Murwillumbah vs North Arm

North Arm is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 46 in Murwillumbah. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Arm, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in North Arm: a median of $1.48 million, against $940,000 in Murwillumbah, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Murwillumbah tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while North Arm suits families with children and couples.

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

  • Murwillumbah has more parks and reserves (10 vs 0)
  • North Arm carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 73/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Murwillumbah has cheaper houses ($940,000 vs $1,475,000)
  • North Arm leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 35%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Murwillumbah

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($346/wk vs $550/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (30% vs 35%)

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

Commuting to the city

Murwillumbah

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (52/100 vs 18/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (521 min vs 530 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (798.1 km vs 805 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Murwillumbah

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (52/100 vs 18/100)
  • But North Arm carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 73/100)

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

Investors

Murwillumbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.3% vs -7.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Murwillumbah and North Arm drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Murwillumbah North Arm
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.

Murwillumbah North Arm
Walkability 52 / 18
Murwillumbah — Walkability: 52/100 North Arm — Walkability: 18/100
Safety 27 / 85
Murwillumbah — Safety: 27/100 North Arm — Safety: 85/100
Low fire risk 100 / 57
Murwillumbah — Low fire risk: 100/100 North Arm — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Murwillumbah has more residents (7,616 vs 117); North Arm rents higher ($550/wk vs $346/wk).

Murwillumbah North Arm
Population 7,616
+98% vs other
 117
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.3% -7.1%
Median age 46 42
Median household income $59,644/yr $81,224/yr
+36% vs other
Median weekly rent $346/wk $550/wk
+59% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Murwillumbah North Arm
0-4 4.8% / 6.8%
Murwillumbah — 0-4: 4.8% North Arm — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 13.5% / 18.8%
Murwillumbah — 5-14: 13.5% North Arm — 5-14: 18.8%
15-19 5.8% / 2.6%
Murwillumbah — 15-19: 5.8% North Arm — 15-19: 2.6%
20-24 3.8% / 8.5%
Murwillumbah — 20-24: 3.8% North Arm — 20-24: 8.5%
25-34 8.8% / 11.1%
Murwillumbah — 25-34: 8.8% North Arm — 25-34: 11.1%
35-44 11.7% / 8.5%
Murwillumbah — 35-44: 11.7% North Arm — 35-44: 8.5%
45-54 12.3% / 17.9%
Murwillumbah — 45-54: 12.3% North Arm — 45-54: 17.9%
55-64 13.9% / 9.4%
Murwillumbah — 55-64: 13.9% North Arm — 55-64: 9.4%
65-74 12.3% / 11.1%
Murwillumbah — 65-74: 12.3% North Arm — 65-74: 11.1%
75-84 8.1% / 9.4%
Murwillumbah — 75-84: 8.1% North Arm — 75-84: 9.4%
85+ 5.0% / 4.3%
Murwillumbah — 85+: 5.0% North Arm — 85+: 4.3%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Murwillumbah 32.0% couple families
Murwillumbah — Couple Families: 32.0% Murwillumbah — Lone Person: 41.3% Murwillumbah — One Parent Families: 21.4% Murwillumbah — Group Household: 3.8% Murwillumbah — Other Families: 1.4%
North Arm 52.4% couple families
North Arm — Couple Families: 52.4% North Arm — Lone Person: 28.6% North Arm — One Parent Families: 19.0% North Arm — Group Household: 0.0% North Arm — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Murwillumbah 31.4% renting
Murwillumbah — Owned Outright: 35.9% Murwillumbah — Mortgage: 32.6% Murwillumbah — Renting: 31.4%
North Arm 11.8% renting
North Arm — Owned Outright: 44.1% North Arm — Mortgage: 44.1% North Arm — Renting: 11.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Murwillumbah 75.8% houses
Murwillumbah — Houses: 75.8% Murwillumbah — Flats / Apartments: 16.9% Murwillumbah — Townhouses: 7.2%
North Arm 100.0% houses
North Arm — Houses: 100.0% North Arm — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% North Arm — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Murwillumbah North Arm
Certificate III & IV 16.6% / 20.5%
Murwillumbah — Certificate III & IV: 16.6% North Arm — Certificate III & IV: 20.5%
Bachelor Degree 9.6% / 6.0%
Murwillumbah — Bachelor Degree: 9.6% North Arm — Bachelor Degree: 6.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 3.4%
Murwillumbah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% North Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / —
Murwillumbah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% North Arm — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / —
Murwillumbah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% North Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

