Moonee Beach vs Sapphire Beach

Moonee Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Sapphire 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 Sapphire Beach, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Sapphire Beach: a median of $1.19 million, against $970,000 in Moonee Beach, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Moonee Beach tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Sapphire Beach suits 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Moonee Beach is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 64%)
  • Sapphire Beach carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 70/100)

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

First-home buyers

Moonee Beach

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($535,000 vs $734,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($970,500 vs $1,190,000)
  • But Sapphire Beach has cheaper units ($603,500 vs $789,000)

Weighs house prices, unit 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

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Moonee Beach is more walkable (24/100 vs 10/100)
  • Sapphire Beach sits closer to the CBD (536.8 km vs 540.9 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 10/100)
  • Sapphire Beach carries lower crime risk (48/100 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 2.7%)
  • Sapphire Beach is growing faster (27.6% vs 12.6%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Moonee Beach and Sapphire 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 Sapphire 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 Sapphire Beach
Walkability 24 / 10
Moonee Beach — Walkability: 24/100 Sapphire Beach — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 30 / 52
Moonee Beach — Safety: 30/100 Sapphire Beach — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 46 / 57
Moonee Beach — Low fire risk: 46/100 Sapphire Beach — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Sapphire Beach skews older (46 vs 41).

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Population 2,176 2,660
+22% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.6% +27.6%
Median age 41 46
Median household income $97,500/yr $106,912/yr
+10% vs other
Median weekly rent $450/wk $475/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
0-4 5.3% / 5.8%
Moonee Beach — 0-4: 5.3% Sapphire Beach — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 16.6% / 13.7%
Moonee Beach — 5-14: 16.6% Sapphire Beach — 5-14: 13.7%
15-19 6.2% / 4.8%
Moonee Beach — 15-19: 6.2% Sapphire Beach — 15-19: 4.8%
20-24 3.5% / 2.5%
Moonee Beach — 20-24: 3.5% Sapphire Beach — 20-24: 2.5%
25-34 9.8% / 8.2%
Moonee Beach — 25-34: 9.8% Sapphire Beach — 25-34: 8.2%
35-44 13.0% / 13.2%
Moonee Beach — 35-44: 13.0% Sapphire Beach — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 14.2% / 13.8%
Moonee Beach — 45-54: 14.2% Sapphire Beach — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 13.1% / 16.1%
Moonee Beach — 55-64: 13.1% Sapphire Beach — 55-64: 16.1%
65-74 11.9% / 14.6%
Moonee Beach — 65-74: 11.9% Sapphire Beach — 65-74: 14.6%
75-84 4.7% / 6.2%
Moonee Beach — 75-84: 4.7% Sapphire Beach — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 1.0% / 1.4%
Moonee Beach — 85+: 1.0% Sapphire Beach — 85+: 1.4%

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%
Sapphire Beach 52.6% couple families
Sapphire Beach — Couple Families: 52.6% Sapphire Beach — Lone Person: 32.6% Sapphire Beach — One Parent Families: 11.7% Sapphire Beach — Group Household: 2.6% Sapphire 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%
Sapphire Beach 17.7% renting
Sapphire Beach — Owned Outright: 45.4% Sapphire Beach — Mortgage: 36.9% Sapphire Beach — Renting: 17.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Certificate III & IV 18.8% / 15.5%
Moonee Beach — Certificate III & IV: 18.8% Sapphire Beach — Certificate III & IV: 15.5%
Bachelor Degree 10.8% / 17.6%
Moonee Beach — Bachelor Degree: 10.8% Sapphire Beach — Bachelor Degree: 17.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 9.2%
Moonee Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Sapphire Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 5.3%
Moonee Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Sapphire Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 2.7%
Moonee Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Sapphire Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

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

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.

