Calga vs Peats Ridge
In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Peats Ridge: a median of $6.72 million, against $1.5 million in Calga, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Calga tends to suit share households, 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
Peats Ridge
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (105% vs 85%)
- carries lower crime risk (74/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Calga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,500,000 vs $6,717,124)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Calga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $378/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Calga
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (64.5 km vs 73.5 km)
- has a shorter drive in (56 min vs 63 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Peats Ridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (74/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Calga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-5.6% vs -20.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Calga and Peats Ridge 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
Peats Ridge has more residents (301 vs 134); Calga has higher household incomes ($110,448 vs $97,500).
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 134 | 301 +125% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -5.6% | -20.2% |
| Median age | 43 | 42 |
| Median household income | $110,448/yr +12% vs other | $97,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $378/wk +8% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).
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 (4.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,500,000 | $6,717,124 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Peats Ridge has more rural and farming land (62% vs 31%); Calga has more land zoned for conservation (61% vs 32%).
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 31% | 62% |
| Environmental | 61% | 32% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 7% | 2% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 5% |
| 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
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 99% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 83% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
Liveability
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Calga carries more crime risk (87 vs 74).
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 86/100 |
| Crime | High 87/100 | High 74/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Calga
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Peats Ridge
- Peats Ridge Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 3 | 5 |
Mobility
Peats Ridge sits further from the CBD (73.5 km vs 64.5 km).
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 64.5 km | 73.5 km +14% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 56 min | 63 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2250 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 2250 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 (55.3%).
Setting
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 214 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 262 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 15.1 km | 21.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 25/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 16 premises | 0% 117 premises |
Climate
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Robertson same for both | |
| Member | Gordon Reid same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Calga | Peats Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Calga
Other comparisons with Peats Ridge
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.