Merimbula vs Pambula Beach
In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Merimbula, most households are people living alone. In Pambula Beach, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Pambula Beach: a median of $1.15 million, against $940,000 in Merimbula, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Merimbula tends to suit people living alone and 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
Pambula Beach
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 70/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (47% vs 34%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Merimbula
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper units ($477,500 vs $757,500)
- has cheaper houses ($940,000 vs $1,150,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Merimbula
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $370/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Merimbula
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (363 min vs 370 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (524.9 km vs 531.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Merimbula
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (42% vs 19%)
- But Pambula Beach carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 70/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Merimbula
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.8% vs 2.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Merimbula and Pambula Beach 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
Merimbula has more residents (3,821 vs 667); Pambula Beach has higher household incomes ($73,528 vs $59,592).
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,821 +83% vs other | 667 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.8% | +2.0% |
| Median age | 54 same for both | |
| Median household income | $59,592/yr | $73,528/yr +23% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk | $370/wk +19% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (17.7%).
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 (5.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $940,000 | $1,150,000 |
| Median unit price | $477,500 | $757,500 |
| Median land price | $343,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 80 days from 27 sales | 42 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Pambula Beach has more land zoned for conservation (86% vs 66%).
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 66% | 86% |
| Residential | 16% | 8% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 11% | 2% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% 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
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Bega Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -32% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2.8% $600/wk on $1.12M | — |
| Units | 5.0% $478/wk on $499K | — |
Ranking within NSW
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 13% of NSW | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 67% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Pambula Beach scores higher overall (53 vs 30).
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | B |
| Score | 30/100 | 53/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Merimbula carries more bushfire risk (47 vs 0); Merimbula carries more crime risk (70 vs 50).
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 47/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 70/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 75/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Merimbula
- Merimbula Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Pambula Beach
- Lumen Christi Catholic College Catholic · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 23 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 4 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 2 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 6 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 3 same for both | |
| Waterways | 3 | 0 |
Mobility
Pambula Beach sits further from the CBD (531.7 km vs 524.9 km).
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 39/100 | 36/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 524.9 km | 531.7 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 363 min | 370 min |
| Public transport score | 57/100 Bus | 27/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 25.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 7.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2548 | 0.4% postcode 2549 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 2548 | 52 postcode 2549 |
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 (75.6%).
Setting
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 65 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 999 m 2.0 km to a named beach | 806 m 1.1 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 64/100 | 81/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 14% 3,308 premises | 54% 473 premises |
Climate
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 768 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,767/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bega Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Merimbula | Pambula Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
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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.