Diamond Beach vs Rainbow Flat
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rainbow Flat, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Rainbow Flat: a median of $1.14 million, against $978,000 in Diamond Beach. On these figures, Diamond Beach tends to suit people living alone, while Rainbow Flat suits couples.
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
Rainbow Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 56%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Diamond Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($977,500 vs $1,138,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Diamond Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 8%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Rainbow Flat
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (211 min vs 222 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (302.2 km vs 305.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Diamond Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.2% vs 3.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Diamond Beach and Rainbow Flat 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
Diamond Beach has more residents (1,012 vs 693).
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,012 +32% vs other | 693 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.2% | +3.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 51 |
| Median household income | $69,212/yr +2% vs other | $67,548/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).
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 (4.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $977,500 | $1,138,000 |
| Median unit price | $1,440,000 | — |
| Median land price | $664,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 51 days from 14 sales | 44 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
Rainbow Flat has more rural and farming land (81% vs 11%); Diamond Beach has more land zoned for conservation (60% vs 7%).
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 11% | 81% |
| Environmental | 60% | 7% |
| Residential | 26% | 11% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 1% |
| 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
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.8% $695/wk on $940K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 36% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 65% of NSW | — |
Liveability
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D same for both | |
| Score | 27/100 | 25/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 46/100 | Moderate 47/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 80/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Diamond Beach
- Hallidays Point Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Rainbow Flat
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 10 | 17 |
Mobility
Diamond Beach sits further from the CBD (305.4 km vs 302.2 km).
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 15/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 305.4 km +1% vs other | 302.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 222 min | 211 min |
| Public transport score | 22/100 Bus | 28/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 4.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 5.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2430 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 2430 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 (75.5%).
Setting
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 990 m 3.2 km to a named beach | 5.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 70/100 | 37/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 47% 733 premises | 10% 330 premises |
Climate
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Diamond Beach | Rainbow Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Diamond Beach
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.