Crystal Creek vs North Arm

North Arm is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 47 in Crystal Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Arm, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Crystal Creek: a median of $1.65 million, against $1.48 million in North Arm, though rent is higher in North Arm. On these figures, North Arm tends to suit families with children.

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

North Arm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 61%)

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

First-home buyers

North Arm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,475,000 vs $1,650,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Crystal Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $550/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 35%)

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

Commuting to the city

North Arm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (805 km vs 807.3 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

Crystal Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (1.5% vs -7.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Crystal Creek and North Arm drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Crystal Creek North Arm
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.

Crystal Creek North Arm
Walkability 19 / 18
Crystal Creek — Walkability: 19/100 North Arm — Walkability: 18/100
Safety 88 / 85
Crystal Creek — Safety: 88/100 North Arm — Safety: 85/100
Low fire risk 63 / 57
Crystal Creek — Low fire risk: 63/100 North Arm — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Crystal Creek has more residents (263 vs 117); North Arm rents higher ($550/wk vs $250/wk).

Crystal Creek North Arm
Population 263
+56% vs other
 117
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.5% -7.1%
Median age 47 42
Median household income $62,920/yr $81,224/yr
+29% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $550/wk
+120% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Crystal Creek North Arm
0-4 4.9% / 6.8%
Crystal Creek — 0-4: 4.9% North Arm — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 16.3% / 18.8%
Crystal Creek — 5-14: 16.3% North Arm — 5-14: 18.8%
15-19 5.7% / 2.6%
Crystal Creek — 15-19: 5.7% North Arm — 15-19: 2.6%
20-24 1.5% / 8.5%
Crystal Creek — 20-24: 1.5% North Arm — 20-24: 8.5%
25-34 7.6% / 11.1%
Crystal Creek — 25-34: 7.6% North Arm — 25-34: 11.1%
35-44 9.9% / 8.5%
Crystal Creek — 35-44: 9.9% North Arm — 35-44: 8.5%
45-54 12.2% / 17.9%
Crystal Creek — 45-54: 12.2% North Arm — 45-54: 17.9%
55-64 19.8% / 9.4%
Crystal Creek — 55-64: 19.8% North Arm — 55-64: 9.4%
65-74 13.7% / 11.1%
Crystal Creek — 65-74: 13.7% North Arm — 65-74: 11.1%
75-84 7.2% / 9.4%
Crystal Creek — 75-84: 7.2% North Arm — 75-84: 9.4%
85+ 1.5% / 4.3%
Crystal Creek — 85+: 1.5% North Arm — 85+: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Crystal Creek 44.8% couple families
Crystal Creek — Couple Families: 44.8% Crystal Creek — Lone Person: 31.3% Crystal Creek — One Parent Families: 16.4% Crystal Creek — Group Household: 7.5%
North Arm 52.4% couple families
North Arm — Couple Families: 52.4% North Arm — Lone Person: 28.6% North Arm — One Parent Families: 19.0% North Arm — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Crystal Creek 12.8% renting
Crystal Creek — Owned Outright: 47.7% Crystal Creek — Mortgage: 39.5% Crystal Creek — Renting: 12.8%
North Arm 11.8% renting
North Arm — Owned Outright: 44.1% North Arm — Mortgage: 44.1% North Arm — Renting: 11.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Crystal Creek 98.9% houses
Crystal Creek — Houses: 98.9% Crystal Creek — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
North Arm 100.0% houses
North Arm — Houses: 100.0% North Arm — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Crystal Creek North Arm
Certificate III & IV 19.4% / 20.5%
Crystal Creek — Certificate III & IV: 19.4% North Arm — Certificate III & IV: 20.5%
Bachelor Degree 10.3% / 6.0%
Crystal Creek — Bachelor Degree: 10.3% North Arm — Bachelor Degree: 6.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 3.4%
Crystal Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% North Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.4%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / —
Crystal Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% North Arm — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / —
Crystal Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% North Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

Property market

Crystal Creek North Arm
Median house price $1,650,000 $1,475,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Crystal Creek North Arm
Rural and farming 98% 99%
Environmental 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

Crystal Creek North Arm
New dwellings approved 331
across Tweed
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Crystal Creek North Arm
House price Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Income Higher than 25% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 69% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 65% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 47% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW

Liveability

Crystal Creek North Arm
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
same for both

Risk profile

Crystal Creek North Arm
Bushfire Low
37/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime Low
12/100
 Low
15/100
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

Crystal Creek North Arm
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Crystal Creek

  • Crystal Creek Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in North Arm

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

Amenities in the suburb

Crystal Creek North Arm
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Crystal Creek sits further from the CBD (807.3 km vs 805 km).

Crystal Creek North Arm
Walkability score 19/100 18/100
Distance to Sydney 807.3 km 805 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 530 min
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2484
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 76
postcode 2484
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.

Crystal Creek North Arm
Car (driver) 75.9% / 90.0%
Crystal Creek — Car (driver): 75.9% North Arm — Car (driver): 90.0%
Worked from Home 12.7% / 10.0%
Crystal Creek — Worked from Home: 12.7% North Arm — Worked from Home: 10.0%
Walked Only 6.3% / —
Crystal Creek — Walked Only: 6.3% North Arm — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 5.1% / —
Crystal Creek — Car (passenger): 5.1% North Arm — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (90.0%).

Setting

Crystal Creek North Arm
Elevation 44 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 55 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 25.2 km 22.6 km

NBN connectivity

Crystal Creek North Arm
Connectivity score 29/100 34/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
103 premises
 4%
49 premises

Climate

Crystal Creek North Arm
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Crystal Creek North Arm
Average residential rate $1,745/yr
same for both
Council Tweed
same for both

Federal electorate

Crystal Creek North Arm
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Crystal Creek North Arm
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Crystal Creek

Rural

North Arm

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Crystal Creek

Crystal Creek vs Eungella Crystal Creek vs Nobbys Creek Crystal Creek vs Chillingham Crystal Creek vs Upper Crystal Creek

Other comparisons with North Arm

North Arm vs Murwillumbah North Arm vs Eungella North Arm vs Nobbys Creek
Full data on Crystal Creek Full data on North Arm
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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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