Canton Beach vs Noraville

Noraville is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 61 in Canton Beach. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Canton Beach, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Noraville: a median of $920,000, against $825,000 in Canton Beach, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Canton Beach tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Noraville suits families with children.

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

Noraville

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 25%)
  • carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 84/100)

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

First-home buyers

Canton Beach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($395,000 vs $745,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($825,000 vs $920,500)
  • But Noraville leaves households under less mortgage stress (31% vs 58%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Canton Beach has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $370/wk)
  • Noraville leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 42%)

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

Commuting to the city

Noraville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (77/100 vs 55/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Canton Beach has more units and townhouses to downsize into (27% vs 8%)
  • Noraville carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 84/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Canton Beach and Noraville drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Canton Beach Noraville
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.

Canton Beach Noraville
Walkability 55 / 77
Canton Beach — Walkability: 55/100 Noraville — Walkability: 77/100
Safety 16 / 43
Canton Beach — Safety: 16/100 Noraville — Safety: 43/100
Low fire risk 22 / 33
Canton Beach — Low fire risk: 22/100 Noraville — Low fire risk: 33/100

Demographics

Noraville has more residents (3,001 vs 1,202); Noraville has higher household incomes ($76,960 vs $36,920).

Canton Beach Noraville
Population 1,202 3,001
+150% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% +2.8%
Median age 61 42
Median household income $36,920/yr $76,960/yr
+108% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk $370/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Canton Beach Noraville
0-4 4.6% / 6.2%
Canton Beach — 0-4: 4.6% Noraville — 0-4: 6.2%
5-14 7.2% / 12.3%
Canton Beach — 5-14: 7.2% Noraville — 5-14: 12.3%
15-19 3.2% / 5.4%
Canton Beach — 15-19: 3.2% Noraville — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 3.5% / 5.4%
Canton Beach — 20-24: 3.5% Noraville — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 7.4% / 12.4%
Canton Beach — 25-34: 7.4% Noraville — 25-34: 12.4%
35-44 8.2% / 11.7%
Canton Beach — 35-44: 8.2% Noraville — 35-44: 11.7%
45-54 8.7% / 12.3%
Canton Beach — 45-54: 8.7% Noraville — 45-54: 12.3%
55-64 13.8% / 13.9%
Canton Beach — 55-64: 13.8% Noraville — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 19.1% / 11.0%
Canton Beach — 65-74: 19.1% Noraville — 65-74: 11.0%
75-84 18.2% / 6.3%
Canton Beach — 75-84: 18.2% Noraville — 75-84: 6.3%
85+ 6.9% / 3.3%
Canton Beach — 85+: 6.9% Noraville — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Canton Beach 69.6% lone person
Canton Beach — Lone Person: 69.6% Canton Beach — Couple Families: 15.3% Canton Beach — One Parent Families: 9.6% Canton Beach — Group Household: 4.9% Canton Beach — Other Families: 0.6%
Noraville 36.3% lone person
Noraville — Lone Person: 36.3% Noraville — Couple Families: 38.1% Noraville — One Parent Families: 19.5% Noraville — Group Household: 4.4% Noraville — Other Families: 1.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Canton Beach 33.2% renting
Canton Beach — Owned Outright: 55.3% Canton Beach — Mortgage: 11.6% Canton Beach — Renting: 33.2%
Noraville 28.9% renting
Noraville — Owned Outright: 36.2% Noraville — Mortgage: 34.9% Noraville — Renting: 28.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Canton Beach Noraville
Certificate III & IV 17.6% / 20.1%
Canton Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.6% Noraville — Certificate III & IV: 20.1%
Bachelor Degree 3.6% / 9.1%
Canton Beach — Bachelor Degree: 3.6% Noraville — Bachelor Degree: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.0% / 7.6%
Canton Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0% Noraville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 1.5%
Canton Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Noraville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%
Postgraduate Degree 0.7% / 1.5%
Canton Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7% Noraville — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

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.

