East Ballina vs Skennars Head

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Skennars Head: a median of $1.77 million, against $1.35 million in East Ballina, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, East Ballina tends to suit 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

Skennars Head

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 46/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 61%)
  • But East Ballina has more parks and reserves (17 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

East Ballina

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,355,000 vs $1,770,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 32%)
  • But Skennars Head has cheaper units ($540,000 vs $782,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

East Ballina

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 16%)
  • has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $550/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

East Ballina

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (66/100 vs 28/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (476 min vs 484 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (735.1 km vs 741 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

East Ballina

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (39% vs 12%)
  • is more walkable (66/100 vs 28/100)
  • But Skennars Head carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 46/100)

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

Investors

East Ballina

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.4% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield.

Where they sit

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

East Ballina Skennars Head
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.

East Ballina Skennars Head
Walkability 66 / 28
East Ballina — Walkability: 66/100 Skennars Head — Walkability: 28/100
Safety 54 / 69
East Ballina — Safety: 54/100 Skennars Head — Safety: 69/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
East Ballina — Low fire risk: 100/100 Skennars Head — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

East Ballina has more residents (5,882 vs 1,303); Skennars Head rents higher ($550/wk vs $460/wk).

East Ballina Skennars Head
Population 5,882
+78% vs other
 1,303
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.6% —
Median age 48 47
Median household income $80,808/yr $87,048/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $460/wk $550/wk
+20% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

East Ballina Skennars Head
0-4 4.6% / 4.2%
East Ballina — 0-4: 4.6% Skennars Head — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 11.0% / 14.1%
East Ballina — 5-14: 11.0% Skennars Head — 5-14: 14.1%
15-19 5.3% / 6.1%
East Ballina — 15-19: 5.3% Skennars Head — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 3.3% / 3.5%
East Ballina — 20-24: 3.3% Skennars Head — 20-24: 3.5%
25-34 9.4% / 5.5%
East Ballina — 25-34: 9.4% Skennars Head — 25-34: 5.5%
35-44 11.8% / 12.3%
East Ballina — 35-44: 11.8% Skennars Head — 35-44: 12.3%
45-54 12.9% / 14.4%
East Ballina — 45-54: 12.9% Skennars Head — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 14.3% / 14.9%
East Ballina — 55-64: 14.3% Skennars Head — 55-64: 14.9%
65-74 17.1% / 15.3%
East Ballina — 65-74: 17.1% Skennars Head — 65-74: 15.3%
75-84 7.4% / 7.8%
East Ballina — 75-84: 7.4% Skennars Head — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 2.7% / 1.2%
East Ballina — 85+: 2.7% Skennars Head — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

East Ballina 35.9% couple families
East Ballina — Couple Families: 35.9% East Ballina — Lone Person: 39.3% East Ballina — One Parent Families: 17.6% East Ballina — Group Household: 6.3% East Ballina — Other Families: 0.9%
Skennars Head 43.5% couple families
Skennars Head — Couple Families: 43.5% Skennars Head — Lone Person: 39.0% Skennars Head — One Parent Families: 13.7% Skennars Head — Group Household: 2.7% Skennars Head — Other Families: 1.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

East Ballina 28.6% renting
East Ballina — Owned Outright: 46.1% East Ballina — Mortgage: 25.3% East Ballina — Renting: 28.6%
Skennars Head 16.5% renting
Skennars Head — Owned Outright: 53.0% Skennars Head — Mortgage: 30.5% Skennars Head — Renting: 16.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

East Ballina Skennars Head
Bachelor Degree 16.6% / 15.9%
East Ballina — Bachelor Degree: 16.6% Skennars Head — Bachelor Degree: 15.9%
Certificate III & IV 15.6% / 16.5%
East Ballina — Certificate III & IV: 15.6% Skennars Head — Certificate III & IV: 16.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 9.5%
East Ballina — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Skennars Head — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.0% / 4.8%
East Ballina — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0% Skennars Head — Postgraduate Degree: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 2.4%
East Ballina — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Skennars Head — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

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.

