Dyers Crossing vs Firefly
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Firefly, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Dyers Crossing: a median of $1.23 million, against $1 million in Firefly, though rent is higher in Firefly. On these figures, Dyers Crossing tends to suit people living alone, while Firefly suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Dyers Crossing carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 29/100)
- Firefly is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 54%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Firefly
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($1,005,000 vs $1,230,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 32%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Dyers Crossing
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dyers Crossing
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 6/100)
- has a shorter drive in (203 min vs 212 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (290.4 km vs 298.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dyers Crossing
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 6/100)
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 29/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dyers Crossing
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (2.7% vs -9.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dyers Crossing and Firefly 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
Dyers Crossing has more residents (346 vs 247); Firefly rents higher ($380/wk vs $300/wk).
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 346 +29% vs other | 247 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.7% | -9.2% |
| Median age | 53 | 51 |
| Median household income | $59,748/yr | $71,500/yr +20% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $380/wk +27% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
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 (6.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,230,000 | $1,005,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% 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
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 25% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
Liveability
Dyers Crossing is more walkable (14 vs 6).
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Dyers Crossing carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 44); Firefly carries more crime risk (29 vs 18).
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 82/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| Crime | Low 18/100 | Low 29/100 |
| 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
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 18 |
Mobility
Firefly sits further from the CBD (298.8 km vs 290.4 km).
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 290.4 km | 298.8 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 203 min | 212 min |
| Public transport score | 27/100 Bus | 25/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 8.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 6.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2429 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 62 postcode 2429 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 (70.7%).
Setting
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 26 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 70 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 19.7 km | 26.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 164 premises | 0% 133 premises |
Climate
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dyers Crossing | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dyers Crossing
Other comparisons with Firefly
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.