Dorrigo vs Megan
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Megan: a median of $740,000, against $630,000 in Dorrigo, though rent is higher in Dorrigo. On these figures, Dorrigo tends to suit 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
Dorrigo
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Dorrigo
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($262,500 vs $575,000)
- has cheaper houses ($630,000 vs $740,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Megan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 32%)
- has cheaper rent ($238/wk vs $300/wk)
- But Dorrigo has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 11%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dorrigo
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (374 min vs 394 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (547.4 km vs 561.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dorrigo
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (3 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 26%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Megan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.8% vs 1.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dorrigo and Megan 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
Dorrigo has more residents (1,214 vs 168); Dorrigo rents higher ($300/wk vs $238/wk).
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,214 +86% vs other | 168 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.9% | +12.8% |
| Median age | 56 | 57 |
| Median household income | $48,100/yr | $52,780/yr +10% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +21% vs other | $238/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.0%).
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 (4.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $630,000 | $740,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $262,500 | $575,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 17 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Megan has more land zoned for conservation (18% vs 1%).
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 82% |
| Environmental | 1% | 18% |
| Residential | 7% | 0% |
| 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
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Bellingen same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 71% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
Liveability
Dorrigo is more walkable (21 vs 0).
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 44/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 70/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| 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
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Dorrigo
- Dorrigo Public School Government · Primary above peers
- Mount St John Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Dorrigo High School Government · Secondary below peers
Schools in Megan
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 3 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 14 | 12 |
Mobility
Megan sits further from the CBD (561.3 km vs 547.4 km).
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 21/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 547.4 km | 561.3 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 374 min | 394 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2453 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 2453 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 (71.2%).
Setting
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 744 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 703 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 37.2 km | 31.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 71/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 38% 813 premises | 0% 47 premises |
Climate
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,827 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,592/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bellingen same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dorrigo | Megan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dorrigo
Other comparisons with Megan
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.