Charlotte Bay vs Elizabeth Beach
Charlotte Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 51 in Elizabeth Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Elizabeth Beach: a median of $1.37 million, against $900,000 in Charlotte Bay. On these figures, Charlotte Bay tends to suit 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
Charlotte Bay
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 73/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 64%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Charlotte Bay has cheaper houses ($900,000 vs $1,370,000)
- Elizabeth Beach leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 30%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Elizabeth Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 35%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Charlotte Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (201 min vs 206 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (277.5 km vs 282.4 km)
- But Elizabeth Beach is more walkable (30/100 vs 19/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Charlotte Bay carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 73/100)
- Elizabeth Beach is more walkable (30/100 vs 19/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Elizabeth Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.8% vs 1.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Charlotte Bay and Elizabeth Beach 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
Elizabeth Beach has more residents (259 vs 175); Elizabeth Beach has higher household incomes ($82,316 vs $61,724).
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 175 | 259 +48% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.7% | +18.8% |
| Median age | 47 | 51 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr | $82,316/yr +33% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $420/wk +5% vs other | $400/wk |
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.
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 (5.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $900,000 | $1,370,000 |
| Median unit price | $730,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Charlotte Bay has more rural and farming land (56% vs 3%); Elizabeth Beach has more land zoned for conservation (71% vs 26%).
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 26% | 71% |
| Rural and farming | 56% | 3% |
| Residential | 17% | 21% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 3% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Charlotte Bay and 98% of Elizabeth Beach. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
Liveability
Elizabeth Beach is more walkable (30 vs 19).
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Elizabeth Beach carries more crime risk (73 vs 53).
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 83/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | High 73/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 3 | 5 |
Mobility
Elizabeth Beach sits further from the CBD (282.4 km vs 277.5 km).
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 19/100 | 30/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 277.5 km | 282.4 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 201 min | 206 min |
| Public transport score | 28/100 Bus | 21/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 8.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 3 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2428 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 2428 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 (64.5%).
Setting
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.3 km 2.5 km to a named beach | 183 m 297 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 45/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 1% 76 premises | 0% 216 premises |
Council rates
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charlotte Bay | Elizabeth Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charlotte Bay
Other comparisons with Elizabeth Beach
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.