Canton Beach vs Toukley

Toukley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 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. In Toukley, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Canton Beach 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

Toukley

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
  • is already more of a family suburb (43% vs 25%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Canton Beach has cheaper units ($395,000 vs $582,500)
  • Toukley leaves households under less mortgage stress (38% vs 58%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Toukley

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (43% vs 33%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (33% vs 42%)
  • But Canton Beach has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $340/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Toukley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 55/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Toukley

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 55/100)
  • But Canton Beach has more residents already 65 and over (44% vs 28%)

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 Toukley 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 Toukley
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 Toukley
Walkability 55 / 84
Canton Beach — Walkability: 55/100 Toukley — Walkability: 84/100
Safety 16 / 10
Canton Beach — Safety: 16/100 Toukley — Safety: 10/100
Low fire risk 22 / 48
Canton Beach — Low fire risk: 22/100 Toukley — Low fire risk: 48/100

Demographics

Toukley has more residents (4,557 vs 1,202); Toukley has higher household incomes ($54,288 vs $36,920).

Canton Beach Toukley
Population 1,202 4,557
+279% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.6% +0.2%
Median age 61 47
Median household income $36,920/yr $54,288/yr
+47% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk $340/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Canton Beach Toukley
0-4 4.6% / 5.6%
Canton Beach — 0-4: 4.6% Toukley — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 7.2% / 10.2%
Canton Beach — 5-14: 7.2% Toukley — 5-14: 10.2%
15-19 3.2% / 4.3%
Canton Beach — 15-19: 3.2% Toukley — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 3.5% / 5.2%
Canton Beach — 20-24: 3.5% Toukley — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 7.4% / 12.2%
Canton Beach — 25-34: 7.4% Toukley — 25-34: 12.2%
35-44 8.2% / 10.2%
Canton Beach — 35-44: 8.2% Toukley — 35-44: 10.2%
45-54 8.7% / 12.1%
Canton Beach — 45-54: 8.7% Toukley — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 13.8% / 12.6%
Canton Beach — 55-64: 13.8% Toukley — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 19.1% / 13.7%
Canton Beach — 65-74: 19.1% Toukley — 65-74: 13.7%
75-84 18.2% / 9.5%
Canton Beach — 75-84: 18.2% Toukley — 75-84: 9.5%
85+ 6.9% / 4.5%
Canton Beach — 85+: 6.9% Toukley — 85+: 4.5%

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%
Toukley 50.7% lone person
Toukley — Lone Person: 50.7% Toukley — Couple Families: 22.6% Toukley — One Parent Families: 20.3% Toukley — Group Household: 4.7% Toukley — Other Families: 1.6%
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%
Toukley 43.3% renting
Toukley — Owned Outright: 33.4% Toukley — Mortgage: 23.3% Toukley — Renting: 43.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Canton Beach Toukley
Certificate III & IV 17.6% / 19.2%
Canton Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.6% Toukley — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.0% / 6.6%
Canton Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0% Toukley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Bachelor Degree 3.6% / 6.2%
Canton Beach — Bachelor Degree: 3.6% Toukley — Bachelor Degree: 6.2%
Postgraduate Degree 0.7% / 1.3%
Canton Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7% Toukley — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 0.9%
Canton Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Toukley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

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 Toukley
England 6.2% / 3.7%
Canton Beach — England: 6.2% Toukley — England: 3.7%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.5%
Canton Beach — New Zealand: 0.9% Toukley — New Zealand: 1.5%
Philippines 0.7% / 0.7%
Canton Beach — Philippines: 0.7% Toukley — Philippines: 0.7%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.5%
Canton Beach — Scotland: 0.6% Toukley — Scotland: 0.5%
Italy 0.5% / —
Canton Beach — Italy: 0.5% Toukley — Italy: not among its largest
South Africa — / 0.4%
Canton Beach — South Africa: not among its largest Toukley — South Africa: 0.4%

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%
Toukley 70.9% houses
Toukley — Houses: 70.9% Toukley — Townhouses: 15.9% Toukley — Flats / Apartments: 13.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Canton Beach Toukley
Median house price $825,000 $885,000
Median unit price $395,000 $582,500
Median land price — $1,600,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 4 sales
 28 days
from 63 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 Toukley
2 bed $490K / $780K
Canton Beach — 2 bed: $490K (13 sales) Toukley — 2 bed: $780K (33 sales)

13 vs 33 sales

3 bed $849K / $888K
Canton Beach — 3 bed: $849K (11 sales) Toukley — 3 bed: $888K (80 sales)

11 vs 80 sales

Zoning mix

Toukley has more land zoned for conservation (36% vs 21%).

Canton Beach Toukley
Residential 30% 43%
Parks and recreation 42% 16%
Environmental 21% 36%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 2%
Commercial 0% 2%
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 Toukley
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 Toukley
Houses — 3.5%
$600/wk on $899K
Units — 3.6%
$450/wk on $647K

Ranking within NSW

Canton Beach Toukley
House price Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 2% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 12% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 48% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 43% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 13% of NSW

Liveability

Toukley scores higher overall (29 vs 18); Toukley is more walkable (84 vs 55).

Canton Beach Toukley
Grade D
same for both
Score 18/100 29/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Canton Beach carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 52).

Canton Beach Toukley
Bushfire High
78/100
 Moderate
52/100
Crime High
84/100
 High
90/100
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 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Canton Beach Toukley
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

Canton Beach Toukley
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 2 6
Childcare 1 3
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 5
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 2

Mobility

Canton Beach Toukley
Walkability score 55/100 84/100
Distance to Sydney 111 km 109.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 95 min 93 min
Public transport score 47/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 13.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 123.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
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 Toukley
Car (driver) 72.8% / 67.4%
Canton Beach — Car (driver): 72.8% Toukley — Car (driver): 67.4%
Worked from Home 18.7% / 23.3%
Canton Beach — Worked from Home: 18.7% Toukley — Worked from Home: 23.3%
Car (passenger) 7.3% / 4.2%
Canton Beach — Car (passenger): 7.3% Toukley — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Walked Only 1.2% / 2.5%
Canton Beach — Walked Only: 1.2% Toukley — Walked Only: 2.5%
Bus — / 1.3%
Canton Beach — Bus: not among its largest Toukley — Bus: 1.3%

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

Setting

Canton Beach Toukley
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.6 km
1.6 km to a named beach
 1.4 km
1.7 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Canton Beach Toukley
Connectivity score 52/100 65/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
756 premises
 36%
2,737 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Canton Beach Toukley
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

Toukley

Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Canton Beach

Canton Beach vs Noraville Canton Beach vs Magenta

Other comparisons with Toukley

Toukley vs Budgewoi Toukley vs Noraville
Full data on Canton Beach Full data on Toukley
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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