Charlotte Bay vs Tarbuck Bay
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. In Tarbuck Bay, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Charlotte Bay tends to suit families with children and couples, while Tarbuck Bay 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
Charlotte Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 51%)
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
Charlotte Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (35% vs 42%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Tarbuck Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (273 km vs 277.5 km)
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
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
Charlotte Bay and Tarbuck 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.
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
Charlotte Bay has higher household incomes ($61,724 vs $53,092).
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 175 | 194 +11% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.7% | +3.2% |
| Median age | 47 | 48 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr +14% vs other | $53,092/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $420/wk | $430/wk +2% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).
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 (5.1%).
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 | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $900,000 | $835,000 |
| Median unit price | $730,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Tarbuck Bay has more rural and farming land (97% vs 56%); Charlotte Bay has more land zoned for conservation (26% vs 3%).
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 56% | 97% |
| Environmental | 26% | 3% |
| Residential | 17% | 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
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
Liveability
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 89/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| 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 | Tarbuck 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
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 same for both | |
Mobility
Charlotte Bay sits further from the CBD (277.5 km vs 273 km).
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 19/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 277.5 km +2% vs other | 273 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 201 min | 198 min |
| 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 (78.5%).
Setting
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 26 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.3 km 2.5 km to a named beach | 4.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 66/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 1% 76 premises | 40% 119 premises |
Council rates
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charlotte Bay | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tarbuck Bay
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.