Emerald Beach vs Sandy Beach

Sandy Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 41 in Emerald Beach. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Emerald Beach, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Emerald Beach: a median of $1.06 million, against $928,000 in Sandy Beach, and rent is higher there too.

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

Emerald Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 61/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Emerald Beach has cheaper land ($769,000 vs $980,000)
  • Sandy Beach has cheaper houses ($927,500 vs $1,057,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Sandy Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $463/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sandy Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 12/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Emerald Beach carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 61/100)
  • Sandy Beach is more walkable (23/100 vs 12/100)

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

Investors

Sandy Beach

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.7% vs 2.3%)
  • is growing faster (27.4% vs 19.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Emerald Beach and Sandy Beach drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
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.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Walkability 12 / 23
Emerald Beach — Walkability: 12/100 Sandy Beach — Walkability: 23/100
Safety 55 / 39
Emerald Beach — Safety: 55/100 Sandy Beach — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 48 / 63
Emerald Beach — Low fire risk: 48/100 Sandy Beach — Low fire risk: 63/100

Demographics

Emerald Beach skews older (41 vs 35); Emerald Beach has higher household incomes ($94,276 vs $81,484).

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Population 2,677 2,913
+9% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +19.8% +27.4%
Median age 41 35
Median household income $94,276/yr
+14% vs other
 $81,484/yr
Median weekly rent $463/wk
+9% vs other
 $420/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
0-4 6.5% / 7.2%
Emerald Beach — 0-4: 6.5% Sandy Beach — 0-4: 7.2%
5-14 15.5% / 15.3%
Emerald Beach — 5-14: 15.5% Sandy Beach — 5-14: 15.3%
15-19 5.4% / 5.6%
Emerald Beach — 15-19: 5.4% Sandy Beach — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 3.5% / 4.3%
Emerald Beach — 20-24: 3.5% Sandy Beach — 20-24: 4.3%
25-34 10.2% / 15.8%
Emerald Beach — 25-34: 10.2% Sandy Beach — 25-34: 15.8%
35-44 14.2% / 13.9%
Emerald Beach — 35-44: 14.2% Sandy Beach — 35-44: 13.9%
45-54 13.8% / 11.0%
Emerald Beach — 45-54: 13.8% Sandy Beach — 45-54: 11.0%
55-64 13.6% / 12.0%
Emerald Beach — 55-64: 13.6% Sandy Beach — 55-64: 12.0%
65-74 11.6% / 10.4%
Emerald Beach — 65-74: 11.6% Sandy Beach — 65-74: 10.4%
75-84 4.5% / 3.1%
Emerald Beach — 75-84: 4.5% Sandy Beach — 75-84: 3.1%
85+ 1.0% / 1.1%
Emerald Beach — 85+: 1.0% Sandy Beach — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Emerald Beach 50.7% couple families
Emerald Beach — Couple Families: 50.7% Emerald Beach — Lone Person: 23.8% Emerald Beach — One Parent Families: 21.8% Emerald Beach — Group Household: 3.2% Emerald Beach — Other Families: 0.5%
Sandy Beach 44.3% couple families
Sandy Beach — Couple Families: 44.3% Sandy Beach — Lone Person: 27.7% Sandy Beach — One Parent Families: 21.4% Sandy Beach — Group Household: 5.0% Sandy Beach — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Emerald Beach 21.6% renting
Emerald Beach — Owned Outright: 37.5% Emerald Beach — Mortgage: 40.9% Emerald Beach — Renting: 21.6%
Sandy Beach 26.5% renting
Sandy Beach — Owned Outright: 29.5% Sandy Beach — Mortgage: 44.0% Sandy Beach — Renting: 26.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Certificate III & IV 17.4% / 18.6%
Emerald Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.4% Sandy Beach — Certificate III & IV: 18.6%
Bachelor Degree 14.8% / 10.3%
Emerald Beach — Bachelor Degree: 14.8% Sandy Beach — Bachelor Degree: 10.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 8.0%
Emerald Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Sandy Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 2.1%
Emerald Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Sandy Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.2%
Emerald Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Sandy Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

