Merimbula vs Tura Beach

Merimbula is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 58 in Tura Beach. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Merimbula, most households are people living alone. In Tura Beach, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Merimbula tends to suit people living alone.

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

Tura Beach

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 70/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (46% vs 34%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (79% vs 58%)
  • But Merimbula has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Merimbula

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($343,500 vs $460,000)
  • has cheaper units ($477,500 vs $616,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Merimbula

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 16%)
  • has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $420/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 33%)

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 530.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Merimbula has more GPs (4 vs 1)
  • Tura Beach carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 70/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Merimbula and Tura 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.

Merimbula Tura Beach
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.

Merimbula Tura Beach
Walkability 39 / 32
Merimbula — Walkability: 39/100 Tura Beach — Walkability: 32/100
Safety 30 / 81
Merimbula — Safety: 30/100 Tura Beach — Safety: 81/100
Low fire risk 53 / 57
Merimbula — Low fire risk: 53/100 Tura Beach — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Tura Beach rents higher ($420/wk vs $310/wk); Tura Beach has higher household incomes ($66,560 vs $59,592).

Merimbula Tura Beach
Population 3,821
+11% vs other
 3,405
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.8%
same for both
Median age 54 58
Median household income $59,592/yr $66,560/yr
+12% vs other
Median weekly rent $310/wk $420/wk
+35% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Merimbula Tura Beach
0-4 3.4% / 2.8%
Merimbula — 0-4: 3.4% Tura Beach — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 8.4% / 9.1%
Merimbula — 5-14: 8.4% Tura Beach — 5-14: 9.1%
15-19 3.5% / 4.9%
Merimbula — 15-19: 3.5% Tura Beach — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 4.2% / 2.8%
Merimbula — 20-24: 4.2% Tura Beach — 20-24: 2.8%
25-34 10.7% / 5.8%
Merimbula — 25-34: 10.7% Tura Beach — 25-34: 5.8%
35-44 8.6% / 7.9%
Merimbula — 35-44: 8.6% Tura Beach — 35-44: 7.9%
45-54 11.2% / 11.6%
Merimbula — 45-54: 11.2% Tura Beach — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 16.7% / 15.9%
Merimbula — 55-64: 16.7% Tura Beach — 55-64: 15.9%
65-74 17.3% / 21.6%
Merimbula — 65-74: 17.3% Tura Beach — 65-74: 21.6%
75-84 11.3% / 13.3%
Merimbula — 75-84: 11.3% Tura Beach — 75-84: 13.3%
85+ 4.6% / 4.3%
Merimbula — 85+: 4.6% Tura Beach — 85+: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Merimbula 60.3% lone person
Merimbula — Lone Person: 60.3% Merimbula — Couple Families: 21.1% Merimbula — One Parent Families: 12.6% Merimbula — Group Household: 4.6% Merimbula — Other Families: 1.3%
Tura Beach 49.3% lone person
Tura Beach — Lone Person: 49.3% Tura Beach — Couple Families: 35.4% Tura Beach — One Parent Families: 10.8% Tura Beach — Group Household: 3.8% Tura Beach — Other Families: 0.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Merimbula 33.4% renting
Merimbula — Owned Outright: 43.1% Merimbula — Mortgage: 23.5% Merimbula — Renting: 33.4%
Tura Beach 16.1% renting
Tura Beach — Owned Outright: 60.1% Tura Beach — Mortgage: 23.8% Tura Beach — Renting: 16.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Merimbula Tura Beach
Certificate III & IV 17.7% / 17.9%
Merimbula — Certificate III & IV: 17.7% Tura Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 13.0%
Merimbula — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Tura Beach — Bachelor Degree: 13.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 8.9%
Merimbula — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Tura Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.3% / 3.3%
Merimbula — Postgraduate Degree: 3.3% Tura Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 3.1%
Merimbula — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Tura Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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.

Merimbula Tura Beach
England 5.6% / 6.1%
Merimbula — England: 5.6% Tura Beach — England: 6.1%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.4%
Merimbula — New Zealand: 1.2% Tura Beach — New Zealand: 1.4%
Netherlands 0.8% / 1.0%
Merimbula — Netherlands: 0.8% Tura Beach — Netherlands: 1.0%
South Africa 0.7% / 0.8%
Merimbula — South Africa: 0.7% Tura Beach — South Africa: 0.8%
Germany 0.7% / 0.7%
Merimbula — Germany: 0.7% Tura Beach — Germany: 0.7%
India 0.7% / —
Merimbula — India: 0.7% Tura Beach — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Merimbula 58.5% houses
Merimbula — Houses: 58.5% Merimbula — Townhouses: 16.8% Merimbula — Flats / Apartments: 24.7%
Tura Beach 79.1% houses
Tura Beach — Houses: 79.1% Tura Beach — Townhouses: 15.9% Tura Beach — Flats / Apartments: 5.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Merimbula Tura Beach
Median house price $940,000 $907,500
Median unit price $477,500 $616,000
Median land price $343,500 $460,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 80 days
from 27 sales
 68 days
from 58 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Merimbula Tura Beach
2 bed $460K / $599K
Merimbula — 2 bed: $460K (72 sales) Tura Beach — 2 bed: $599K (11 sales)