Property market

Murwillumbah North Arm
Median house price $940,000 $1,475,000
Median unit price $626,000 —
Median land price $875,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 37 days
from 86 sales
 —

Zoning mix

North Arm has more rural and farming land (99% vs 46%).

Murwillumbah North Arm
Rural and farming 46% 99%
Residential 33% 0%
Parks and recreation 11% 0%
Environmental 5% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 0%
Commercial 2% 0%
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

Murwillumbah North Arm
New dwellings approved 331
across Tweed
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
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.

Murwillumbah North Arm
Houses 4.3%
$885/wk on $1.06M
 —
Units 3.6%
$470/wk on $674K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Murwillumbah North Arm
House price Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Income Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Schools Higher than 48% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 65% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 87% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 13% of NSW —

Liveability

Murwillumbah is more walkable (52 vs 18).

Murwillumbah North Arm
Grade C —
Score 40/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

North Arm carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 0); Murwillumbah carries more crime risk (73 vs 15).

Murwillumbah North Arm
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime High
73/100
 Low
15/100
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 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Murwillumbah North Arm
Inside the suburb 9 0
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 3 0

Schools in Murwillumbah

  • Murwillumbah Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Sathya Sai College Independent · Primary above peers
  • Mount St Patrick College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Murwillumbah East Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Tweed Valley Adventist College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mount St Patrick Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in North Arm

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

Amenities in the suburb

Murwillumbah North Arm
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 10 0
Parks & reserves 10 0
Childcare 7 0
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 4 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 10 1

Mobility

North Arm sits further from the CBD (805 km vs 798.1 km).

Murwillumbah North Arm
Walkability score 52/100 18/100
Distance to Sydney 798.1 km 805 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 521 min 530 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2484
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 76
postcode 2484
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.

Murwillumbah North Arm
Car (driver) 77.9% / 90.0%
Murwillumbah — Car (driver): 77.9% North Arm — Car (driver): 90.0%
Worked from Home 11.8% / 10.0%
Murwillumbah — Worked from Home: 11.8% North Arm — Worked from Home: 10.0%
Car (passenger) 5.1% / —
Murwillumbah — Car (passenger): 5.1% North Arm — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Walked Only 4.1% / —
Murwillumbah — Walked Only: 4.1% North Arm — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 0.6% / —
Murwillumbah — Bus: 0.6% North Arm — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (90.0%).

Setting

Murwillumbah North Arm
Elevation 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 55 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 18.5 km 22.6 km

NBN connectivity

Murwillumbah North Arm
Connectivity score 62/100 34/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
3,811 premises
 4%
49 premises

Climate

Murwillumbah North Arm
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Murwillumbah North Arm
Average residential rate $1,745/yr
same for both
Council Tweed
same for both

Federal electorate

Murwillumbah North Arm
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Murwillumbah North Arm
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Murwillumbah

Parks Retirees

North Arm

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Murwillumbah

Murwillumbah vs South Murwillumbah Murwillumbah vs Bray Park Murwillumbah vs Dunbible Murwillumbah vs Eungella Murwillumbah vs Nobbys Creek Murwillumbah vs Byangum

Other comparisons with North Arm

North Arm vs Eungella North Arm vs Nobbys Creek North Arm vs Crystal Creek
Full data on Murwillumbah Full data on North Arm
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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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