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.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
England 3.2% / 2.8%
Emerald Beach — England: 3.2% Sandy Beach — England: 2.8%
New Zealand 2.4% / 1.3%
Emerald Beach — New Zealand: 2.4% Sandy Beach — New Zealand: 1.3%
India — / 3.2%
Emerald Beach — India: not among its largest Sandy Beach — India: 3.2%
South Africa 0.7% / 0.7%
Emerald Beach — South Africa: 0.7% Sandy Beach — South Africa: 0.7%
Scotland 0.7% / 0.5%
Emerald Beach — Scotland: 0.7% Sandy Beach — Scotland: 0.5%
Germany 0.6% / 0.5%
Emerald Beach — Germany: 0.6% Sandy Beach — Germany: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Emerald Beach 93.6% houses
Emerald Beach — Houses: 93.6% Emerald Beach — Townhouses: 3.9% Emerald Beach — Flats / Apartments: 2.6%
Sandy Beach 97.5% houses
Sandy Beach — Houses: 97.5% Sandy Beach — Townhouses: 1.7% Sandy Beach — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Median house price $1,057,500 $927,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $769,000 $980,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 22 sales
 24 days
from 20 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
3 bed $942K / $885K
Emerald Beach — 3 bed: $942K (20 sales) Sandy Beach — 3 bed: $885K (14 sales)

20 vs 14 sales

4 bed $1.17M / $962K
Emerald Beach — 4 bed: $1.17M (24 sales) Sandy Beach — 4 bed: $962K (24 sales)

24 vs 24 sales

Zoning mix

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Rural and farming 61% 66%
Residential 23% 11%
Environmental 12% 18%
Infrastructure and transport 2%
same for both
Parks and recreation 1% 2%
Planning zones cover 99% of Emerald Beach and 99% of Sandy Beach. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
New dwellings approved 356
across Coffs Harbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +61%
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.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Houses 2.3%
$650/wk on $1.5M
 3.7%
$700/wk on $975K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
House price Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 44% of NSW
Income Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 4% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW

Liveability

Sandy Beach is more walkable (23 vs 12).

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Grade C
same for both
Score 36/100 32/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Emerald Beach carries more bushfire risk (52 vs 37); Sandy Beach carries more crime risk (61 vs 45).

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Bushfire Moderate
52/100
 Low
37/100
Crime Moderate
45/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
36/100
 Moderate
41/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Emerald Beach

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Sandy Beach

  • Sandy Beach Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Cafes & restaurants 2 1
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 1 3
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 20 8

Mobility

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Walkability score 12/100 23/100
Distance to Sydney 548.7 km 548.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 366 min 363 min
Public transport score 58/100
Bus
 68/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 28.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 39.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2456
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 59
postcode 2456
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.

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Car (driver) 75.8% / 82.3%
Emerald Beach — Car (driver): 75.8% Sandy Beach — Car (driver): 82.3%
Worked from Home 16.8% / 11.4%
Emerald Beach — Worked from Home: 16.8% Sandy Beach — Worked from Home: 11.4%
Car (passenger) 3.8% / 3.9%
Emerald Beach — Car (passenger): 3.8% Sandy Beach — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Walked Only 2.7% / 1.5%
Emerald Beach — Walked Only: 2.7% Sandy Beach — Walked Only: 1.5%
Bus 0.4% / 1.0%
Emerald Beach — Bus: 0.4% Sandy Beach — Bus: 1.0%
Bicycle 0.5% / —
Emerald Beach — Bicycle: 0.5% Sandy Beach — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.3%).

Setting

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Elevation 71 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.0 km
3.2 km to a named beach
 2.0 km
2.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Connectivity score 67/100 49/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 30%
1,093 premises
 11%
1,179 premises

Climate

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 10.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.22 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Average residential rate $1,437/yr
same for both
Council Coffs Harbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Emerald Beach Sandy Beach
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Emerald Beach

Acreage Coastal

Sandy Beach

Acreage Coastal Family

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Full data on Emerald Beach Full data on Sandy Beach
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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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