Patonga vs Pearl Beach
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Patonga tends to suit people living alone.
Patonga and Pearl Beach are both quiet, older coastal communities north of Sydney, but they differ notably in affluence and risk profile. Pearl Beach has significantly higher median household income at $91,572 compared to Patonga's $55,588, and sits in a higher socio-economic decile. However, Patonga has a lower bushfire risk rating of 80 versus Pearl Beach's 93, and substantially lower crime risk at 88 compared to 34. Patonga's median house price is higher at $1,835,000, though rental costs are lower at $390 per week. Pearl Beach offers better walkability and is slightly closer to the CBD, making it a stronger fit for buyers prioritising affluence and urban convenience, while Patonga may appeal to those weighing safety concerns more heavily.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
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
Pearl Beach
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 86/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (35% vs 26%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Patonga has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $488/wk)
- Pearl Beach leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 36%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Pearl Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (32/100 vs 21/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (89.6 km vs 93.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Pearl Beach
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 86/100)
- is more walkable (32/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Patonga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.1% vs -4.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Patonga and Pearl Beach 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
Pearl Beach has more residents (510 vs 235); Pearl Beach has higher household incomes ($91,572 vs $55,588).
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 235 | 510 +117% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.1% | -4.9% |
| Median age | 65 | 64 |
| Median household income | $55,588/yr | $91,572/yr +65% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $390/wk | $488/wk +25% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,675,000 | $1,710,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 59 days from 6 sales | 81 days from 26 sales |
Zoning mix
Patonga has more land zoned for conservation (78% vs 23%).
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 78% | 23% |
| Residential | 1% | 52% |
| Parks and recreation | 20% | 15% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 10% |
| 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
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,441 across Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +67% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 75% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
Liveability
Pearl Beach is more walkable (32 vs 21).
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 40/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Patonga carries more crime risk (86 vs 51); Pearl Beach carries more bushfire risk (94 vs 83).
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 83/100 | High 94/100 |
| Crime | High 86/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 60/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 4 |
| Waterways | 5 | 4 |
Mobility
Patonga sits further from the CBD (93.3 km vs 89.6 km).
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 21/100 | 32/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 93.3 km +4% vs other | 89.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 90 min | 86 min |
| Public transport score | 30/100 Bus | 38/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 8.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 15.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 2256 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 31 postcode 2256 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.0%).
Setting
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 79 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 10 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 210 m 2.2 km to a named beach | 226 m 343 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 51/100 | 69/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 10% 290 premises | 43% 664 premises |
Climate
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,409/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Coast (NSW) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Robertson same for both | |
| Member | Gordon Reid same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Patonga | Pearl Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Patonga
Pearl Beach
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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.