Carey Bay vs Kilaben Bay

Kilaben Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 54 in Carey Bay. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Carey Bay, about half of households are people living alone. In Kilaben Bay, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Carey Bay: a median of $1.15 million, against $1.05 million in Kilaben Bay, though rent is higher in Kilaben Bay. On these figures, Carey Bay tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Kilaben Bay suits couples.

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

Kilaben Bay

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 26/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 43%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (95% vs 69%)

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

First-home buyers

Kilaben Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Carey Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($327/wk vs $390/wk)
  • But Kilaben Bay leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 26%)

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

Commuting to the city

Kilaben Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (45/100 vs 33/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (132.3 km vs 138.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Carey Bay has more units and townhouses to downsize into (31% vs 5%)
  • Kilaben Bay carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 26/100)

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

Investors

Kilaben Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.9% vs -3.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
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.

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Walkability 33 / 45
Carey Bay — Walkability: 33/100 Kilaben Bay — Walkability: 45/100
Safety 74 / 84
Carey Bay — Safety: 74/100 Kilaben Bay — Safety: 84/100
Low fire risk 100 / 12
Carey Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kilaben Bay — Low fire risk: 12/100

Demographics

Kilaben Bay has more residents (1,516 vs 865); Kilaben Bay has higher household incomes ($113,672 vs $65,832).

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Population 865 1,516
+75% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.5% +5.9%
Median age 54 47
Median household income $65,832/yr $113,672/yr
+73% vs other
Median weekly rent $327/wk $390/wk
+19% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
0-4 4.9% / 5.4%
Carey Bay — 0-4: 4.9% Kilaben Bay — 0-4: 5.4%
5-14 10.1% / 12.8%
Carey Bay — 5-14: 10.1% Kilaben Bay — 5-14: 12.8%
15-19 4.6% / 6.3%
Carey Bay — 15-19: 4.6% Kilaben Bay — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 3.6% / 4.0%
Carey Bay — 20-24: 3.6% Kilaben Bay — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 6.1% / 7.7%
Carey Bay — 25-34: 6.1% Kilaben Bay — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 8.8% / 11.3%
Carey Bay — 35-44: 8.8% Kilaben Bay — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 12.6% / 14.6%
Carey Bay — 45-54: 12.6% Kilaben Bay — 45-54: 14.6%
55-64 12.3% / 14.0%
Carey Bay — 55-64: 12.3% Kilaben Bay — 55-64: 14.0%
65-74 19.8% / 16.3%
Carey Bay — 65-74: 19.8% Kilaben Bay — 65-74: 16.3%
75-84 11.6% / 5.7%
Carey Bay — 75-84: 11.6% Kilaben Bay — 75-84: 5.7%
85+ 5.3% / 2.2%
Carey Bay — 85+: 5.3% Kilaben Bay — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Carey Bay 26.1% couple families
Carey Bay — Couple Families: 26.1% Carey Bay — Lone Person: 54.0% Carey Bay — One Parent Families: 16.5% Carey Bay — Group Household: 1.5% Carey Bay — Other Families: 1.8%
Kilaben Bay 55.7% couple families
Kilaben Bay — Couple Families: 55.7% Kilaben Bay — Lone Person: 27.7% Kilaben Bay — One Parent Families: 12.5% Kilaben Bay — Group Household: 2.3% Kilaben Bay — 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.

Carey Bay 26.1% renting
Carey Bay — Owned Outright: 46.5% Carey Bay — Mortgage: 27.4% Carey Bay — Renting: 26.1%
Kilaben Bay 12.0% renting
Kilaben Bay — Owned Outright: 46.0% Kilaben Bay — Mortgage: 42.0% Kilaben Bay — Renting: 12.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Certificate III & IV 15.8% / 18.8%
Carey Bay — Certificate III & IV: 15.8% Kilaben Bay — Certificate III & IV: 18.8%
Bachelor Degree 13.1% / 12.9%
Carey Bay — Bachelor Degree: 13.1% Kilaben Bay — Bachelor Degree: 12.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11.4% / 9.9%
Carey Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.4% Kilaben Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9%
Postgraduate Degree 4.0% / 4.8%
Carey Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0% Kilaben Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.4%
Carey Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Kilaben Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

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.

