Cowes vs Smiths Beach

Smiths Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 55 in Cowes. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Smiths Beach: a median of $768,000, against $700,000 in Cowes. On these figures, Cowes tends to suit 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

Cowes

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
  • But Smiths Beach carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 69/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Cowes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($446,000 vs $580,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Smiths Beach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (27/100 vs 16/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (135.4 km vs 138.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Cowes

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (17% vs 3%)
  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 24%)
  • But Smiths Beach carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 69/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

Cowes and Smiths 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.

Cowes Smiths Beach
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Cowes Smiths Beach
Walkability 16 / 27
Cowes — Walkability: 16/100 Smiths Beach — Walkability: 27/100
Safety 31 / 71
Cowes — Safety: 31/100 Smiths Beach — Safety: 71/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Cowes — Low fire risk: 100/100 Smiths Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 77 / 71
Cowes — Low flood risk: 77/100 Smiths Beach — Low flood risk: 71/100

Demographics

Cowes has more residents (6,593 vs 315); Smiths Beach has higher household incomes ($61,412 vs $53,352).

Cowes Smiths Beach
Population 6,593
+95% vs other
 315
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +36.2% +39.4%
Median age 55 51
Median household income $53,352/yr $61,412/yr
+15% vs other
Median weekly rent $331/wk $330/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cowes Smiths Beach
0-4 4.2% / 6.3%
Cowes — 0-4: 4.2% Smiths Beach — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 10.0% / 9.2%
Cowes — 5-14: 10.0% Smiths Beach — 5-14: 9.2%
15-19 3.6% / 5.1%
Cowes — 15-19: 3.6% Smiths Beach — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 2.8% / 2.5%
Cowes — 20-24: 2.8% Smiths Beach — 20-24: 2.5%
25-34 8.0% / 9.8%
Cowes — 25-34: 8.0% Smiths Beach — 25-34: 9.8%
35-44 9.6% / 10.8%
Cowes — 35-44: 9.6% Smiths Beach — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 11.1% / 11.7%
Cowes — 45-54: 11.1% Smiths Beach — 45-54: 11.7%
55-64 15.7% / 25.1%
Cowes — 55-64: 15.7% Smiths Beach — 55-64: 25.1%
65-74 19.8% / 14.3%
Cowes — 65-74: 19.8% Smiths Beach — 65-74: 14.3%
75-84 10.8% / 7.3%
Cowes — 75-84: 10.8% Smiths Beach — 75-84: 7.3%
85+ 4.3% / 2.2%
Cowes — 85+: 4.3% Smiths Beach — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cowes 53.0% lone person
Cowes — Lone Person: 53.0% Cowes — Couple Families: 27.1% Cowes — One Parent Families: 15.5% Cowes — Group Household: 3.6% Cowes — Other Families: 0.8%
Smiths Beach 51.6% lone person
Smiths Beach — Lone Person: 51.6% Smiths Beach — Couple Families: 36.3% Smiths Beach — One Parent Families: 5.5% Smiths Beach — Group Household: 6.6% Smiths Beach — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cowes 27.9% renting
Cowes — Owned Outright: 48.8% Cowes — Mortgage: 23.3% Cowes — Renting: 27.9%
Smiths Beach 19.5% renting
Smiths Beach — Owned Outright: 51.7% Smiths Beach — Mortgage: 28.8% Smiths Beach — Renting: 19.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Cowes Smiths Beach
Certificate III & IV 16.2% / 16.5%
Cowes — Certificate III & IV: 16.2% Smiths Beach — Certificate III & IV: 16.5%
Bachelor Degree 9.1% / 19.7%
Cowes — Bachelor Degree: 9.1% Smiths Beach — Bachelor Degree: 19.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.8% / 10.2%
Cowes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8% Smiths Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 6.7%
Cowes — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Smiths Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 1.9%
Cowes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Smiths Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

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.

