Patonga vs Umina Beach

Umina Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 65 in Patonga. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Patonga, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Patonga: a median of $1.68 million, against $1.21 million in Umina Beach. On these figures, Patonga tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Umina Beach suits families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Umina Beach

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • But Patonga has more separate houses rather than flats (87% vs 77%)

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

First-home buyers

Umina Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,214,000 vs $1,675,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Umina Beach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 13%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 36%)

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

Commuting to the city

Umina Beach

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 21/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (79 min vs 90 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (85 km vs 93.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Umina Beach

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (84/100 vs 21/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (23% vs 13%)
  • But Patonga has more residents already 65 and over (52% vs 23%)

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 3.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Patonga and Umina 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.

Patonga Umina Beach
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.

Patonga Umina Beach
Walkability 21 / 84
Patonga — Walkability: 21/100 Umina Beach — Walkability: 84/100
Safety 14 / 34
Patonga — Safety: 14/100 Umina Beach — Safety: 34/100
Low fire risk 17 / 13
Patonga — Low fire risk: 17/100 Umina Beach — Low fire risk: 13/100

Demographics

Umina Beach has more residents (17,372 vs 235); Patonga skews older (65 vs 44).

Patonga Umina Beach
Population 235 17,372
+7292% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.1% +3.8%
Median age 65 44
Median household income $55,588/yr $73,892/yr
+33% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk $400/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Patonga Umina Beach
0-4 1.7% / 5.7%
Patonga — 0-4: 1.7% Umina Beach — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 4.3% / 12.5%
Patonga — 5-14: 4.3% Umina Beach — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 3.4% / 5.2%
Patonga — 15-19: 3.4% Umina Beach — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 3.0% / 4.8%
Patonga — 20-24: 3.0% Umina Beach — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 3.8% / 9.2%
Patonga — 25-34: 3.8% Umina Beach — 25-34: 9.2%
35-44 4.3% / 13.0%
Patonga — 35-44: 4.3% Umina Beach — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 9.4% / 13.3%
Patonga — 45-54: 9.4% Umina Beach — 45-54: 13.3%
55-64 21.3% / 13.2%
Patonga — 55-64: 21.3% Umina Beach — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 30.6% / 12.1%
Patonga — 65-74: 30.6% Umina Beach — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 18.3% / 7.7%
Patonga — 75-84: 18.3% Umina Beach — 75-84: 7.7%
85+ 2.6% / 3.3%
Patonga — 85+: 2.6% Umina Beach — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Patonga 69.4% lone person
Patonga — Lone Person: 69.4% Patonga — Couple Families: 11.3% Patonga — One Parent Families: 14.5% Patonga — Group Household: 4.8% Patonga — Other Families: 0.0%
Umina Beach 39.2% lone person
Umina Beach — Lone Person: 39.2% Umina Beach — Couple Families: 34.7% Umina Beach — One Parent Families: 20.3% Umina Beach — Group Household: 4.3% Umina Beach — Other Families: 1.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Patonga 13.2% renting
Patonga — Owned Outright: 63.2% Patonga — Mortgage: 23.6% Patonga — Renting: 13.2%
Umina Beach 34.1% renting
Umina Beach — Owned Outright: 34.8% Umina Beach — Mortgage: 31.1% Umina Beach — Renting: 34.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Patonga Umina Beach
Certificate III & IV 16.6% / 16.9%
Patonga — Certificate III & IV: 16.6% Umina Beach — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Bachelor Degree 14.5% / 9.5%
Patonga — Bachelor Degree: 14.5% Umina Beach — Bachelor Degree: 9.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 7.5%
Patonga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Umina Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 2.7%
Patonga — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Umina Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 1.4%
Patonga — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Umina Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

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.

