Nerong vs The Branch
The Branch is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 59 in Nerong. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In The Branch, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in The Branch: a median of $1.55 million, against $489,000 in Nerong, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Nerong tends to suit older residents and buyers on a tighter budget, while The Branch suits 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
Nerong
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 85%)
- But The Branch is already more of a family suburb (64% vs 55%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Nerong
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($488,750 vs $1,550,000)
- has cheaper land ($142,000 vs $187,500)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (34% vs 44%)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Nerong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $495/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (36% vs 42%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
The Branch
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (209.9 km vs 221.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Nerong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 13%)
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
Nerong and The Branch 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
The Branch rents higher ($495/wk vs $310/wk); The Branch has higher household incomes ($61,724 vs $44,824).
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 168 +23% vs other | 130 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +60.0% | +60.5% |
| Median age | 59 | 44 |
| Median household income | $44,824/yr | $61,724/yr +38% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk | $495/wk +60% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $488,750 | $1,550,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $142,000 | $187,500 |
Zoning mix
The Branch has more rural and farming land (97% vs 54%); Nerong has more land zoned for conservation (45% vs 3%).
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 54% | 97% |
| Environmental | 45% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 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
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 7% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 23% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 58% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
Liveability
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 71/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Crime | High 78/100 | High 77/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 23 | 14 |
Mobility
Nerong sits further from the CBD (221.7 km vs 209.9 km).
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 221.7 km +5% vs other | 209.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 157 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2423 | 0.2% postcode 2425 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2423 | 72 postcode 2425 |
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 (71.1%).
Setting
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 51 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 10.6 km | 10.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 0% 35 premises |
Climate
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,181 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Nerong | The Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Nerong
Other comparisons with The Branch
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.