Ourimbah vs Palmdale

Ourimbah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 54 in Palmdale. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Palmdale: a median of $3.12 million, against $1.03 million in Ourimbah. On these figures, Ourimbah tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Palmdale suits share households 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

Palmdale

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (78 vs 9)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 76%)
  • But Ourimbah has more childcare (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Ourimbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,030,000 vs $3,125,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Ourimbah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 10%)

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

Commuting to the city

Palmdale

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (71 min vs 90 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (85.1 km vs 96 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Palmdale

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 14%)
  • But Ourimbah has more GPs (3 vs 0)

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

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

Ourimbah Palmdale
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.

Ourimbah Palmdale
Walkability 0 / 17
Ourimbah — Walkability: 0/100 Palmdale — Walkability: 17/100
Safety 17 / 22
Ourimbah — Safety: 17/100 Palmdale — Safety: 22/100
Low fire risk 44 / 27
Ourimbah — Low fire risk: 44/100 Palmdale — Low fire risk: 27/100

Demographics

Ourimbah has more residents (4,019 vs 95); Palmdale skews older (54 vs 39).

Ourimbah Palmdale
Population 4,019
+98% vs other
 95
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.7% -1.0%
Median age 39 54
Median household income $100,880/yr $112,112/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ourimbah Palmdale
0-4 5.6% / 4.2%
Ourimbah — 0-4: 5.6% Palmdale — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 12.9% / 5.3%
Ourimbah — 5-14: 12.9% Palmdale — 5-14: 5.3%
15-19 7.1% / 9.5%
Ourimbah — 15-19: 7.1% Palmdale — 15-19: 9.5%
20-24 6.1% / 5.3%
Ourimbah — 20-24: 6.1% Palmdale — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 12.5% / 6.3%
Ourimbah — 25-34: 12.5% Palmdale — 25-34: 6.3%
35-44 13.4% / 7.4%
Ourimbah — 35-44: 13.4% Palmdale — 35-44: 7.4%
45-54 13.7% / 12.6%
Ourimbah — 45-54: 13.7% Palmdale — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 14.3% / 17.9%
Ourimbah — 55-64: 14.3% Palmdale — 55-64: 17.9%
65-74 8.6% / 18.9%
Ourimbah — 65-74: 8.6% Palmdale — 65-74: 18.9%
75-84 4.3% / 3.2%
Ourimbah — 75-84: 4.3% Palmdale — 75-84: 3.2%
85+ 1.3% / 6.3%
Ourimbah — 85+: 1.3% Palmdale — 85+: 6.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ourimbah 48.8% couple families
Ourimbah — Couple Families: 48.8% Ourimbah — Lone Person: 27.4% Ourimbah — One Parent Families: 17.8% Ourimbah — Group Household: 4.3% Ourimbah — Other Families: 1.8%
Palmdale 45.5% couple families
Palmdale — Couple Families: 45.5% Palmdale — Lone Person: 22.7% Palmdale — One Parent Families: 13.6% Palmdale — Group Household: 18.2% Palmdale — 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.

Ourimbah 23.6% renting
Ourimbah — Owned Outright: 32.4% Ourimbah — Mortgage: 43.9% Ourimbah — Renting: 23.6%
Palmdale 10.0% renting
Palmdale — Owned Outright: 63.3% Palmdale — Mortgage: 26.7% Palmdale — Renting: 10.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Ourimbah Palmdale
England 4.6% / 5.3%
Ourimbah — England: 4.6% Palmdale — England: 5.3%
New Zealand 1.9% / —
Ourimbah — New Zealand: 1.9% Palmdale — New Zealand: not among its largest
China 0.8% / —
Ourimbah — China: 0.8% Palmdale — China: not among its largest
Philippines 0.8% / —
Ourimbah — Philippines: 0.8% Palmdale — Philippines: not among its largest
South Africa 0.6% / —
Ourimbah — South Africa: 0.6% Palmdale — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.3%).

