Cumbalum vs West Ballina

Cumbalum is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 54 in West Ballina. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Cumbalum, most households are couple families. In West Ballina, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Cumbalum: a median of $1.16 million, against $900,000 in West Ballina, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Cumbalum tends to suit families with children and couples, while West Ballina suits people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 92/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 44%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (94% vs 68%)
  • But West Ballina has more parks and reserves (9 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Cumbalum leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 42%)
  • West Ballina has cheaper houses ($900,000 vs $1,160,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

West Ballina

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $610/wk)
  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 18%)
  • But Cumbalum leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 36%)

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

Commuting to the city

West Ballina

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (42/100 vs 18/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (463 min vs 475 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (726.2 km vs 741.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

West Ballina

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (32% vs 6%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 13%)
  • is more walkable (42/100 vs 18/100)
  • But Cumbalum carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 92/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Cumbalum is growing faster (45.3% vs 6.8%)
  • West Ballina returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.4% vs 3.6%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Cumbalum and West Ballina drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Cumbalum West Ballina
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.

Cumbalum West Ballina
Walkability 18 / 42
Cumbalum — Walkability: 18/100 West Ballina — Walkability: 42/100
Safety 66 / 8
Cumbalum — Safety: 66/100 West Ballina — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 67 / 100
Cumbalum — Low fire risk: 67/100 West Ballina — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Cumbalum has higher household incomes ($112,840 vs $52,780); Cumbalum rents higher ($610/wk vs $370/wk).

Cumbalum West Ballina
Population 2,211 3,230
+46% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +45.3% +6.8%
Median age 37 54
Median household income $112,840/yr
+53% vs other
 $52,780/yr
Median weekly rent $610/wk
+39% vs other
 $370/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cumbalum West Ballina
0-4 6.7% / 4.2%
Cumbalum — 0-4: 6.7% West Ballina — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 16.1% / 9.2%
Cumbalum — 5-14: 16.1% West Ballina — 5-14: 9.2%
15-19 6.1% / 5.0%
Cumbalum — 15-19: 6.1% West Ballina — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 5.0% / 4.6%
Cumbalum — 20-24: 5.0% West Ballina — 20-24: 4.6%
25-34 11.8% / 7.4%
Cumbalum — 25-34: 11.8% West Ballina — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 15.7% / 8.7%
Cumbalum — 35-44: 15.7% West Ballina — 35-44: 8.7%
45-54 13.7% / 11.5%
Cumbalum — 45-54: 13.7% West Ballina — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 11.0% / 13.6%
Cumbalum — 55-64: 11.0% West Ballina — 55-64: 13.6%
65-74 8.8% / 18.6%
Cumbalum — 65-74: 8.8% West Ballina — 65-74: 18.6%
75-84 3.8% / 13.2%
Cumbalum — 75-84: 3.8% West Ballina — 75-84: 13.2%
85+ 0.6% / 4.0%
Cumbalum — 85+: 0.6% West Ballina — 85+: 4.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cumbalum 63.4% couple families
Cumbalum — Couple Families: 63.4% Cumbalum — Lone Person: 15.0% Cumbalum — One Parent Families: 15.8% Cumbalum — Group Household: 4.1% Cumbalum — Other Families: 1.8%
West Ballina 23.9% couple families
West Ballina — Couple Families: 23.9% West Ballina — Lone Person: 49.6% West Ballina — One Parent Families: 20.2% West Ballina — Group Household: 4.7% West Ballina — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cumbalum 18.1% renting
Cumbalum — Owned Outright: 32.9% Cumbalum — Mortgage: 49.0% Cumbalum — Renting: 18.1%
West Ballina 28.8% renting
West Ballina — Owned Outright: 49.5% West Ballina — Mortgage: 21.7% West Ballina — Renting: 28.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cumbalum West Ballina
Certificate III & IV 16.8% / 17.2%
Cumbalum — Certificate III & IV: 16.8% West Ballina — Certificate III & IV: 17.2%
Bachelor Degree 14.0% / 7.6%
Cumbalum — Bachelor Degree: 14.0% West Ballina — Bachelor Degree: 7.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 7.7%
Cumbalum — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% West Ballina — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.6% / 1.4%
Cumbalum — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6% West Ballina — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 1.0%
Cumbalum — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% West Ballina — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

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.

