Moto vs Melinga
Comparing Moto and Melinga, NSW: Melinga carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 0); Melinga has higher household incomes ($76,336 vs $55,900); and Moto sits further from the CBD (333.6 km vs 328.2 km).
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
Melinga
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 44%)
- carries lower crime risk (67/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Melinga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 50%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Moto
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $360/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Melinga
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (227 min vs 247 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (328.2 km vs 333.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Moto has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 16%)
- Melinga carries lower crime risk (67/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Moto and Melinga 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
Melinga has higher household incomes ($76,336 vs $55,900); Moto has more residents (144 vs 112).
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 144 +22% vs other | 112 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.7% | +8.7% |
| Median age | 51 | 52 |
| Median household income | $55,900/yr | $76,336/yr +37% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $360/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $600,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Moto has more land zoned for conservation (28% vs 7%).
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 72% | 66% |
| Environmental | 28% | 7% |
| Residential | 0% | 23% |
| Industrial | 0% | 3% |
| 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
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
Liveability
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Melinga carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 0); Moto carries more crime risk (81 vs 67).
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Crime | High 81/100 | Moderate 67/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 2 | 7 |
Mobility
Moto sits further from the CBD (333.6 km vs 328.2 km).
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 333.6 km +2% vs other | 328.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 247 min | 227 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2426 | 0.4% postcode 2430 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 2426 | 54 postcode 2430 |
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 (89.2%).
Setting
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 53 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 10.4 km | 16.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 61 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Climate
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Moto | Melinga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Moto
Melinga
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Moto
Other comparisons with Melinga
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.