72 vs 11 sales

3 bed $699K / $750K
Merimbula — 3 bed: $699K (19 sales) Tura Beach — 3 bed: $750K (6 sales)

19 vs 6 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.

Merimbula Tura Beach
3 bed $895K / $849K
Merimbula — 3 bed: $895K (33 sales) Tura Beach — 3 bed: $849K (65 sales)

33 vs 65 sales

4 bed $985K / $1.1M
Merimbula — 4 bed: $985K (23 sales) Tura Beach — 4 bed: $1.1M (41 sales)

23 vs 41 sales

5 bed $908K / $1.25M
Merimbula — 5 bed: $908K (5 sales) Tura Beach — 5 bed: $1.25M (9 sales)

5 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Merimbula has more land zoned for conservation (66% vs 44%).

Merimbula Tura Beach
Environmental 66% 44%
Residential 16% 35%
Parks and recreation 4% 19%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 1%
Commercial 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

Merimbula Tura Beach
New dwellings approved 109
across Bega Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -32%
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.

Merimbula Tura Beach
Houses 2.8%
$600/wk on $1.12M
 2.9%
$690/wk on $1.24M
Units 5.0%
$478/wk on $499K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Merimbula Tura Beach
House price Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
Income Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 41% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 54% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 18% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 67% of NSW —

Liveability

Tura Beach scores higher overall (46 vs 30).

Merimbula Tura Beach
Grade D C
Score 30/100 46/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Merimbula carries more crime risk (70 vs 19).

Merimbula Tura Beach
Bushfire Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime High
70/100
 Low
19/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
75/100
 Moderate
45/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Merimbula Tura Beach
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Merimbula

  • Merimbula Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Tura Beach

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

Amenities in the suburb

Merimbula Tura Beach
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 23 0
Parks & reserves 5 0
Childcare 2 0
GPs 4 1
Pharmacies 2 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 0
Fuel stations 1
same for both
EV chargers 2 0
Beaches 3 0
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Tura Beach sits further from the CBD (530.6 km vs 524.9 km).

Merimbula Tura Beach
Walkability score 39/100 32/100
Distance to Sydney 524.9 km 530.6 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 363 min 370 min
Public transport score 57/100
Bus
 48/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 25.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2548
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 40
postcode 2548
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.

Merimbula Tura Beach
Car (driver) 71.6% / 76.6%
Merimbula — Car (driver): 71.6% Tura Beach — Car (driver): 76.6%
Worked from Home 15.5% / 14.7%
Merimbula — Worked from Home: 15.5% Tura Beach — Worked from Home: 14.7%
Car (passenger) 4.7% / 6.1%
Merimbula — Car (passenger): 4.7% Tura Beach — Car (passenger): 6.1%
Walked Only 7.2% / 1.6%
Merimbula — Walked Only: 7.2% Tura Beach — Walked Only: 1.6%
Bus 0.5% / 1.0%
Merimbula — Bus: 0.5% Tura Beach — Bus: 1.0%
Bicycle 0.6% / —
Merimbula — Bicycle: 0.6% Tura Beach — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.6%).

Setting

Merimbula Tura Beach
Elevation 65 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 60 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 999 m
2.0 km to a named beach
 968 m
1.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Merimbula Tura Beach
Connectivity score 64/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 14%
3,308 premises
 38%
1,922 premises

Climate

Merimbula Tura Beach
Annual rainfall 768 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Merimbula Tura Beach
Average residential rate $1,767/yr
same for both
Council Bega Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Merimbula Tura 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 Tura Beach
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Merimbula

Affordable Coastal Retirees

Tura Beach

Beach Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Merimbula

Merimbula vs Pambula Merimbula vs Pambula Beach Merimbula vs Millingandi Merimbula vs Mirador Merimbula vs Berrambool Merimbula vs Bournda

Other comparisons with Tura Beach

Tura Beach vs Mirador Tura Beach vs Berrambool Tura Beach vs Bournda
Full data on Merimbula Full data on Tura Beach
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