Charlotte Bay vs Smiths Lake
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Charlotte Bay, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Charlotte Bay: a median of $900,000, against $825,000 in Smiths Lake, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Charlotte Bay tends to suit families with children and couples, while Smiths Lake suits people living alone.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Charlotte Bay is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 54%)
- Smiths Lake has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Smiths Lake
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $420/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Smiths Lake
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.9% vs 1.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Charlotte Bay and Smiths Lake 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
Smiths Lake has more residents (1,332 vs 175); Charlotte Bay rents higher ($420/wk vs $380/wk).
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 175 | 1,332 +661% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.7% | +7.9% |
| Median age | 47 | 49 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr | $62,920/yr +2% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $420/wk +10% vs other | $380/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).
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 (5.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $900,000 | $825,000 |
| Median unit price | $730,000 | — |
| Median land price | — | $507,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 57 days from 24 sales |
Zoning mix
Smiths Lake has more land zoned for conservation (72% vs 26%); Charlotte Bay has more rural and farming land (56% vs 23%).
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 26% | 72% |
| Rural and farming | 56% | 23% |
| Residential | 17% | 1% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 4% |
| 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 | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 2.7% $600/wk on $1.16M |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 10% of NSW |
Liveability
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 22/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 62/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 same for both | |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 6 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 19/100 | 25/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 277.5 km | 277.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 201 min | 204 min |
| Public transport score | 28/100 Bus | 41/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 8.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 15.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| 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 (70.9%).
Setting
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.3 km 2.5 km to a named beach | 2.1 km 2.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 52/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 1% 76 premises | 13% 1,046 premises |
Council rates
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charlotte Bay | Smiths Lake | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Smiths Lake
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.