Lower Mangrove vs Spencer
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Mangrove, about half of households are people living alone. In Spencer, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Lower Mangrove: a median of $1.47 million, against $650,000 in Spencer, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Spencer 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Lower Mangrove is already more of a family suburb (47% vs 33%)
- Spencer carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 85/100)
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
- Lower Mangrove leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 35%)
- Spencer has cheaper houses ($650,000 vs $1,470,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Spencer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($295/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Lower Mangrove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (102.3 km vs 106.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Spencer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 85/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lower Mangrove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.7% vs -5.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lower Mangrove and Spencer 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
Spencer has more residents (288 vs 70); Lower Mangrove has higher household incomes ($68,224 vs $47,476).
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 70 | 288 +311% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.7% | -5.9% |
| Median age | 53 | 52 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr +30% vs other | $47,476/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk +22% vs other | $295/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).
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 (8.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,470,000 | $650,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $200,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 171 days from 10 sales |
Zoning mix
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 99% | 98% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 23% of NSW |
| Income | — | Higher than 9% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 8% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
Liveability
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lower Mangrove carries more crime risk (85 vs 73).
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 94/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | High 85/100 | High 73/100 |
| 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
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 4 | 11 |
Mobility
Spencer sits further from the CBD (106.6 km vs 102.3 km).
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 102.3 km | 106.6 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 97 min | 100 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2250 | 0.6% postcode 2775 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 2250 | 36 postcode 2775 |
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 (77.0%).
Setting
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 148 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 208 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 19.0 km | 15.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 14 premises | 0% 122 premises |
Climate
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Robertson same for both | |
| Member | Gordon Reid same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lower Mangrove | Spencer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Spencer
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Lower Mangrove
Other comparisons with Spencer
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.