Cumbalum West Ballina
England 3.3% / 2.3%
Cumbalum — England: 3.3% West Ballina — England: 2.3%
New Zealand 2.4% / 2.0%
Cumbalum — New Zealand: 2.4% West Ballina — New Zealand: 2.0%
Philippines 0.7% / 0.5%
Cumbalum — Philippines: 0.7% West Ballina — Philippines: 0.5%
India 0.7% / —
Cumbalum — India: 0.7% West Ballina — India: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 0.6%
Cumbalum — Netherlands: not among its largest West Ballina — Netherlands: 0.6%
Thailand 0.5% / —
Cumbalum — Thailand: 0.5% West Ballina — Thailand: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.5%
Cumbalum — Scotland: not among its largest West Ballina — Scotland: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cumbalum 93.7% houses
Cumbalum — Houses: 93.7% Cumbalum — Townhouses: 5.6% Cumbalum — Flats / Apartments: 0.7%
West Ballina 67.9% houses
West Ballina — Houses: 67.9% West Ballina — Townhouses: 18.8% West Ballina — Flats / Apartments: 13.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Cumbalum West Ballina
Median house price $1,160,000 $900,000
Median unit price — $707,500
Median land price $620,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 57 sales
 43 days
from 43 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.

Cumbalum West Ballina
3 bed $962K / $835K
Cumbalum — 3 bed: $962K (12 sales) West Ballina — 3 bed: $835K (44 sales)

12 vs 44 sales

4 bed $1.16M / $1.15M
Cumbalum — 4 bed: $1.16M (67 sales) West Ballina — 4 bed: $1.15M (36 sales)

67 vs 36 sales

Zoning mix

Cumbalum West Ballina
Rural and farming 57% 53%
Other and special use 20% 17%
Residential 17% 13%
Environmental 5% 10%
Industrial 0% 5%
Parks and recreation 1%
same for both
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 West Ballina
New dwellings approved 238
across Ballina
same for both
Approvals change year on year +210%
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.

Cumbalum West Ballina
Houses 3.6%
$938/wk on $1.34M
 5.4%
$850/wk on $825K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Cumbalum West Ballina
House price Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
Income Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 13% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of NSW
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW

Liveability

West Ballina is more walkable (42 vs 18); Cumbalum scores higher overall (49 vs 30).

Cumbalum West Ballina
Grade B D
Score 49/100 30/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Cumbalum carries more bushfire risk (33 vs 0); West Ballina carries more crime risk (92 vs 34).

Cumbalum West Ballina
Bushfire Low
33/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
34/100
 High
92/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
27/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Cumbalum West Ballina
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Cumbalum

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

Schools in West Ballina

  • Emmanuel Anglican College Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Cumbalum West Ballina
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 0 9
Childcare 0 4
GPs 0 1
Fuel stations 0 4
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Cumbalum sits further from the CBD (741.3 km vs 726.2 km).

Cumbalum West Ballina
Walkability score 18/100 42/100
Distance to Sydney 741.3 km
+2% vs other
 726.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 475 min 463 min
Public transport score 26/100
Bus
 73/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 6.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 40.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
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.

Cumbalum West Ballina
Car (driver) 76.0% / 76.0%
Cumbalum — Car (driver): 76.0% West Ballina — Car (driver): 76.0%
Worked from Home 18.0% / 12.5%
Cumbalum — Worked from Home: 18.0% West Ballina — Worked from Home: 12.5%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 4.7%
Cumbalum — Car (passenger): 4.9% West Ballina — Car (passenger): 4.7%
Walked Only — / 4.1%
Cumbalum — Walked Only: not among its largest West Ballina — Walked Only: 4.1%
Bicycle 0.6% / 1.8%
Cumbalum — Bicycle: 0.6% West Ballina — Bicycle: 1.8%
Bus 0.5% / 1.0%
Cumbalum — Bus: 0.5% West Ballina — Bus: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.0%).

Setting

Cumbalum West Ballina
Elevation 42 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.2 km 1.6 km

NBN connectivity

Cumbalum West Ballina
Connectivity score 84/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 72%
1,204 premises
 46%
1,476 premises

Council rates

Cumbalum West Ballina
Average residential rate $1,264/yr
same for both
Council Ballina
same for both

Federal electorate

Cumbalum West Ballina
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cumbalum West Ballina
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cumbalum

Acreage Family

West Ballina

Coastal Quiet Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cumbalum

Cumbalum vs Ballina Cumbalum vs Tintenbar Cumbalum vs Teven Cumbalum vs Kinvara

Other comparisons with West Ballina

West Ballina vs Ballina West Ballina vs Pimlico West Ballina vs Teven West Ballina vs Uralba West Ballina vs Keith Hall
Full data on Cumbalum Full data on West Ballina
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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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