Keinbah vs Lovedale
Keinbah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 50 in Lovedale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Keinbah, about half of households are couple families. In Lovedale, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lovedale: a median of $2.17 million, against $1.03 million in Keinbah, though rent is higher in Keinbah. On these figures, Keinbah tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lovedale suits couples 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
Keinbah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Keinbah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,027,500 vs $2,175,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lovedale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($340/wk vs $405/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Keinbah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (122 min vs 127 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (170 km vs 176.4 km)
- But Lovedale is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lovedale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 13%)
- But Keinbah carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lovedale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.5% vs -6.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Keinbah and Lovedale 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
Lovedale has more residents (502 vs 109); Keinbah rents higher ($405/wk vs $340/wk).
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 109 | 502 +361% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.0% | +3.5% |
| Median age | 44 | 50 |
| Median household income | $106,184/yr | $112,424/yr +6% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $405/wk +16% vs other | $340/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).
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 (24.8%).
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 (4.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,027,500 | $2,175,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 58 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 80% |
| Environmental | 9% | 13% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 5% |
| Residential | 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
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 719 across Cessnock same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 93% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 72% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 67% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
Liveability
Lovedale is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 35/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lovedale carries more crime risk (83 vs 31).
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| Crime | Low 31/100 | High 83/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 6 |
Mobility
Lovedale sits further from the CBD (176.4 km vs 170 km).
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 170 km | 176.4 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 122 min | 127 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2320 | 0.4% postcode 2325 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2320 | 51 postcode 2325 |
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 (66.7%).
Setting
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 86 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 51 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.8 km | 39.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 1% 264 premises |
Climate
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 804 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ | — |
| PM10 | 17.5 µg/m³ | 19.5 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.72 pphm | — |
Council rates
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,405/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cessnock same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Keinbah | Lovedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Keinbah
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Keinbah
Other comparisons with Lovedale
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.