Cumbalum vs Kinvara
Cumbalum is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 50 in Kinvara. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cumbalum, most households are couple families. In Kinvara, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Kinvara: a median of $1.8 million, against $1.16 million in Cumbalum, though rent is higher in Cumbalum. On these figures, Cumbalum tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Kinvara suits 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
Cumbalum
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 87/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 54%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cumbalum
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 36%)
- has cheaper houses ($1,160,000 vs $1,802,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Kinvara
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (32% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $610/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Cumbalum is more walkable (18/100 vs 10/100)
- Kinvara sits closer to the CBD (737.6 km vs 741.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cumbalum
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 87/100)
- is more walkable (18/100 vs 10/100)
- But Kinvara has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 13%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Cumbalum and Kinvara 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
Cumbalum has more residents (2,211 vs 193); Kinvara skews older (50 vs 37).
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,211 +91% vs other | 193 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +45.3% | — |
| Median age | 37 | 50 |
| Median household income | $112,840/yr +16% vs other | $94,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $610/wk +18% vs other | $500/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.4%).
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 (3.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,160,000 | $1,802,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $620,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 38 days from 57 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Kinvara has more rural and farming land (70% vs 57%); Kinvara has more land zoned for conservation (17% vs 5%).
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 57% | 70% |
| Other and special use | 20% | 3% |
| Residential | 17% | 10% |
| Environmental | 5% | 17% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 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
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.6% $938/wk on $1.34M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 18% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 92% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 53% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Cumbalum is more walkable (18 vs 10).
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 49/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Cumbalum carries more bushfire risk (33 vs 0); Kinvara carries more crime risk (87 vs 34).
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 33/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 34/100 | High 87/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 4 |
Mobility
Cumbalum sits further from the CBD (741.3 km vs 737.6 km).
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 18/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 741.3 km | 737.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 475 min | 474 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2478 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 2478 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 (76.0%).
Setting
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 42 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.2 km | 4.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 84/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 72% 1,204 premises | 0% 93 premises |
Council rates
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cumbalum | Kinvara | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cumbalum
Other comparisons with Kinvara
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.