Murwillumbah vs South Murwillumbah

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Murwillumbah: a median of $940,000, against $835,000 in South Murwillumbah, though rent is higher in South Murwillumbah.

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

Murwillumbah

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (7 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 5)
  • But South Murwillumbah has more separate houses rather than flats (90% vs 76%)

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

First-home buyers

South Murwillumbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($835,000 vs $940,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Murwillumbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($346/wk vs $390/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Murwillumbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (52/100 vs 19/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Murwillumbah

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (52/100 vs 19/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (24% vs 10%)

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

Investors

Murwillumbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.3% vs -4.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Murwillumbah and South Murwillumbah 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 South Murwillumbah
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 South Murwillumbah
Walkability 52 / 19
Murwillumbah — Walkability: 52/100 South Murwillumbah — Walkability: 19/100
Safety 27 / 9
Murwillumbah — Safety: 27/100 South Murwillumbah — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Murwillumbah — Low fire risk: 100/100 South Murwillumbah — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Murwillumbah has more residents (7,616 vs 1,064); South Murwillumbah rents higher ($390/wk vs $346/wk).

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Population 7,616
+86% vs other
 1,064
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.3% -4.5%
Median age 46 48
Median household income $59,644/yr $67,184/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $346/wk $390/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
0-4 4.8% / 4.8%
Murwillumbah — 0-4: 4.8% South Murwillumbah — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 13.5% / 9.8%
Murwillumbah — 5-14: 13.5% South Murwillumbah — 5-14: 9.8%
15-19 5.8% / 6.9%
Murwillumbah — 15-19: 5.8% South Murwillumbah — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 3.8% / 5.0%
Murwillumbah — 20-24: 3.8% South Murwillumbah — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 8.8% / 7.4%
Murwillumbah — 25-34: 8.8% South Murwillumbah — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 11.7% / 12.0%
Murwillumbah — 35-44: 11.7% South Murwillumbah — 35-44: 12.0%
45-54 12.3% / 15.2%
Murwillumbah — 45-54: 12.3% South Murwillumbah — 45-54: 15.2%
55-64 13.9% / 14.8%
Murwillumbah — 55-64: 13.9% South Murwillumbah — 55-64: 14.8%
65-74 12.3% / 14.0%
Murwillumbah — 65-74: 12.3% South Murwillumbah — 65-74: 14.0%
75-84 8.1% / 6.4%
Murwillumbah — 75-84: 8.1% South Murwillumbah — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ 5.0% / 3.6%
Murwillumbah — 85+: 5.0% South Murwillumbah — 85+: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Murwillumbah 41.3% lone person
Murwillumbah — Lone Person: 41.3% Murwillumbah — Couple Families: 32.0% Murwillumbah — One Parent Families: 21.4% Murwillumbah — Group Household: 3.8% Murwillumbah — Other Families: 1.4%
South Murwillumbah 41.0% lone person
South Murwillumbah — Lone Person: 41.0% South Murwillumbah — Couple Families: 31.7% South Murwillumbah — One Parent Families: 19.7% South Murwillumbah — Group Household: 6.0% South Murwillumbah — Other Families: 1.6%
Lone Person Couple Families 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%
South Murwillumbah 26.2% renting
South Murwillumbah — Owned Outright: 40.2% South Murwillumbah — Mortgage: 33.6% South Murwillumbah — Renting: 26.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Certificate III & IV 16.6% / 19.2%
Murwillumbah — Certificate III & IV: 16.6% South Murwillumbah — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Bachelor Degree 9.6% / 7.2%
Murwillumbah — Bachelor Degree: 9.6% South Murwillumbah — Bachelor Degree: 7.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 6.6%
Murwillumbah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% South Murwillumbah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 2.2%
Murwillumbah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% South Murwillumbah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.1%
Murwillumbah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% South Murwillumbah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

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.