Qualifications

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

Ourimbah Palmdale
Bachelor Degree 12.6% / 23.2%
Ourimbah — Bachelor Degree: 12.6% Palmdale — Bachelor Degree: 23.2%
Certificate III & IV 18.4% / 8.4%
Ourimbah — Certificate III & IV: 18.4% Palmdale — Certificate III & IV: 8.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 11.6%
Ourimbah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Palmdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.6%
Postgraduate Degree 3.3% / 9.5%
Ourimbah — Postgraduate Degree: 3.3% Palmdale — Postgraduate Degree: 9.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / —
Ourimbah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Palmdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ourimbah 75.9% houses
Ourimbah — Houses: 75.9% Ourimbah — Townhouses: 22.7% Ourimbah — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Palmdale 100.0% houses
Palmdale — Houses: 100.0% Palmdale — Townhouses: 0.0% Palmdale — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ourimbah Palmdale
Median house price $1,030,000 $3,125,000
Median unit price $655,000 —
Median land price $1,577,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 30 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Ourimbah has more land zoned for conservation (56% vs 24%); Palmdale has more rural and farming land (68% vs 39%).

Ourimbah Palmdale
Rural and farming 39% 68%
Environmental 56% 24%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 8%
Residential 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

Ourimbah Palmdale
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
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.

Ourimbah Palmdale
Houses 3.6%
$750/wk on $1.07M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Ourimbah Palmdale
House price Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Income Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 4% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 52% of NSW —

Liveability

Palmdale is more walkable (17 vs 0).

Ourimbah Palmdale
Grade C —
Score 30/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Palmdale carries more bushfire risk (73 vs 56).

Ourimbah Palmdale
Bushfire Moderate
56/100
 High
73/100
Crime High
83/100
 High
78/100
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
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Ourimbah Palmdale
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Central Coast), 0.0 km
 1
The University of Newcastle (Central Coast), 3.7 km

Schools in Ourimbah

  • Ourimbah Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Palmdale

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

Amenities in the suburb

Ourimbah Palmdale
Cafes & restaurants 7 0
Parks & reserves 9 78
Childcare 3 0
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 4 0
Waterways 26 5

Mobility

Ourimbah sits further from the CBD (96 km vs 85.1 km).

Ourimbah Palmdale
Walkability score 0/100 17/100
Distance to Sydney 96 km
+11% vs other
 85.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 90 min 71 min
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2258
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 47
postcode 2258
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.

Ourimbah Palmdale
Car (driver) 62.1% / 50.0%
Ourimbah — Car (driver): 62.1% Palmdale — Car (driver): 50.0%
Worked from Home 30.7% / 50.0%
Ourimbah — Worked from Home: 30.7% Palmdale — Worked from Home: 50.0%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / —
Ourimbah — Car (passenger): 3.3% Palmdale — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Train 2.2% / —
Ourimbah — Train: 2.2% Palmdale — Train: not among its largest
Walked Only 1.1% / —
Ourimbah — Walked Only: 1.1% Palmdale — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.1%).

Setting

Ourimbah Palmdale
Elevation 177 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 15.5 km 12.1 km

NBN connectivity

Ourimbah Palmdale
Connectivity score 62/100 36/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 33%
1,629 premises
 0%
30 premises

Climate

Ourimbah Palmdale
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ourimbah Palmdale
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.36 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Ourimbah Palmdale
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Ourimbah Palmdale
Division Dobell
same for both
Member Emma Mcbride
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ourimbah Palmdale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ourimbah

Rural Townhouses Transport Hub

Palmdale

Parks Premium Professionals Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ourimbah

Ourimbah vs Tumbi Umbi Ourimbah vs Lisarow Ourimbah vs Mardi Ourimbah vs Niagara Park Ourimbah vs Glenning Valley Ourimbah vs Somersby

Other comparisons with Palmdale

Palmdale vs Kangy Angy
Full data on Ourimbah Full data on Palmdale
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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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