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 5.8%
Buff Point — Car (passenger): 3.5% San Remo — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Train 1.4% / 0.7%
Buff Point — Train: 1.4% San Remo — Train: 0.7%
Bus 0.7% / 0.7%
Buff Point — Bus: 0.7% San Remo — Bus: 0.7%
Walked Only 0.4% / 0.9%
Buff Point — Walked Only: 0.4% San Remo — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.0%).

Setting

Buff Point San Remo
Elevation 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km
3.4 km to a named beach
 5.3 km

NBN connectivity

Buff Point San Remo
Connectivity score 72/100 75/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
1,615 premises
 55%
1,823 premises

Climate

Buff Point San Remo
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)

Buff Point San Remo
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

Buff Point San Remo
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Buff Point San Remo
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Buff Point San Remo
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Buff Point

Large Blocks Parks

San Remo

Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Buff Point

Buff Point vs Budgewoi Buff Point vs Halekulani

Other comparisons with San Remo

San Remo vs Blue Haven San Remo vs Charmhaven San Remo vs Doyalson
Full data on Buff Point Full data on San Remo
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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.

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