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
England 3.8% / 4.2%
Moonee Beach — England: 3.8% Sapphire Beach — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.7%
Moonee Beach — New Zealand: 1.7% Sapphire Beach — New Zealand: 1.7%
South Africa 1.0% / 1.5%
Moonee Beach — South Africa: 1.0% Sapphire Beach — South Africa: 1.5%
India 0.5% / 1.4%
Moonee Beach — India: 0.5% Sapphire Beach — India: 1.4%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.5%
Moonee Beach — Scotland: 0.5% Sapphire Beach — Scotland: 0.5%
Germany 0.6% / —
Moonee Beach — Germany: 0.6% Sapphire Beach — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Moonee Beach 89.6% houses
Moonee Beach — Houses: 89.6% Moonee Beach — Flats / Apartments: 4.9% Moonee Beach — Townhouses: 5.5%
Sapphire Beach 84.0% houses
Sapphire Beach — Houses: 84.0% Sapphire Beach — Flats / Apartments: 9.4% Sapphire Beach — Townhouses: 6.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Median house price $970,500 $1,190,000
Median unit price $789,000 $603,500
Median land price $535,000 $734,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 56 days
from 38 sales
 36 days
from 33 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 Sapphire Beach
3 bed $985K / $1.14M
Moonee Beach — 3 bed: $985K (11 sales) Sapphire Beach — 3 bed: $1.14M (19 sales)

11 vs 19 sales

4 bed $907K / $1.2M
Moonee Beach — 4 bed: $907K (66 sales) Sapphire Beach — 4 bed: $1.2M (39 sales)

66 vs 39 sales

5 bed $1.55M / $1.77M
Moonee Beach — 5 bed: $1.55M (7 sales) Sapphire Beach — 5 bed: $1.77M (5 sales)

7 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Sapphire Beach has more rural and farming land (67% vs 31%); Moonee Beach has more land zoned for conservation (27% vs 10%).

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Rural and farming 31% 67%
Residential 30% 16%
Environmental 27% 10%
Parks and recreation 8% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 5%
Planning zones cover 100% of Moonee Beach and 99% of Sapphire 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 Sapphire 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 Sapphire Beach
Houses 3.5%
$885/wk on $1.31M
 2.7%
$750/wk on $1.43M
Units — 5.7%
$550/wk on $500K

Ranking within NSW

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
House price Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 62% of NSW
Income Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 47% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 55% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 90% of NSW

Liveability

Moonee Beach is more walkable (24 vs 10); Sapphire Beach scores higher overall (44 vs 31).

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Grade C
same for both
Score 31/100 44/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Moonee Beach carries more crime risk (70 vs 48); Moonee Beach carries more bushfire risk (54 vs 43).

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Bushfire Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime High
70/100
 Moderate
48/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
42/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Moonee Beach Sapphire 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 Sapphire Beach
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Childcare 2 0
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 11 5

Mobility

Moonee Beach sits further from the CBD (540.9 km vs 536.8 km).

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Walkability score 24/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 540.9 km 536.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 358 min 355 min
Public transport score 53/100
Bus
 36/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 11.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2450
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 52
postcode 2450
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.

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Car (driver) 77.3% / 75.1%
Moonee Beach — Car (driver): 77.3% Sapphire Beach — Car (driver): 75.1%
Worked from Home 16.2% / 17.6%
Moonee Beach — Worked from Home: 16.2% Sapphire Beach — Worked from Home: 17.6%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 5.2%
Moonee Beach — Car (passenger): 4.8% Sapphire Beach — Car (passenger): 5.2%
Walked Only 1.0% / 1.0%
Moonee Beach — Walked Only: 1.0% Sapphire Beach — Walked Only: 1.0%
Bicycle 0.6% / 0.4%
Moonee Beach — Bicycle: 0.6% Sapphire Beach — Bicycle: 0.4%
Bus — / 0.7%
Moonee Beach — Bus: not among its largest Sapphire Beach — Bus: 0.7%

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

Setting

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 67 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.8 km
2.1 km to a named beach
 1.6 km
2.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Moonee Beach Sapphire Beach
Connectivity score 55/100 91/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 17%
932 premises
 88%
1,307 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Moonee Beach Sapphire 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

Sapphire Beach

Coastal

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Other comparisons with Sapphire Beach

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Full data on Moonee Beach Full data on Sapphire 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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