Hat Head vs Kinchela
Kinchela is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 60 in Hat Head. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hat Head, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Kinchela: a median of $1.4 million, against $1.1 million in Hat Head, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Hat Head tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and 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
Kinchela
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 77/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 38%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 86%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Hat Head has cheaper houses ($1,100,000 vs $1,400,000)
- Kinchela leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 43%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Hat Head
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kinchela
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (296 min vs 312 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (444.7 km vs 455.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kinchela
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 77/100)
- But Hat Head has more residents already 65 and over (37% vs 26%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hat Head
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.4% vs 8.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hat Head and Kinchela 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
Kinchela has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $51,480); Hat Head has more residents (365 vs 286).
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 365 +22% vs other | 286 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.4% | +8.3% |
| Median age | 60 | 49 |
| Median household income | $51,480/yr | $74,724/yr +45% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk | $350/wk +27% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).
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 (3.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,100,000 | $1,400,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Kinchela has more rural and farming land (77% vs 3%); Hat Head has more land zoned for conservation (97% vs 23%).
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 97% | 23% |
| Rural and farming | 3% | 77% |
| 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
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 12% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 14% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
Liveability
Kinchela is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Hat Head carries more crime risk (77 vs 13); Hat Head carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 60).
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 75/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Crime | High 77/100 | Low 13/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 50/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hat Head
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Kinchela
- Kinchela Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
Hat Head sits further from the CBD (455.8 km vs 444.7 km).
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 455.8 km +2% vs other | 444.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 312 min | 296 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2440 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 2440 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 (80.3%).
Setting
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 17 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.9 km 2.7 km to a named beach | 3.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 271 premises | 0% 135 premises |
Council rates
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hat Head | Kinchela | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hat Head
Other comparisons with Kinchela
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.