Canton Beach Noraville
England 6.2% / 3.6%
Canton Beach — England: 6.2% Noraville — England: 3.6%
New Zealand 0.9% / 0.9%
Canton Beach — New Zealand: 0.9% Noraville — New Zealand: 0.9%
Philippines 0.7% / 0.3%
Canton Beach — Philippines: 0.7% Noraville — Philippines: 0.3%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.4%
Canton Beach — Scotland: 0.6% Noraville — Scotland: 0.4%
Italy 0.5% / 0.3%
Canton Beach — Italy: 0.5% Noraville — Italy: 0.3%
Ireland — / 0.4%
Canton Beach — Ireland: not among its largest Noraville — Ireland: 0.4%
Vietnam — / 0.3%
Canton Beach — Vietnam: not among its largest Noraville — Vietnam: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Canton Beach 72.8% houses
Canton Beach — Houses: 72.8% Canton Beach — Townhouses: 15.1% Canton Beach — Flats / Apartments: 12.1%
Noraville 92.2% houses
Noraville — Houses: 92.2% Noraville — Townhouses: 4.1% Noraville — Flats / Apartments: 3.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Canton Beach Noraville
Median house price $825,000 $920,500
Median unit price $395,000 $745,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 4 sales
 30 days
from 23 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.

Canton Beach Noraville
2 bed $490K / $835K
Canton Beach — 2 bed: $490K (13 sales) Noraville — 2 bed: $835K (7 sales)

13 vs 7 sales

3 bed $849K / $888K
Canton Beach — 3 bed: $849K (11 sales) Noraville — 3 bed: $888K (44 sales)

11 vs 44 sales

Zoning mix

Canton Beach has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 7%).

Canton Beach Noraville
Residential 30% 63%
Parks and recreation 42% 10%
Environmental 21% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 20%
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

Canton Beach Noraville
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.

Canton Beach Noraville
Houses — 4.0%
$695/wk on $912K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Canton Beach Noraville
House price Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
Income Higher than 2% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 71% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 12% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 48% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 71% of NSW

Liveability

Noraville scores higher overall (47 vs 18); Noraville is more walkable (77 vs 55).

Canton Beach Noraville
Grade D C
Score 18/100 47/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Canton Beach carries more crime risk (84 vs 57); Canton Beach carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 67).

Canton Beach Noraville
Bushfire High
78/100
 Moderate
67/100
Crime High
84/100
 Moderate
57/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
20/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Canton Beach Noraville
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Canton Beach

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

Schools in Noraville

  • St Mary's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Toukley Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Aspect Central Coast School, Noraville Independent · Primary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Canton Beach Noraville
Supermarkets 0 2
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 1 2
GPs 0 1

Mobility

Canton Beach Noraville
Walkability score 55/100 77/100
Distance to Sydney 111 km 110.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 95 min 94 min
Public transport score 47/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 13.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 58.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2263
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 2263
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.

Canton Beach Noraville
Car (driver) 72.8% / 67.3%
Canton Beach — Car (driver): 72.8% Noraville — Car (driver): 67.3%
Worked from Home 18.7% / 25.2%
Canton Beach — Worked from Home: 18.7% Noraville — Worked from Home: 25.2%
Car (passenger) 7.3% / 4.7%
Canton Beach — Car (passenger): 7.3% Noraville — Car (passenger): 4.7%
Walked Only 1.2% / 1.2%
Canton Beach — Walked Only: 1.2% Noraville — Walked Only: 1.2%
Bus — / 1.3%
Canton Beach — Bus: not among its largest Noraville — Bus: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.8%).

Setting

Canton Beach Noraville
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.6 km
1.6 km to a named beach
 713 m
723 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Canton Beach Noraville
Connectivity score 52/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
756 premises
 40%
1,381 premises

Climate

Canton Beach Noraville
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)

Canton Beach Noraville
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

Canton Beach Noraville
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Canton Beach Noraville
Division Dobell
same for both
Member Emma Mcbride
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Canton Beach Noraville
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Canton Beach

Coastal Parks Retirees

Noraville

Beach Coastal Large Blocks Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Canton Beach

Canton Beach vs Toukley Canton Beach vs Magenta

Other comparisons with Noraville

Noraville vs Toukley Noraville vs Budgewoi Noraville vs Norah Head Noraville vs Magenta
Full data on Canton Beach Full data on Noraville
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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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