Charbon vs Kandos
Charbon is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 54 in Kandos. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Charbon tends to suit share households and families with children, while Kandos suits 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
Kandos
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (9 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Charbon
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($75,000 vs $195,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 30%)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Charbon
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 32%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $220/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
- Charbon sits closer to the CBD (234.8 km vs 238.3 km)
- Kandos is more walkable (70/100 vs 16/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kandos
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 16/100)
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 24%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kandos
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-4.0% vs -30.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Charbon and Kandos 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
Kandos has more residents (1,263 vs 91); Charbon has higher household incomes ($38,792 vs $35,204).
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 91 | 1,263 +1288% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -30.5% | -4.0% |
| Median age | 50 | 54 |
| Median household income | $38,792/yr +9% vs other | $35,204/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $220/wk +10% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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 (15.2%).
Property market
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $405,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $75,000 | $195,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 48 days from 25 sales |
Zoning mix
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 96% |
| Industrial | 0% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 1% |
| 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
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 131 across Mid-Western same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -4% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.6% $420/wk on $475K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 1% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 2% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 29% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 92% of NSW |
Liveability
Kandos is more walkable (70 vs 16).
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 21/100 |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Kandos carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 0).
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Crime | High 88/100 | High 84/100 |
| 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
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Charbon
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Kandos
- Kandos High School Government · Secondary above peers
- Kandos Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 9 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
Kandos sits further from the CBD (238.3 km vs 234.8 km).
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 70/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 234.8 km | 238.3 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 201 min | 202 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2848 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 2848 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 678 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 640 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 45/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 2 premises | 0% 851 premises |
Climate
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 965 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,083/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Western same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charbon | Kandos | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charbon
Other comparisons with Kandos
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.