Horsfield Bay vs Phegans Bay
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Horsfield Bay, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Horsfield Bay: a median of $1.12 million, against $971,000 in Phegans Bay, 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Horsfield Bay carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 41/100)
- Phegans Bay has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Phegans Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($971,250 vs $1,125,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Horsfield Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 41/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Horsfield Bay and Phegans 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
Phegans Bay skews older (48 vs 46).
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 501 +19% vs other | 406 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.9% | -6.0% |
| Median age | 46 | 48 |
| Median household income | $108,316/yr | $107,900/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $490/wk +6% vs other | $460/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (9.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,125,000 | $971,250 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 17 days from 5 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Phegans Bay has more land zoned for conservation (54% vs 28%).
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 54% | 31% |
| Environmental | 28% | 54% |
| Parks and recreation | 10% | 12% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 7% | 3% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Horsfield Bay and 99% of Phegans Bay. 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
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 74% of NSW same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 74% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of NSW same for both | |
Liveability
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 51/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Phegans Bay carries more crime risk (41 vs 24).
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 94/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans 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
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
Mobility
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 57/100 | 51/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 79.1 km | 78.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 70 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 24/100 Bus | 27/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 3.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 5.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 12 min scheduled, not actual | 4 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 2256 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 31 postcode 2256 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 (54.8%).
Setting
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 26 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 18 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.1 km | 4.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 45/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 213 premises | 0% 211 premises |
Climate
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Robertson same for both | |
| Member | Gordon Reid same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Horsfield Bay | Phegans Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Horsfield Bay
Phegans Bay
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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.