North Arm Cove vs The Branch

The Branch is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 56 in North Arm Cove. 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 $812,000 in North Arm Cove, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, North Arm Cove 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

North Arm Cove

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 carries lower crime risk (77/100 vs 90/100)

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

First-home buyers

North Arm Cove

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($65,500 vs $187,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($812,500 vs $1,550,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (35% vs 44%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

North Arm Cove

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 42%)
  • has cheaper rent ($340/wk vs $495/wk)

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 157 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (206.4 km vs 209.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • North Arm Cove has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 13%)
  • The Branch carries lower crime risk (77/100 vs 90/100)

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

Investors

The Branch

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (60.5% vs 24.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

North Arm Cove 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.

North Arm Cove The Branch
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 The Branch
Walkability 0 / 0
North Arm Cove — Walkability: 0/100 The Branch — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 10 / 23
North Arm Cove — Safety: 10/100 The Branch — Safety: 23/100
Low fire risk 65 / 35
North Arm Cove — Low fire risk: 65/100 The Branch — Low fire risk: 35/100

Demographics

North Arm Cove has more residents (552 vs 130); The Branch rents higher ($495/wk vs $340/wk).

North Arm Cove The Branch
Population 552
+76% vs other
 130
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +24.0% +60.5%
Median age 56 44
Median household income $66,144/yr
+7% vs other
 $61,724/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk $495/wk
+46% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Arm Cove The Branch
0-4 2.7% / 2.3%
North Arm Cove — 0-4: 2.7% The Branch — 0-4: 2.3%
5-14 9.6% / 13.1%
North Arm Cove — 5-14: 9.6% The Branch — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 4.2% / 10.8%
North Arm Cove — 15-19: 4.2% The Branch — 15-19: 10.8%
20-24 2.5% / 2.3%
North Arm Cove — 20-24: 2.5% The Branch — 20-24: 2.3%
25-34 5.6% / 9.2%
North Arm Cove — 25-34: 5.6% The Branch — 25-34: 9.2%
35-44 9.1% / 13.1%
North Arm Cove — 35-44: 9.1% The Branch — 35-44: 13.1%
45-54 12.3% / 20.0%
North Arm Cove — 45-54: 12.3% The Branch — 45-54: 20.0%
55-64 20.7% / 20.0%
North Arm Cove — 55-64: 20.7% The Branch — 55-64: 20.0%
65-74 22.3% / 10.0%
North Arm Cove — 65-74: 22.3% The Branch — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 9.2% / 3.1%
North Arm Cove — 75-84: 9.2% The Branch — 75-84: 3.1%
85+ 1.4% / —
North Arm Cove — 85+: 1.4% The Branch — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Arm Cove 37.9% couple families
North Arm Cove — Couple Families: 37.9% North Arm Cove — Lone Person: 38.7% North Arm Cove — One Parent Families: 20.2% North Arm Cove — Group Household: 3.2%
The Branch 54.8% couple families
The Branch — Couple Families: 54.8% The Branch — Lone Person: 35.5% The Branch — One Parent Families: 9.7% The Branch — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

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%
The Branch 8.3% renting
The Branch — Owned Outright: 52.8% The Branch — Mortgage: 38.9% The Branch — Renting: 8.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Arm Cove The Branch
Certificate III & IV 17.9% / 17.7%
North Arm Cove — Certificate III & IV: 17.9% The Branch — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Bachelor Degree 9.8% / 7.7%
North Arm Cove — Bachelor Degree: 9.8% The Branch — Bachelor Degree: 7.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.2% / 6.9%
North Arm Cove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2% The Branch — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 4.2% / 2.3%
North Arm Cove — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2% The Branch — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 3.1%
North Arm Cove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% The Branch — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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 The Branch
England 7.1% / —
North Arm Cove — England: 7.1% The Branch — England: not among its largest
New Zealand 2.5% / 3.1%
North Arm Cove — New Zealand: 2.5% The Branch — New Zealand: 3.1%
Fiji — / 3.1%
North Arm Cove — Fiji: not among its largest The Branch — Fiji: 3.1%
Philippines — / 2.3%
North Arm Cove — Philippines: not among its largest The Branch — Philippines: 2.3%
Germany 2.0% / —
North Arm Cove — Germany: 2.0% The Branch — Germany: not among its largest
Ireland 0.9% / —
North Arm Cove — Ireland: 0.9% The Branch — Ireland: not among its largest
Malaysia 0.7% / —
North Arm Cove — Malaysia: 0.7% The Branch — 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 — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
The Branch 85.4% houses
The Branch — Houses: 85.4% The Branch — Flats / Apartments: 14.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

North Arm Cove The Branch
Median house price $812,500 $1,550,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $65,500 $187,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 76 days
from 9 sales
 —

Zoning mix

North Arm Cove The Branch
Rural and farming 97%
same for both
Environmental 1% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 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

North Arm Cove The Branch
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 The Branch
Houses 2.8%
$600/wk on $1.11M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

North Arm Cove The Branch
House price Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Income Higher than 28% of NSW —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 23% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 86% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of NSW —

Liveability

North Arm Cove The Branch
Grade D —
Score 24/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

The Branch carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 35); North Arm Cove carries more crime risk (90 vs 77).

North Arm Cove The Branch
Bushfire Low
35/100
 Moderate
65/100
Crime High
90/100
 High
77/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
38/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

North Arm Cove 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

North Arm Cove The Branch
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 3 0
Childcare 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 8 14

Mobility

The Branch sits further from the CBD (209.9 km vs 206.4 km).

North Arm Cove The Branch
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 206.4 km 209.9 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 152 min 157 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2324
 0.2%
postcode 2425
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2324
 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.

North Arm Cove The Branch
Car (driver) 65.6% / 60.0%
North Arm Cove — Car (driver): 65.6% The Branch — Car (driver): 60.0%
Worked from Home 27.6% / 30.0%
North Arm Cove — Worked from Home: 27.6% The Branch — Worked from Home: 30.0%
Walked Only 2.5% / 10.0%
North Arm Cove — Walked Only: 2.5% The Branch — Walked Only: 10.0%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / —
North Arm Cove — Car (passenger): 4.3% The Branch — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.6%).

Setting

North Arm Cove The Branch
Elevation 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.3 km 10.8 km

NBN connectivity

North Arm Cove The Branch
Connectivity score 93/100 15/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 76%
357 premises
 0%
35 premises

Climate

North Arm Cove 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

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

North Arm Cove The Branch
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

The Branch

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North Arm Cove

North Arm Cove vs Tea Gardens North Arm Cove vs Karuah North Arm Cove vs Pindimar North Arm Cove vs Nerong

Other comparisons with The Branch

The Branch vs Karuah The Branch vs Booral The Branch vs Limeburners Creek The Branch vs Girvan The Branch vs Allworth The Branch vs Nerong
Full data on North Arm Cove Full data on The Branch
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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