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
England 4.6% / 2.8%
Carey Bay — England: 4.6% Kilaben Bay — England: 2.8%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.1%
Carey Bay — New Zealand: 1.4% Kilaben Bay — New Zealand: 1.1%
South Africa 1.4% / 0.6%
Carey Bay — South Africa: 1.4% Kilaben Bay — South Africa: 0.6%
China 0.9% / 0.3%
Carey Bay — China: 0.9% Kilaben Bay — China: 0.3%
Germany 0.6% / 0.5%
Carey Bay — Germany: 0.6% Kilaben Bay — Germany: 0.5%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.6%
Carey Bay — Scotland: 0.5% Kilaben Bay — Scotland: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Carey Bay 68.7% houses
Carey Bay — Houses: 68.7% Carey Bay — Townhouses: 16.0% Carey Bay — Flats / Apartments: 15.2%
Kilaben Bay 95.1% houses
Kilaben Bay — Houses: 95.1% Kilaben Bay — Townhouses: 4.2% Kilaben Bay — Flats / Apartments: 0.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Median house price $1,150,000 $1,052,500
Median unit price $921,500 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 61 days
from 8 sales
 56 days
from 10 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.

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
3 bed $965K / $880K
Carey Bay — 3 bed: $965K (9 sales) Kilaben Bay — 3 bed: $880K (15 sales)

9 vs 15 sales

4 bed $1.18M / $1.06M
Carey Bay — 4 bed: $1.18M (7 sales) Kilaben Bay — 4 bed: $1.06M (14 sales)

7 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Kilaben Bay has more rural and farming land (28% vs 0%); Kilaben Bay has more land zoned for conservation (29% vs 1%).

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Residential 81% 41%
Environmental 1% 29%
Rural and farming 0% 28%
Parks and recreation 13% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
Commercial 2% 0%
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

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
House price Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Income Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 61% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW

Liveability

Kilaben Bay is more walkable (45 vs 33); Carey Bay scores higher overall (61 vs 49).

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Grade B
same for both
Score 61/100 49/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Kilaben Bay carries more bushfire risk (88 vs 0); Carey Bay carries more crime risk (26 vs 16).

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
88/100
Crime Low
26/100
 Low
16/100
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
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
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

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 2 0

Mobility

Carey Bay sits further from the CBD (138.5 km vs 132.3 km).

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Walkability score 33/100 45/100
Distance to Sydney 138.5 km
+4% vs other
 132.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 105 min 106 min
Public transport score 34/100
Bus
 43/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 10.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 14.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2283
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 2283
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.

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Car (driver) 59.6% / 60.1%
Carey Bay — Car (driver): 59.6% Kilaben Bay — Car (driver): 60.1%
Worked from Home 33.9% / 32.6%
Carey Bay — Worked from Home: 33.9% Kilaben Bay — Worked from Home: 32.6%
Car (passenger) 2.5% / 5.6%
Carey Bay — Car (passenger): 2.5% Kilaben Bay — Car (passenger): 5.6%
Walked Only 2.9% / 1.2%
Carey Bay — Walked Only: 2.9% Kilaben Bay — Walked Only: 1.2%
Bus 1.1% / —
Carey Bay — Bus: 1.1% Kilaben Bay — Bus: not among its largest
Train — / 0.5%
Carey Bay — Train: not among its largest Kilaben Bay — Train: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.1%).

Setting

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Elevation 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.4 km 7.7 km

NBN connectivity

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Connectivity score 67/100 93/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
515 premises
 63%
621 premises

Climate

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.27 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Carey Bay Kilaben Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Carey Bay

Retirees

Kilaben Bay

Large Blocks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Carey Bay

Carey Bay vs Toronto Carey Bay vs Coal Point

Other comparisons with Kilaben Bay

Kilaben Bay vs Toronto Kilaben Bay vs Coal Point
Full data on Carey Bay Full data on Kilaben Bay
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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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