Gosford vs Narara

Gosford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Narara. In Gosford, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Narara, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Narara: a median of $1.02 million, against $576,000 in Gosford, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Gosford tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Narara suits families with children and couples.

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

Narara

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (87% vs 4%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 30%)
  • carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 98/100)
  • But Gosford has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Gosford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($576,500 vs $1,020,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Gosford has a bigger rental market to choose from (67% vs 20%)
  • Narara leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 27%)

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

Commuting to the city

Gosford

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 63/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (67 min vs 72 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (75.9 km vs 78.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Gosford

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (96% vs 13%)
  • has more GPs (6 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 63/100)
  • But Narara carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 98/100)

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

Investors

Gosford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (39.3% vs 6.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gosford Narara
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.

Gosford Narara
Walkability 89 / 63
Gosford — Walkability: 89/100 Narara — Walkability: 63/100
Safety 2 / 51
Gosford — Safety: 2/100 Narara — Safety: 51/100
Low fire risk 47 / 44
Gosford — Low fire risk: 47/100 Narara — Low fire risk: 44/100

Demographics

Narara has more residents (8,471 vs 4,873); Narara has higher household incomes ($98,592 vs $73,892).

Gosford Narara
Population 4,873 8,471
+74% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +39.3% +6.8%
Median age 35 38
Median household income $73,892/yr $98,592/yr
+33% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk $420/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gosford Narara
0-4 5.0% / 6.5%
Gosford — 0-4: 5.0% Narara — 0-4: 6.5%
5-14 6.4% / 14.4%
Gosford — 5-14: 6.4% Narara — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 3.2% / 6.1%
Gosford — 15-19: 3.2% Narara — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 8.9% / 5.1%
Gosford — 20-24: 8.9% Narara — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 26.4% / 12.4%
Gosford — 25-34: 26.4% Narara — 25-34: 12.4%
35-44 15.6% / 14.2%
Gosford — 35-44: 15.6% Narara — 35-44: 14.2%
45-54 11.5% / 13.6%
Gosford — 45-54: 11.5% Narara — 45-54: 13.6%
55-64 10.2% / 12.6%
Gosford — 55-64: 10.2% Narara — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 8.5% / 9.9%
Gosford — 65-74: 8.5% Narara — 65-74: 9.9%
75-84 3.7% / 4.1%
Gosford — 75-84: 3.7% Narara — 75-84: 4.1%
85+ 0.9% / 1.1%
Gosford — 85+: 0.9% Narara — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gosford 58.7% lone person
Gosford — Lone Person: 58.7% Gosford — Couple Families: 16.7% Gosford — One Parent Families: 12.9% Gosford — Group Household: 9.7% Gosford — Other Families: 2.0%
Narara 26.0% lone person
Narara — Lone Person: 26.0% Narara — Couple Families: 50.2% Narara — One Parent Families: 19.5% Narara — Group Household: 3.4% Narara — Other Families: 0.9%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gosford 66.7% renting
Gosford — Owned Outright: 13.9% Gosford — Mortgage: 19.3% Gosford — Renting: 66.7%
Narara 20.5% renting
Narara — Owned Outright: 31.8% Narara — Mortgage: 47.7% Narara — Renting: 20.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Gosford Narara
Bachelor Degree 18.3% / 12.7%
Gosford — Bachelor Degree: 18.3% Narara — Bachelor Degree: 12.7%
Certificate III & IV 13.9% / 17.0%
Gosford — Certificate III & IV: 13.9% Narara — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.3% / 8.1%
Gosford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3% Narara — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Postgraduate Degree 8.1% / 3.4%
Gosford — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1% Narara — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.7%
Gosford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Narara — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

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.

