Dilston vs Swan Bay
Swan Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 47 in Dilston. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dilston, about half of households are couple families. In Swan Bay, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Dilston: a median of $950,000, against $770,000 in Swan Bay. On these figures, Dilston tends to suit people living alone, while Swan Bay suits families with children, couples, 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
Swan Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (87% vs 63%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Swan Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($334,000 vs $1,825,000)
- has cheaper houses ($770,000 vs $950,000)
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
Dilston
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (152 min vs 161 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (215.5 km vs 222.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dilston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Swan Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (59.8% vs 5.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dilston and Swan Bay 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
Swan Bay has higher household incomes ($116,324 vs $93,340); Dilston skews older (47 vs 38).
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 558 +18% vs other | 457 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.1% | +59.8% |
| Median age | 47 | 38 |
| Median household income | $93,340/yr | $116,324/yr +25% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk +2% vs other | $313/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
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 (21.0%).
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 (4.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $950,000 | $770,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,825,000 | $334,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 24 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% same for both | |
| Environmental | 5% | 8% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 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
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 208 across Launceston same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -29% same for both | |
Ranking within TAS
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 85% of TAS | Higher than 95% of TAS |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of TAS | Higher than 53% of TAS |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 79% of TAS same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 69% of TAS | Higher than 68% of TAS |
Liveability
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 59/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Dilston carries more bushfire risk (26 vs 0).
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| 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
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 8 | 0 |
Mobility
Swan Bay sits further from the CBD (222.9 km vs 215.5 km).
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 215.5 km | 222.9 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 152 min | 161 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 7252 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 43 postcode 7252 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 (86.9%).
Setting
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 68 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 36 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 30.7 km | 25.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 235 premises | 0% 195 premises |
Climate
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 676 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,075/yr same for both | |
| Council | Launceston same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bass same for both | |
| Member | Jess Teesdale same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dilston | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Swan Bay
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dilston
Other comparisons with Swan Bay
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.