Moonee Beach vs Emerald Beach

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Moonee Beach, most households are couple families. In Emerald Beach, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Emerald Beach: a median of $1.06 million, against $970,000 in Moonee Beach.

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

Emerald Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 70/100)

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

First-home buyers

Moonee Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($535,000 vs $769,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Moonee Beach

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (24/100 vs 12/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (358 min vs 366 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (540.9 km vs 548.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Moonee Beach is more walkable (24/100 vs 12/100)
  • Emerald Beach carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 70/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Moonee Beach returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.5% vs 2.3%)
  • Emerald Beach is growing faster (19.8% vs 12.6%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Moonee Beach and Emerald 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.

Moonee Beach Emerald 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.

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Walkability 24 / 12
Moonee Beach — Walkability: 24/100 Emerald Beach — Walkability: 12/100
Safety 30 / 55
Moonee Beach — Safety: 30/100 Emerald Beach — Safety: 55/100
Low fire risk 46 / 48
Moonee Beach — Low fire risk: 46/100 Emerald Beach — Low fire risk: 48/100

Demographics

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Population 2,176 2,677
+23% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.6% +19.8%
Median age 41
same for both
Median household income $97,500/yr
+3% vs other
 $94,276/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk $463/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
0-4 5.3% / 6.5%
Moonee Beach — 0-4: 5.3% Emerald Beach — 0-4: 6.5%
5-14 16.6% / 15.5%
Moonee Beach — 5-14: 16.6% Emerald Beach — 5-14: 15.5%
15-19 6.2% / 5.4%
Moonee Beach — 15-19: 6.2% Emerald Beach — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 3.5% / 3.5%
Moonee Beach — 20-24: 3.5% Emerald Beach — 20-24: 3.5%
25-34 9.8% / 10.2%
Moonee Beach — 25-34: 9.8% Emerald Beach — 25-34: 10.2%
35-44 13.0% / 14.2%
Moonee Beach — 35-44: 13.0% Emerald Beach — 35-44: 14.2%
45-54 14.2% / 13.8%
Moonee Beach — 45-54: 14.2% Emerald Beach — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 13.1% / 13.6%
Moonee Beach — 55-64: 13.1% Emerald Beach — 55-64: 13.6%
65-74 11.9% / 11.6%
Moonee Beach — 65-74: 11.9% Emerald Beach — 65-74: 11.6%
75-84 4.7% / 4.5%
Moonee Beach — 75-84: 4.7% Emerald Beach — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 1.0% / 1.0%
Moonee Beach — 85+: 1.0% Emerald Beach — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Moonee Beach 59.5% couple families
Moonee Beach — Couple Families: 59.5% Moonee Beach — Lone Person: 22.4% Moonee Beach — One Parent Families: 15.4% Moonee Beach — Group Household: 2.7% Moonee Beach — Other Families: 0.0%
Emerald Beach 50.7% couple families
Emerald Beach — Couple Families: 50.7% Emerald Beach — Lone Person: 23.8% Emerald Beach — One Parent Families: 21.8% Emerald Beach — Group Household: 3.2% Emerald Beach — Other Families: 0.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Moonee Beach 19.2% renting
Moonee Beach — Owned Outright: 38.9% Moonee Beach — Mortgage: 41.9% Moonee Beach — Renting: 19.2%
Emerald Beach 21.6% renting
Emerald Beach — Owned Outright: 37.5% Emerald Beach — Mortgage: 40.9% Emerald Beach — Renting: 21.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
England 3.8% / 3.2%
Moonee Beach — England: 3.8% Emerald Beach — England: 3.2%
New Zealand 1.7% / 2.4%
Moonee Beach — New Zealand: 1.7% Emerald Beach — New Zealand: 2.4%
South Africa 1.0% / 0.7%
Moonee Beach — South Africa: 1.0% Emerald Beach — South Africa: 0.7%
Germany 0.6% / 0.6%
Moonee Beach — Germany: 0.6% Emerald Beach — Germany: 0.6%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.7%
Moonee Beach — Scotland: 0.5% Emerald Beach — Scotland: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