Gosford Narara
England 3.1% / 4.8%
Gosford — England: 3.1% Narara — England: 4.8%
India 5.0% / 1.7%
Gosford — India: 5.0% Narara — India: 1.7%
Philippines 3.2% / 1.0%
Gosford — Philippines: 3.2% Narara — Philippines: 1.0%
Nepal 4.1% / —
Gosford — Nepal: 4.1% Narara — Nepal: not among its largest
China 2.7% / 1.1%
Gosford — China: 2.7% Narara — China: 1.1%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.6%
Gosford — New Zealand: 1.7% Narara — New Zealand: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gosford 4.0% houses
Gosford — Houses: 4.0% Gosford — Flats / Apartments: 89.2% Gosford — Townhouses: 6.7%
Narara 87.4% houses
Narara — Houses: 87.4% Narara — Flats / Apartments: 0.8% Narara — Townhouses: 11.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Gosford Narara
Median house price $576,500 $1,020,000
Median unit price $585,000 $635,000
Median land price — $1,167,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 43 days
from 6 sales
 21 days
from 74 sales

Zoning mix

Narara has more land zoned for conservation (45% vs 16%); Gosford has more commercially zoned land (22% vs 0%).

Gosford Narara
Environmental 16% 45%
Residential 17% 36%
Parks and recreation 29% 7%
Commercial 22% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 6%
Rural and farming 0% 6%
Industrial 5% 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

Gosford Narara
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
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.

Gosford Narara
Houses — 3.6%
$700/wk on $1M
Units 5.4%
$650/wk on $625K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Gosford Narara
House price Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Income Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Schools Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 61% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 83% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 52% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 82% of NSW —

Liveability

Gosford is more walkable (89 vs 63).

Gosford Narara
Grade C B
Score 45/100 49/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
same for both

Risk profile

Gosford carries more crime risk (98 vs 49).

Gosford Narara
Bushfire Moderate
53/100
 Moderate
56/100
Crime High
98/100
 Moderate
49/100
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 4
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Gosford Narara
Inside the suburb 8 4
Rated above peers 2 1
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km None 1
The University of Newcastle (Central Coast), 9.2 km

Schools in Gosford

  • Gosford High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Gosford Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Henry Kendall High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • ET Australia Secondary College Independent · Secondary · Special school at peers
  • Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre Government · Combined
  • ET Australia Secondary College Senior Campus Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Narara

  • Narara Valley High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Philip's Christian College - Gosford Independent · Combined below peers
  • Glenvale School Government · Combined · Special school
  • St Philip's Christian College Dynamic Learning - Gosford Independent · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Gosford Narara
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 19 2
Parks & reserves 10 17
Childcare 3 5
GPs 6 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 0
Waterways 1 11

Mobility

Narara sits further from the CBD (78.8 km vs 75.9 km).

Gosford Narara
Walkability score 89/100 63/100
Distance to Sydney 75.9 km 78.8 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 67 min 72 min
Public transport score 91/100
Rail · Bus
 87/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 322.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 162.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2250
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 2250
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.

Gosford Narara
Car (driver) 47.6% / 59.5%
Gosford — Car (driver): 47.6% Narara — Car (driver): 59.5%
Worked from Home 32.1% / 32.0%
Gosford — Worked from Home: 32.1% Narara — Worked from Home: 32.0%
Train 6.2% / 2.2%
Gosford — Train: 6.2% Narara — Train: 2.2%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 4.5%
Gosford — Car (passenger): 3.7% Narara — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Walked Only 6.8% / 0.6%
Gosford — Walked Only: 6.8% Narara — Walked Only: 0.6%
Bus 3.4% / 0.8%
Gosford — Bus: 3.4% Narara — Bus: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.5%).

Setting

Gosford Narara
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.2 km 11.0 km

NBN connectivity

Gosford Narara
Connectivity score 100/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 100%
3,834 premises
 61%
3,312 premises

Climate

Gosford Narara
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Gosford Narara
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.36 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Gosford Narara
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Gosford Narara
Division Robertson
same for both
Member Gordon Reid
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gosford Narara
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gosford

Affordable Apartments Easy Commute Gentrifying Parks Transport Hub

Narara

Large Blocks Parks Quiet Regional Centre River Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gosford

Gosford vs Wyoming Gosford vs East Gosford Gosford vs Springfield Gosford vs North Gosford Gosford vs Point Clare Gosford vs Point Frederick

Other comparisons with Narara

Narara vs Wyoming Narara vs Niagara Park Narara vs West Gosford Narara vs Somersby
Full data on Gosford Full data on Narara
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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