Patonga Umina Beach
England 4.7% / 5.0%
Patonga — England: 4.7% Umina Beach — England: 5.0%
New Zealand 3.0% / 2.1%
Patonga — New Zealand: 3.0% Umina Beach — New Zealand: 2.1%
Italy 1.7% / 0.4%
Patonga — Italy: 1.7% Umina Beach — Italy: 0.4%
Netherlands 1.3% / —
Patonga — Netherlands: 1.3% Umina Beach — Netherlands: not among its largest
Philippines — / 0.7%
Patonga — Philippines: not among its largest Umina Beach — Philippines: 0.7%
Scotland — / 0.5%
Patonga — Scotland: not among its largest Umina Beach — Scotland: 0.5%
South Africa — / 0.4%
Patonga — South Africa: not among its largest Umina Beach — South Africa: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Patonga 87.4% houses
Patonga — Houses: 87.4% Patonga — Flats / Apartments: 9.9% Patonga — Townhouses: 2.7%
Umina Beach 76.7% houses
Umina Beach — Houses: 76.7% Umina Beach — Flats / Apartments: 9.6% Umina Beach — Townhouses: 13.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Patonga Umina Beach
Median house price $1,675,000 $1,214,000
Median unit price — $877,500
Median land price — $1,475,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 59 days
from 6 sales
 32 days
from 211 sales

Zoning mix

Patonga has more land zoned for conservation (78% vs 7%).

Patonga Umina Beach
Environmental 78% 7%
Residential 1% 75%
Parks and recreation 20% 13%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 4%
Commercial 0% 2%
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 Umina Beach
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.

Patonga Umina Beach
Houses — 2.8%
$655/wk on $1.23M
Units — 2.9%
$525/wk on $935K

Ranking within NSW

Patonga Umina Beach
House price Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Income Higher than 16% of NSW Higher than 41% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 13% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 3% of NSW

Liveability

Umina Beach is more walkable (84 vs 21).

Patonga Umina Beach
Grade — C
Score — 38/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Patonga carries more crime risk (86 vs 66).

Patonga Umina Beach
Bushfire High
83/100
 High
87/100
Crime High
86/100
 Moderate
66/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
60/100
 High
78/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Patonga Umina Beach
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Patonga

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

Schools in Umina Beach

  • Brisbane Water Secondary College Umina Campus Government · Secondary above peers
  • Umina Beach Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Patonga Umina Beach
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 1 13
Parks & reserves 1 10
Childcare 0 4
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 5 10

Mobility

Patonga sits further from the CBD (93.3 km vs 85 km).

Patonga Umina Beach
Walkability score 21/100 84/100
Distance to Sydney 93.3 km
+9% vs other
 85 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 90 min 79 min
Public transport score 30/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 8.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 274.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 2256
 0.9%
postcode 2257
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2256
 31
postcode 2257

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.

Patonga Umina Beach
Car (driver) 43.3% / 52.6%
Patonga — Car (driver): 43.3% Umina Beach — Car (driver): 52.6%
Worked from Home 56.7% / 35.7%
Patonga — Worked from Home: 56.7% Umina Beach — Worked from Home: 35.7%
Train — / 4.0%
Patonga — Train: not among its largest Umina Beach — Train: 4.0%
Car (passenger) — / 3.9%
Patonga — Car (passenger): not among its largest Umina Beach — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Walked Only — / 2.2%
Patonga — Walked Only: not among its largest Umina Beach — Walked Only: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.7%).

Setting

Patonga Umina Beach
Elevation 79 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 210 m
2.2 km to a named beach
 1.1 km
2.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Patonga Umina Beach
Connectivity score 51/100 64/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
290 premises
 35%
8,263 premises

Climate

Patonga Umina Beach
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Patonga Umina Beach
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ 5.1 µg/m³
PM10 14.2 µg/m³ 14.8 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.23 pphm 0.36 pphm

Council rates

Patonga Umina Beach
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Patonga Umina Beach
Division Robertson
same for both
Member Gordon Reid
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Patonga Umina Beach
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Patonga

Coastal Outer Professionals Quiet Retirees

Umina Beach

Coastal Outer Parks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Patonga

Patonga vs Woy Woy Patonga vs Brooklyn Patonga vs Pearl Beach

Other comparisons with Umina Beach

Umina Beach vs Woy Woy Umina Beach vs Ettalong Beach Umina Beach vs Blackwall Umina Beach vs Pearl Beach
Full data on Patonga Full data on Umina 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.

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