Qualifications

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

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Certificate III & IV 18.8% / 17.4%
Moonee Beach — Certificate III & IV: 18.8% Emerald Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.4%
Bachelor Degree 10.8% / 14.8%
Moonee Beach — Bachelor Degree: 10.8% Emerald Beach — Bachelor Degree: 14.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 8.5%
Moonee Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Emerald Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 3.7%
Moonee Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Emerald Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.8%
Moonee Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Emerald Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Moonee Beach 89.6% houses
Moonee Beach — Houses: 89.6% Moonee Beach — Townhouses: 5.5% Moonee Beach — Flats / Apartments: 4.9%
Emerald Beach 93.6% houses
Emerald Beach — Houses: 93.6% Emerald Beach — Townhouses: 3.9% Emerald Beach — Flats / Apartments: 2.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Median house price $970,500 $1,057,500
Median unit price $789,000 —
Median land price $535,000 $769,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 56 days
from 38 sales
 34 days
from 22 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.

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
3 bed $985K / $942K
Moonee Beach — 3 bed: $985K (11 sales) Emerald Beach — 3 bed: $942K (20 sales)

11 vs 20 sales

4 bed $907K / $1.17M
Moonee Beach — 4 bed: $907K (66 sales) Emerald Beach — 4 bed: $1.17M (24 sales)

66 vs 24 sales

5 bed $1.55M / $1.18M
Moonee Beach — 5 bed: $1.55M (7 sales) Emerald Beach — 5 bed: $1.18M (8 sales)

7 vs 8 sales

Zoning mix

Emerald Beach has more rural and farming land (61% vs 31%); Moonee Beach has more land zoned for conservation (27% vs 12%).

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Rural and farming 31% 61%
Residential 30% 23%
Environmental 27% 12%
Parks and recreation 8% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 2%
Planning zones cover 100% of Moonee Beach and 99% of Emerald Beach. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
New dwellings approved 356
across Coffs Harbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +61%
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.

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Houses 3.5%
$885/wk on $1.31M
 2.3%
$650/wk on $1.5M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
House price Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Income Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 62% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 47% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 55% of NSW Higher than 52% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW

Liveability

Moonee Beach is more walkable (24 vs 12); Emerald Beach scores higher overall (36 vs 31).

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Grade C
same for both
Score 31/100 36/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
same for both

Risk profile

Moonee Beach carries more crime risk (70 vs 45).

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Bushfire Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
52/100
Crime High
70/100
 Moderate
45/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
47/100
 Low
36/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
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

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 1 2
Childcare 2 1
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 0 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 11 20

Mobility

Emerald Beach sits further from the CBD (548.7 km vs 540.9 km).

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Walkability score 24/100 12/100
Distance to Sydney 540.9 km 548.7 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 358 min 366 min
Public transport score 53/100
Bus
 58/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 28.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2450
 0.5%
postcode 2456
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 52
postcode 2450
 59
postcode 2456

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.

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Car (driver) 77.3% / 75.8%
Moonee Beach — Car (driver): 77.3% Emerald Beach — Car (driver): 75.8%
Worked from Home 16.2% / 16.8%
Moonee Beach — Worked from Home: 16.2% Emerald Beach — Worked from Home: 16.8%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 3.8%
Moonee Beach — Car (passenger): 4.8% Emerald Beach — Car (passenger): 3.8%
Walked Only 1.0% / 2.7%
Moonee Beach — Walked Only: 1.0% Emerald Beach — Walked Only: 2.7%
Bicycle 0.6% / 0.5%
Moonee Beach — Bicycle: 0.6% Emerald Beach — Bicycle: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.3%).

Setting

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 71 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.8 km
2.1 km to a named beach
 3.0 km
3.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Connectivity score 55/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 17%
932 premises
 30%
1,093 premises

Climate

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
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

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Average residential rate $1,437/yr
same for both
Council Coffs Harbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Moonee Beach Emerald Beach
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Moonee Beach

Acreage Coastal River

Emerald Beach

Acreage Coastal

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with Emerald Beach

Emerald Beach vs Woolgoolga Emerald Beach vs Sandy Beach Emerald Beach vs Bucca
Full data on Moonee Beach Full data on Emerald Beach
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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.

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