Ferodale vs Swan Bay
Ferodale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 52 in Swan Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ferodale, most households are couple families. On these figures, Ferodale tends to suit couples, while Swan Bay suits 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
Ferodale
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 62%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 89%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Ferodale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Swan Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Ferodale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (188.7 km vs 196.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Ferodale is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Swan Bay has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Ferodale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.1% vs -1.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ferodale 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 more residents (310 vs 98); Ferodale has higher household incomes ($81,224 vs $60,112).
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 98 | 310 +216% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.1% | -1.9% |
| Median age | 43 | 52 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr +26% vs other | $60,112/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +12% vs other | $350/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (22.4%).
Property market
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $825,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Swan Bay has more rural and farming land (40% vs 19%); Swan Bay has more land zoned for conservation (39% vs 22%).
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure and transport | 59% | 20% |
| Rural and farming | 19% | 40% |
| Environmental | 22% | 39% |
| 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
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 495 across Port Stephens same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -72% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
Liveability
Ferodale is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 78/100 | High 84/100 |
| Crime | High 96/100 | — |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | High 83/100 | None 0/100 |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ferodale | 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
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 11 | 1 |
Mobility
Swan Bay sits further from the CBD (196.3 km vs 188.7 km).
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 188.7 km | 196.3 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 142 min | 145 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2318 | 0.5% postcode 2324 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 79 postcode 2318 | 54 postcode 2324 |
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 (63.5%).
Setting
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 12 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.4 km | 1.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 21/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 24 premises | 0% 136 premises |
Climate
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,181 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.5°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ | 7.5 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 17.5 µg/m³ | 30.4 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.72 pphm | 0.73 pphm |
Council rates
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,359/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Stephens same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Paterson same for both | |
| Member | Meryl Swanson same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ferodale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ferodale
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.