Bunyan vs Chakola
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Bunyan: a median of $900,000, against $103,000 in Chakola, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Chakola tends to suit families with children and 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
Bunyan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 21/100)
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
- Bunyan leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 24%)
- Chakola has cheaper houses ($103,000 vs $900,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Chakola
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 5%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Bunyan has a shorter drive in (258 min vs 277 min)
- Chakola sits closer to the CBD (389.4 km vs 392.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bunyan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Chakola
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (87.2% vs 26.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bunyan and Chakola 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
Bunyan has more residents (192 vs 88); Bunyan rents higher ($400/wk vs $260/wk).
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 192 +54% vs other | 88 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +26.3% | +87.2% |
| Median age | 48 | 46 |
| Median household income | $106,600/yr | $116,948/yr +10% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +35% vs other | $260/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.7%).
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 (22.4%).
Property market
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $900,000 | $103,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $205,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 79% | 88% |
| Environmental | 9% | 12% |
| Residential | 11% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 72 across Snowy Monaro same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +29% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 52% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Chakola carries more crime risk (21 vs 10).
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 33/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 10/100 | Low 21/100 |
| 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
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 5 | 2 |
Mobility
Bunyan sits further from the CBD (392.2 km vs 389.4 km).
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 392.2 km | 389.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 258 min | 277 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2630 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 2630 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 (74.4%).
Setting
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 792 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 879 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 80 premises | 0% 30 premises |
Climate
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 536 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | -1.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,253/yr same for both | |
| Council | Snowy Monaro same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bunyan | Chakola | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bunyan
Chakola
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bunyan
Other comparisons with Chakola
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.