Horsfield Bay vs Woy Woy

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Horsfield Bay, about half of households are couple families. In Woy Woy, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Horsfield Bay tends to suit couples, while Woy Woy suits 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Horsfield Bay carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 86/100)
  • Woy Woy has more parks and reserves (17 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Horsfield Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 38%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Woy Woy

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $490/wk)
  • But Horsfield Bay leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 33%)

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

Commuting to the city

Horsfield Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (79.1 km vs 81.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Woy Woy

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (38% vs 2%)
  • has more GPs (6 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 19%)
  • But Horsfield Bay carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 86/100)

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

Investors

Woy Woy

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.0% vs -7.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
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.

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Walkability 57 / 52
Horsfield Bay — Walkability: 57/100 Woy Woy — Walkability: 52/100
Safety 76 / 14
Horsfield Bay — Safety: 76/100 Woy Woy — Safety: 14/100
Low fire risk 6 / 17
Horsfield Bay — Low fire risk: 6/100 Woy Woy — Low fire risk: 17/100

Demographics

Woy Woy has more residents (11,072 vs 501); Horsfield Bay has higher household incomes ($108,316 vs $59,852).

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Population 501 11,072
+2110% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -7.9% +4.0%
Median age 46 48
Median household income $108,316/yr
+45% vs other
 $59,852/yr
Median weekly rent $490/wk
+22% vs other
 $380/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
0-4 6.4% / 5.0%
Horsfield Bay — 0-4: 6.4% Woy Woy — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 9.8% / 10.1%
Horsfield Bay — 5-14: 9.8% Woy Woy — 5-14: 10.1%
15-19 4.6% / 4.7%
Horsfield Bay — 15-19: 4.6% Woy Woy — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 5.2% / 4.5%
Horsfield Bay — 20-24: 5.2% Woy Woy — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 9.8% / 10.6%
Horsfield Bay — 25-34: 9.8% Woy Woy — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 12.0% / 11.5%
Horsfield Bay — 35-44: 12.0% Woy Woy — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 17.0% / 12.1%
Horsfield Bay — 45-54: 17.0% Woy Woy — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 16.2% / 13.3%
Horsfield Bay — 55-64: 16.2% Woy Woy — 55-64: 13.3%
65-74 14.8% / 13.3%
Horsfield Bay — 65-74: 14.8% Woy Woy — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 2.2% / 10.0%
Horsfield Bay — 75-84: 2.2% Woy Woy — 75-84: 10.0%
85+ 1.6% / 4.8%
Horsfield Bay — 85+: 1.6% Woy Woy — 85+: 4.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Horsfield Bay 52.9% couple families
Horsfield Bay — Couple Families: 52.9% Horsfield Bay — Lone Person: 29.4% Horsfield Bay — One Parent Families: 12.5% Horsfield Bay — Group Household: 5.1% Horsfield Bay — Other Families: 0.0%
Woy Woy 26.3% couple families
Woy Woy — Couple Families: 26.3% Woy Woy — Lone Person: 48.5% Woy Woy — One Parent Families: 18.9% Woy Woy — Group Household: 4.5% Woy Woy — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Horsfield Bay 10.7% renting
Horsfield Bay — Owned Outright: 40.1% Horsfield Bay — Mortgage: 49.2% Horsfield Bay — Renting: 10.7%
Woy Woy 39.9% renting
Woy Woy — Owned Outright: 35.4% Woy Woy — Mortgage: 24.7% Woy Woy — Renting: 39.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Certificate III & IV 15.4% / 15.6%
Horsfield Bay — Certificate III & IV: 15.4% Woy Woy — Certificate III & IV: 15.6%
Bachelor Degree 16.2% / 8.6%
Horsfield Bay — Bachelor Degree: 16.2% Woy Woy — Bachelor Degree: 8.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 12.2% / 7.0%
Horsfield Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 12.2% Woy Woy — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 6.6% / 3.0%
Horsfield Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6% Woy Woy — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.2%
Horsfield Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Woy Woy — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

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.

