Hardys Bay vs Killcare
Killcare is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 59 in Hardys Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hardys Bay, about half of households are people living alone. In Killcare, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Hardys Bay tends to suit people living alone and 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
Hardys Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 37/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Hardys Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 26%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Killcare
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($445/wk vs $525/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hardys Bay
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 37/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 28%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Killcare
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.3% vs 2.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hardys Bay and Killcare 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
Killcare has more residents (517 vs 233); Hardys Bay rents higher ($525/wk vs $445/wk).
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 233 | 517 +122% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.6% | +9.3% |
| Median age | 59 | 53 |
| Median household income | $107,536/yr +9% vs other | $98,280/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $525/wk +15% vs other | $445/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (9.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,795,222 | $1,900,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $823,250 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 45 days from 6 sales | 50 days from 8 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.
5 vs 7 sales
5 vs 9 sales
Zoning mix
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 60% | 66% |
| Residential | 36% | 29% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 4% |
| 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
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 85% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 81% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 76% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
Liveability
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 51/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Killcare carries more crime risk (37 vs 25).
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | High 73/100 |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 10/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 51/100 | 44/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 94.4 km | 94.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 92 min | 93 min |
| Public transport score | 29/100 Bus | 24/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 5.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 2.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 7 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 2257 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 31 postcode 2257 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 (61.1%).
Setting
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 52 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 313 m 1.2 km to a named beach | 2 m 2.1 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 | 59/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 31% 202 premises | 25% 444 premises |
Climate
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Robertson same for both | |
| Member | Gordon Reid same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hardys Bay | Killcare | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hardys Bay
Other comparisons with Killcare
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.