East Ballina Skennars Head
England 3.1% / 3.7%
East Ballina — England: 3.1% Skennars Head — England: 3.7%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.6%
East Ballina — New Zealand: 1.6% Skennars Head — New Zealand: 1.6%
South Africa 0.5% / 0.7%
East Ballina — South Africa: 0.5% Skennars Head — South Africa: 0.7%
Germany 0.5% / 0.6%
East Ballina — Germany: 0.5% Skennars Head — Germany: 0.6%
France — / 1.0%
East Ballina — France: not among its largest Skennars Head — France: 1.0%
Ireland 0.4% / —
East Ballina — Ireland: 0.4% Skennars Head — Ireland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

East Ballina 61.1% houses
East Ballina — Houses: 61.1% East Ballina — Townhouses: 30.6% East Ballina — Flats / Apartments: 8.2%
Skennars Head 88.4% houses
Skennars Head — Houses: 88.4% Skennars Head — Townhouses: 9.6% Skennars Head — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

East Ballina Skennars Head
Median house price $1,355,000 $1,770,000
Median unit price $782,500 $540,000
Median land price — $1,250,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 35 days
from 27 sales
 44 days
from 14 sales

Zoning mix

Skennars Head has more rural and farming land (40% vs 0%).

East Ballina Skennars Head
Other and special use 32% 40%
Rural and farming 0% 40%
Residential 34% 13%
Parks and recreation 18% 1%
Environmental 15% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 1%
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

East Ballina Skennars Head
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.

East Ballina Skennars Head
Houses 3.4%
$890/wk on $1.34M
 2.9%
$1,000/wk on $1.77M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

East Ballina Skennars Head
House price Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Income Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 29% of NSW
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW

Liveability

East Ballina is more walkable (66 vs 28).

East Ballina Skennars Head
Grade B
same for both
Score 59/100 58/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

East Ballina carries more crime risk (46 vs 31).

East Ballina Skennars Head
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
46/100
 Low
31/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
44/100
 Moderate
54/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

East Ballina Skennars Head
Inside the suburb 2
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in East Ballina

  • Southern Cross Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Southern Cross School of Distance Education Government · Combined below peers

Schools in Skennars Head

  • Holy Family Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Xavier Catholic College Ballina Catholic · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

East Ballina Skennars Head
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 17 1
Childcare 2 3
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 3 2

Mobility

Skennars Head sits further from the CBD (741 km vs 735.1 km).

East Ballina Skennars Head
Walkability score 66/100 28/100
Distance to Sydney 735.1 km 741 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 476 min 484 min
Public transport score 69/100
Bus
 60/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 57.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 29.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 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.

East Ballina Skennars Head
Car (driver) 72.5% / 71.1%
East Ballina — Car (driver): 72.5% Skennars Head — Car (driver): 71.1%
Worked from Home 19.7% / 21.9%
East Ballina — Worked from Home: 19.7% Skennars Head — Worked from Home: 21.9%
Car (passenger) 4.0% / 4.5%
East Ballina — Car (passenger): 4.0% Skennars Head — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Walked Only 1.4% / 1.9%
East Ballina — Walked Only: 1.4% Skennars Head — Walked Only: 1.9%
Bicycle 1.8% / 0.6%
East Ballina — Bicycle: 1.8% Skennars Head — Bicycle: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.5%).

Setting

East Ballina Skennars Head
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.1 km
1.5 km to a named beach
 1.5 km
4.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

East Ballina Skennars Head
Connectivity score 68/100 66/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 35%
3,045 premises
 40%
627 premises

Council rates

East Ballina Skennars Head
Average residential rate $1,264/yr
same for both
Council Ballina
same for both

Federal electorate

East Ballina Skennars Head
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

East Ballina Skennars Head
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

East Ballina

Beach Coastal Parks Retirees Townhouses

Skennars Head

Acreage Coastal Premium

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Full data on East Ballina Full data on Skennars Head
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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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