Coolangatta vs Far Meadow
Coolangatta is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 60 in Far Meadow. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Coolangatta, most households are couple families. In Far Meadow, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Far Meadow: a median of $2.5 million, against $2.2 million in Coolangatta, though rent is higher in Coolangatta. On these figures, Far Meadow tends to suit 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
Coolangatta
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 77/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 66%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Coolangatta
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($2,200,000 vs $2,500,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Far Meadow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Coolangatta
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (150.7 km vs 153.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Coolangatta carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 77/100)
- Far Meadow has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 22%)
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
Coolangatta and Far Meadow 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
Coolangatta has more residents (324 vs 209); Coolangatta rents higher ($400/wk vs $300/wk).
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 324 +35% vs other | 209 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.5% | -2.8% |
| Median age | 51 | 60 |
| Median household income | $107,016/yr +6% vs other | $100,360/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +25% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.7%).
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 (5.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,200,000 | $2,500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Far Meadow has more rural and farming land (80% vs 60%); Coolangatta has more land zoned for conservation (38% vs 19%).
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 60% | 80% |
| Environmental | 38% | 19% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 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
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 854 across Shoalhaven same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -10% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 87% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 68% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 9% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 87% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 59% of NSW same for both | |
Liveability
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Coolangatta carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0); Far Meadow carries more crime risk (77 vs 49).
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 65/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 49/100 | High 77/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Far Meadow sits further from the CBD (153.3 km vs 150.7 km).
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 150.7 km | 153.3 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 129 min | 130 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 2535 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2535 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 (75.6%).
Setting
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 15 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 9 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.2 km | 4.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 129 premises | 0% 104 premises |
Council rates
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr same for both | |
| Council | Shoalhaven same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Coolangatta | Far Meadow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Coolangatta
Other comparisons with Far Meadow
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.