Cowes Smiths Beach
England 6.4% / 3.5%
Cowes — England: 6.4% Smiths Beach — England: 3.5%
New Zealand 1.6% / 2.9%
Cowes — New Zealand: 1.6% Smiths Beach — New Zealand: 2.9%
Netherlands 0.5% / 1.9%
Cowes — Netherlands: 0.5% Smiths Beach — Netherlands: 1.9%
Ireland — / 1.3%
Cowes — Ireland: not among its largest Smiths Beach — Ireland: 1.3%
India 1.2% / —
Cowes — India: 1.2% Smiths Beach — India: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 1.0%
Cowes — Malaysia: not among its largest Smiths Beach — Malaysia: 1.0%
Italy 0.9% / —
Cowes — Italy: 0.9% Smiths Beach — Italy: not among its largest
Scotland 0.7% / —
Cowes — Scotland: 0.7% Smiths Beach — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cowes 83.4% houses
Cowes — Houses: 83.4% Cowes — Townhouses: 11.8% Cowes — Flats / Apartments: 4.8%
Smiths Beach 97.0% houses
Smiths Beach — Houses: 97.0% Smiths Beach — Townhouses: 0.0% Smiths Beach — Flats / Apartments: 3.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Cowes Smiths Beach
Median house price $700,000 $767,500
Median unit price $459,000 —
Median land price $446,000 $580,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 57 days
from 132 sales
 110 days
from 7 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Cowes Smiths Beach
3 bed $650K / $757K
Cowes — 3 bed: $650K (125 sales) Smiths Beach — 3 bed: $757K (10 sales)

125 vs 10 sales

4 bed $775K / $850K
Cowes — 4 bed: $775K (83 sales) Smiths Beach — 4 bed: $850K (9 sales)

83 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Cowes has more rural and farming land (57% vs 15%).

Cowes Smiths Beach
Residential 33% 66%
Rural and farming 57% 15%
Parks and recreation 4% 17%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 2%
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

Cowes Smiths Beach
New dwellings approved 393
across Bass Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Cowes Smiths Beach
Houses 3.6%
$520/wk on $760K
 —
Units 4.5%
$420/wk on $489K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Cowes Smiths Beach
House price Higher than 46% of VIC Higher than 71% of VIC
Income Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 22% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 15% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 70% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 39% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 30% of VIC —

Liveability

Smiths Beach is more walkable (27 vs 16).

Cowes Smiths Beach
Grade C —
Score 45/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Cowes carries more crime risk (69 vs 29).

Cowes Smiths Beach
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
69/100
 Low
29/100
Flood Low
23/100
 Low
29/100
Coastal erosion Moderate
57/100
 Low
17/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Cowes Smiths Beach
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Cowes

  • Cowes Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Smiths Beach

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Cowes Smiths Beach
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 44 0
Parks & reserves 9 1
Childcare 6 0
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Cowes sits further from the CBD (138.3 km vs 135.4 km).

Cowes Smiths Beach
Walkability score 16/100 27/100
Distance to Melbourne 138.3 km
+2% vs other
 135.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 113 min 110 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3922
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 29
postcode 3922
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.

Cowes Smiths Beach
Car (driver) 65.2% / 58.6%
Cowes — Car (driver): 65.2% Smiths Beach — Car (driver): 58.6%
Worked from Home 21.8% / 30.8%
Cowes — Worked from Home: 21.8% Smiths Beach — Worked from Home: 30.8%
Walked Only 5.8% / 6.8%
Cowes — Walked Only: 5.8% Smiths Beach — Walked Only: 6.8%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 3.8%
Cowes — Car (passenger): 5.4% Smiths Beach — Car (passenger): 3.8%
Bicycle 1.6% / —
Cowes — Bicycle: 1.6% Smiths Beach — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.2%).

Setting

Cowes Smiths Beach
Elevation 31 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.4 km
2.6 km to a named beach
 368 m
427 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Cowes Smiths Beach
Connectivity score 75/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
6,893 premises
 54%
597 premises

Climate

Cowes Smiths Beach
Annual rainfall 704 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.6°C
same for both

Council rates

Cowes Smiths Beach
Average residential rate $1,727/yr
same for both
Council Bass Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Cowes Smiths Beach
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cowes Smiths Beach
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cowes

Coastal Retirees

Smiths Beach

Acreage Beach Beachfront Coastal

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cowes

Cowes vs Ventnor Cowes vs Rhyll Cowes vs Sunset Strip Cowes vs Wimbledon Heights Cowes vs Silverleaves

Other comparisons with Smiths Beach

Smiths Beach vs Ventnor Smiths Beach vs Sunset Strip Smiths Beach vs Sunderland Bay
Full data on Cowes Full data on Smiths Beach
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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.

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