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
England 3.5% / 2.9%
Murwillumbah — England: 3.5% South Murwillumbah — England: 2.9%
New Zealand 1.9% / 2.6%
Murwillumbah — New Zealand: 1.9% South Murwillumbah — New Zealand: 2.6%
India 1.3% / —
Murwillumbah — India: 1.3% South Murwillumbah — India: not among its largest
South Africa 0.4% / 0.7%
Murwillumbah — South Africa: 0.4% South Murwillumbah — South Africa: 0.7%
Philippines 0.5% / 0.5%
Murwillumbah — Philippines: 0.5% South Murwillumbah — Philippines: 0.5%
Germany 0.5% / 0.4%
Murwillumbah — Germany: 0.5% South Murwillumbah — Germany: 0.4%
Thailand — / 0.5%
Murwillumbah — Thailand: not among its largest South Murwillumbah — Thailand: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

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%
South Murwillumbah 89.6% houses
South Murwillumbah — Houses: 89.6% South Murwillumbah — Flats / Apartments: 10.4% South Murwillumbah — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Median house price $940,000 $835,000
Median unit price $626,000 —
Median land price $875,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 37 days
from 86 sales
 48 days
from 14 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.

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
2 bed $822K / $710K
Murwillumbah — 2 bed: $822K (24 sales) South Murwillumbah — 2 bed: $710K (7 sales)

24 vs 7 sales

3 bed $938K / $810K
Murwillumbah — 3 bed: $938K (84 sales) South Murwillumbah — 3 bed: $810K (16 sales)

84 vs 16 sales

4 bed $1.05M / $1.03M
Murwillumbah — 4 bed: $1.05M (49 sales) South Murwillumbah — 4 bed: $1.03M (8 sales)

49 vs 8 sales

Zoning mix

South Murwillumbah has more rural and farming land (73% vs 46%); South Murwillumbah has more industrially zoned land (15% vs 0%).

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Rural and farming 46% 73%
Residential 33% 5%
Industrial 0% 15%
Parks and recreation 11% 1%
Environmental 5% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 2%
Commercial 2% 0%
Other and special use 0% 1%
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 South Murwillumbah
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 South Murwillumbah
Houses 4.3%
$885/wk on $1.06M
 —
Units 3.6%
$470/wk on $674K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
House price Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Income Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 30% 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 56% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 77% 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 19); Murwillumbah scores higher overall (40 vs 25).

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Grade C D
Score 40/100 25/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
same for both

Risk profile

South Murwillumbah carries more crime risk (91 vs 73).

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
73/100
 High
91/100
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
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Inside the suburb 9 1
Rated above peers 2 1
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 South Murwillumbah

  • St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 10 2
Parks & reserves 10 5
Childcare 7 1
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 4 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 1
Fuel stations 1 6
Waterways 10 1

Mobility

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Walkability score 52/100 19/100
Distance to Sydney 798.1 km 798.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 521 min 520 min
Public transport score 73/100
Bus
 59/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 96.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 16.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
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 South Murwillumbah
Car (driver) 77.9% / 74.9%
Murwillumbah — Car (driver): 77.9% South Murwillumbah — Car (driver): 74.9%
Worked from Home 11.8% / 13.4%
Murwillumbah — Worked from Home: 11.8% South Murwillumbah — Worked from Home: 13.4%
Car (passenger) 5.1% / 4.9%
Murwillumbah — Car (passenger): 5.1% South Murwillumbah — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Walked Only 4.1% / 5.7%
Murwillumbah — Walked Only: 4.1% South Murwillumbah — Walked Only: 5.7%
Bicycle 0.5% / 1.1%
Murwillumbah — Bicycle: 0.5% South Murwillumbah — Bicycle: 1.1%
Bus 0.6% / —
Murwillumbah — Bus: 0.6% South Murwillumbah — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.9%).

Setting

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Elevation 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 18.5 km 15.2 km

NBN connectivity

Murwillumbah South Murwillumbah
Connectivity score 62/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
3,811 premises
 47%
956 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Murwillumbah

Parks Retirees

South Murwillumbah

Acreage

More comparisons

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Murwillumbah vs Bray Park Murwillumbah vs Dunbible Murwillumbah vs Eungella Murwillumbah vs Nobbys Creek Murwillumbah vs Byangum Murwillumbah vs North Arm

Other comparisons with South Murwillumbah

South Murwillumbah vs Dunbible South Murwillumbah vs Condong South Murwillumbah vs Fernvale South Murwillumbah vs Kielvale South Murwillumbah vs Tygalgah South Murwillumbah vs Wardrop Valley
Full data on Murwillumbah Full data on South Murwillumbah
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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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