Karangi vs Upper Orara
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Upper Orara: a median of $1.4 million, against $1.17 million in Karangi, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Karangi tends to suit 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
Upper Orara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 64/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Karangi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,165,000 vs $1,400,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Karangi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Karangi
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (361 min vs 367 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (538.4 km vs 541 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Upper Orara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 64/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Upper Orara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.0% vs -12.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Karangi and Upper Orara 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
Upper Orara has more residents (863 vs 515); Upper Orara rents higher ($350/wk vs $310/wk).
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 515 | 863 +68% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -12.1% | +6.0% |
| Median age | 44 | 45 |
| Median household income | $98,748/yr +8% vs other | $90,428/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk | $350/wk +13% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).
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 (21.0%).
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 (4.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,165,000 | $1,400,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 86% |
| Environmental | 17% | 14% |
| 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
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 356 across Coffs Harbour same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +61% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 50% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 55% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
Liveability
Upper Orara scores higher overall (37 vs 30).
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | C |
| Score | 30/100 | 37/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Karangi carries more crime risk (64 vs 50).
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 43/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Karangi
- Karangi Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Upper Orara
- Orara Upper Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 9 | 33 |
Mobility
Upper Orara sits further from the CBD (541 km vs 538.4 km).
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 538.4 km | 541 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 361 min | 367 min |
| Public transport score | 20/100 Bus | 31/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 3.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 13.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2.5 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2450 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2450 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 (77.8%).
Setting
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 134 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 299 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.3 km | 13.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 206 premises | 0% 324 premises |
Climate
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,827 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 10.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.22 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,437/yr same for both | |
| Council | Coffs Harbour same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page | Cowper |
| Member | Kevin Hogan | Pat Conaghan |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Karangi | Upper Orara | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Karangi
Other comparisons with Upper Orara
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.