North Arm Cove vs Tea Gardens

North Arm Cove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 69 in Tea Gardens. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Tea Gardens, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Tea Gardens: a median of $938,000, against $812,000 in North Arm Cove, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Tea Gardens tends to suit people living alone and older residents.

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

Tea Gardens

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 90/100)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 3)
  • But North Arm Cove is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 32%)

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

First-home buyers

North Arm Cove

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($65,500 vs $530,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($812,500 vs $937,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

North Arm Cove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 37%)

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

Commuting to the city

North Arm Cove

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (152 min vs 177 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (206.4 km vs 221.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Tea Gardens

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 90/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (62% vs 33%)

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

Investors

North Arm Cove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (24.0% vs 14.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
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.

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Walkability 0 / 0
North Arm Cove — Walkability: 0/100 Tea Gardens — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 10 / 58
North Arm Cove — Safety: 10/100 Tea Gardens — Safety: 58/100
Low fire risk 65 / 43
North Arm Cove — Low fire risk: 65/100 Tea Gardens — Low fire risk: 43/100

Demographics

Tea Gardens has more residents (3,288 vs 552); North Arm Cove has higher household incomes ($66,144 vs $51,532).

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Population 552 3,288
+496% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +24.0% +14.0%
Median age 56 69
Median household income $66,144/yr
+22% vs other
 $51,532/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk $365/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
0-4 2.7% / 1.4%
North Arm Cove — 0-4: 2.7% Tea Gardens — 0-4: 1.4%
5-14 9.6% / 4.5%
North Arm Cove — 5-14: 9.6% Tea Gardens — 5-14: 4.5%
15-19 4.2% / 2.6%
North Arm Cove — 15-19: 4.2% Tea Gardens — 15-19: 2.6%
20-24 2.5% / 1.4%
North Arm Cove — 20-24: 2.5% Tea Gardens — 20-24: 1.4%
25-34 5.6% / 2.8%
North Arm Cove — 25-34: 5.6% Tea Gardens — 25-34: 2.8%
35-44 9.1% / 4.9%
North Arm Cove — 35-44: 9.1% Tea Gardens — 35-44: 4.9%
45-54 12.3% / 6.1%
North Arm Cove — 45-54: 12.3% Tea Gardens — 45-54: 6.1%
55-64 20.7% / 14.4%
North Arm Cove — 55-64: 20.7% Tea Gardens — 55-64: 14.4%
65-74 22.3% / 31.5%
North Arm Cove — 65-74: 22.3% Tea Gardens — 65-74: 31.5%
75-84 9.2% / 23.6%
North Arm Cove — 75-84: 9.2% Tea Gardens — 75-84: 23.6%
85+ 1.4% / 7.3%
North Arm Cove — 85+: 1.4% Tea Gardens — 85+: 7.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Arm Cove 38.7% lone person
North Arm Cove — Lone Person: 38.7% North Arm Cove — Couple Families: 37.9% North Arm Cove — One Parent Families: 20.2% North Arm Cove — Group Household: 3.2% North Arm Cove — Other Families: 0.0%
Tea Gardens 61.9% lone person
Tea Gardens — Lone Person: 61.9% Tea Gardens — Couple Families: 20.2% Tea Gardens — One Parent Families: 11.8% Tea Gardens — Group Household: 4.6% Tea Gardens — 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.

North Arm Cove 16.3% renting
North Arm Cove — Owned Outright: 51.7% North Arm Cove — Mortgage: 32.1% North Arm Cove — Renting: 16.3%
Tea Gardens 15.5% renting
Tea Gardens — Owned Outright: 66.7% Tea Gardens — Mortgage: 17.8% Tea Gardens — Renting: 15.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Certificate III & IV 17.9% / 18.3%
North Arm Cove — Certificate III & IV: 17.9% Tea Gardens — Certificate III & IV: 18.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.2% / 10.1%
North Arm Cove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2% Tea Gardens — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1%
Bachelor Degree 9.8% / 8.5%
North Arm Cove — Bachelor Degree: 9.8% Tea Gardens — Bachelor Degree: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.2% / 2.5%
North Arm Cove — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2% Tea Gardens — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.3%
North Arm Cove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Tea Gardens — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

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.