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
England 7.8% / 4.9%
Horsfield Bay — England: 7.8% Woy Woy — England: 4.9%
New Zealand 1.0% / 2.0%
Horsfield Bay — New Zealand: 1.0% Woy Woy — New Zealand: 2.0%
China 1.0% / 1.6%
Horsfield Bay — China: 1.0% Woy Woy — China: 1.6%
South Africa 1.8% / —
Horsfield Bay — South Africa: 1.8% Woy Woy — South Africa: not among its largest
Ireland 1.6% / —
Horsfield Bay — Ireland: 1.6% Woy Woy — Ireland: not among its largest
India 0.8% / 0.7%
Horsfield Bay — India: 0.8% Woy Woy — India: 0.7%
Philippines — / 1.1%
Horsfield Bay — Philippines: not among its largest Woy Woy — Philippines: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Horsfield Bay 99.5% houses
Horsfield Bay — Houses: 99.5% Horsfield Bay — Townhouses: 2.1% Horsfield Bay — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Woy Woy 61.9% houses
Woy Woy — Houses: 61.9% Woy Woy — Townhouses: 29.0% Woy Woy — Flats / Apartments: 9.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Median house price $1,125,000 $1,050,000
Median unit price — $787,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 17 days
from 5 sales
 29 days
from 93 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.

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
3 bed $1.05M / $1.02M
Horsfield Bay — 3 bed: $1.05M (7 sales) Woy Woy — 3 bed: $1.02M (92 sales)

7 vs 92 sales

4 bed $1.12M / $1.12M
Horsfield Bay — 4 bed: $1.12M (5 sales) Woy Woy — 4 bed: $1.12M (36 sales)

5 vs 36 sales

Zoning mix

Woy Woy has more land zoned for conservation (64% vs 28%).

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Environmental 28% 64%
Residential 54% 20%
Parks and recreation 10% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 8%
Industrial 0% 2%
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 Woy Woy
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.

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Houses — 3.7%
$680/wk on $960K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
House price Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Income Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 33% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 56% of NSW

Liveability

Horsfield Bay scores higher overall (51 vs 23).

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Grade B D
Score 51/100 23/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Woy Woy carries more crime risk (86 vs 24); Horsfield Bay carries more bushfire risk (94 vs 83).

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Bushfire High
94/100
 High
83/100
Crime Low
24/100
 High
86/100
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 Woy Woy
Inside the suburb 0 6
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Horsfield Bay

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Woy Woy

  • St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Woy Woy Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Woy Woy South Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Brisbane Water Secondary College Woy Woy Campus Government · Secondary
  • Aspect Central Coast School, Woy Woy Independent · Primary · Special school
  • EOC Broken Bay - Woy Woy Catholic · Primary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 10
Parks & reserves 0 17
Childcare 0 9
GPs 0 6
Pharmacies 0 2
Hospitals 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Woy Woy sits further from the CBD (81.4 km vs 79.1 km).

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Walkability score 57/100 52/100
Distance to Sydney 79.1 km 81.4 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 70 min 73 min
Public transport score 24/100
Bus
 91/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 3.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 329.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 12 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 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.

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Car (driver) 40.5% / 51.8%
Horsfield Bay — Car (driver): 40.5% Woy Woy — Car (driver): 51.8%
Worked from Home 51.8% / 33.2%
Horsfield Bay — Worked from Home: 51.8% Woy Woy — Worked from Home: 33.2%
Train 3.6% / 6.5%
Horsfield Bay — Train: 3.6% Woy Woy — Train: 6.5%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 3.6%
Horsfield Bay — Car (passenger): 2.3% Woy Woy — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 1.8% / 2.9%
Horsfield Bay — Walked Only: 1.8% Woy Woy — Walked Only: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.8%).

Setting

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Elevation 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 97 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.1 km 3.5 km
4.6 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Connectivity score 45/100 62/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
213 premises
 31%
5,959 premises

Climate

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm 1,176 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C —
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
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 Woy Woy
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Division Robertson
same for both
Member Gordon Reid
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Horsfield Bay Woy Woy
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Horsfield Bay

Large Blocks Outer Parks Professionals

Woy Woy

Easy Commute Outer Parks Retirees River Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Horsfield Bay

Horsfield Bay vs Phegans Bay

Other comparisons with Woy Woy

Woy Woy vs Umina Beach Woy Woy vs Kariong Woy Woy vs Saratoga Woy Woy vs Blackwall Woy Woy vs St Huberts Island Woy Woy vs Koolewong
Full data on Horsfield Bay Full data on Woy Woy
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or