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
England 7.1% / 6.6%
North Arm Cove — England: 7.1% Tea Gardens — England: 6.6%
New Zealand 2.5% / 1.7%
North Arm Cove — New Zealand: 2.5% Tea Gardens — New Zealand: 1.7%
Germany 2.0% / 0.5%
North Arm Cove — Germany: 2.0% Tea Gardens — Germany: 0.5%
South Africa 0.5% / 0.5%
North Arm Cove — South Africa: 0.5% Tea Gardens — South Africa: 0.5%
Ireland 0.9% / —
North Arm Cove — Ireland: 0.9% Tea Gardens — Ireland: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.9%
North Arm Cove — Scotland: not among its largest Tea Gardens — Scotland: 0.9%
Malaysia 0.7% / —
North Arm Cove — Malaysia: 0.7% Tea Gardens — Malaysia: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North Arm Cove 100.0% houses
North Arm Cove — Houses: 100.0% North Arm Cove — Townhouses: 0.0% North Arm Cove — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Tea Gardens 91.4% houses
Tea Gardens — Houses: 91.4% Tea Gardens — Townhouses: 6.7% Tea Gardens — Flats / Apartments: 1.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Median house price $812,500 $937,500
Median unit price — $600,000
Median land price $65,500 $530,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 76 days
from 9 sales
 63 days
from 21 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.

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
3 bed $1.02M / $815K
North Arm Cove — 3 bed: $1.02M (5 sales) Tea Gardens — 3 bed: $815K (14 sales)

5 vs 14 sales

4 bed $800K / $1.01M
North Arm Cove — 4 bed: $800K (13 sales) Tea Gardens — 4 bed: $1.01M (27 sales)

13 vs 27 sales

Zoning mix

North Arm Cove has more rural and farming land (97% vs 70%); Tea Gardens has more land zoned for conservation (25% vs 1%).

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Rural and farming 97% 70%
Environmental 1% 25%
Residential 0% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 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

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
New dwellings approved 743
across Mid-Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year +327%
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.

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Houses 2.8%
$600/wk on $1.11M
 3.0%
$630/wk on $1.1M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
House price Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
Income Higher than 28% of NSW —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 86% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW

Liveability

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Grade D
same for both
Score 24/100 28/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

North Arm Cove carries more crime risk (90 vs 42); Tea Gardens carries more bushfire risk (57 vs 35).

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Bushfire Low
35/100
 Moderate
57/100
Crime High
90/100
 Moderate
42/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
38/100
 High
88/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in North Arm Cove

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

Schools in Tea Gardens

  • Tea Gardens Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1 6
Parks & reserves 3 6
Childcare 1
same for both
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 8 13

Mobility

Tea Gardens sits further from the CBD (221.4 km vs 206.4 km).

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 206.4 km 221.4 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 152 min 177 min
Public transport score 22/100
Bus
 26/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 3.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 7.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 7 min
scheduled, not actual
 3 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2324
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2324
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.

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Car (driver) 65.6% / 68.5%
North Arm Cove — Car (driver): 65.6% Tea Gardens — Car (driver): 68.5%
Worked from Home 27.6% / 20.6%
North Arm Cove — Worked from Home: 27.6% Tea Gardens — Worked from Home: 20.6%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / 4.6%
North Arm Cove — Car (passenger): 4.3% Tea Gardens — Car (passenger): 4.6%
Walked Only 2.5% / 5.1%
North Arm Cove — Walked Only: 2.5% Tea Gardens — Walked Only: 5.1%
Bicycle — / 1.3%
North Arm Cove — Bicycle: not among its largest Tea Gardens — Bicycle: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.5%).

Setting

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Elevation 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.3 km 4.8 km

NBN connectivity

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Connectivity score 93/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 76%
357 premises
 38%
1,855 premises

Climate

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
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

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Average residential rate $1,560/yr
same for both
Council Mid-Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

North Arm Cove Tea Gardens
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

North Arm Cove

Retirees Rural

Tea Gardens

Acreage Retirees River

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with Tea Gardens

Tea Gardens vs Hawks Nest Tea Gardens vs Pindimar Tea Gardens vs Nerong
Full data on North Arm Cove Full data on Tea Gardens
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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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