Rockingham vs Safety Bay

Safety Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 49 in Rockingham. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Rockingham, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Rockingham tends to suit people living alone.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Rockingham has more schools inside the suburb (13 vs 3)
  • Safety Bay carries lower crime risk (56/100 vs 88/100)

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

First-home buyers

Rockingham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($543,000 vs $648,888)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Rockingham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 20%)

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

Commuting to the city

Rockingham

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (85/100 vs 53/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (47.6 km vs 50.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Rockingham

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (9 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (34% vs 6%)
  • is more walkable (85/100 vs 53/100)
  • But Safety Bay carries lower crime risk (56/100 vs 88/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Rockingham Safety Bay
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.

Rockingham Safety Bay
Walkability 85 / 53
Rockingham — Walkability: 85/100 Safety Bay — Walkability: 53/100
Safety 12 / 44
Rockingham — Safety: 12/100 Safety Bay — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 75 / 83
Rockingham — Low fire risk: 75/100 Safety Bay — Low fire risk: 83/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Rockingham — Low flood risk: 100/100 Safety Bay — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Rockingham has more residents (15,312 vs 7,662); Safety Bay has higher household incomes ($75,140 vs $60,788).

Rockingham Safety Bay
Population 15,312
+50% vs other
 7,662
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.1% +3.4%
Median age 49 44
Median household income $60,788/yr $75,140/yr
+24% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk $310/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Rockingham Safety Bay
0-4 4.1% / 5.2%
Rockingham — 0-4: 4.1% Safety Bay — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 8.7% / 12.4%
Rockingham — 5-14: 8.7% Safety Bay — 5-14: 12.4%
15-19 4.4% / 5.4%
Rockingham — 15-19: 4.4% Safety Bay — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 5.9% / 4.0%
Rockingham — 20-24: 5.9% Safety Bay — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 11.1% / 11.0%
Rockingham — 25-34: 11.1% Safety Bay — 25-34: 11.0%
35-44 10.7% / 12.1%
Rockingham — 35-44: 10.7% Safety Bay — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 12.7% / 12.5%
Rockingham — 45-54: 12.7% Safety Bay — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 15.2% / 14.4%
Rockingham — 55-64: 15.2% Safety Bay — 55-64: 14.4%
65-74 13.8% / 12.5%
Rockingham — 65-74: 13.8% Safety Bay — 65-74: 12.5%
75-84 9.3% / 7.8%
Rockingham — 75-84: 9.3% Safety Bay — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 4.0% / 2.8%
Rockingham — 85+: 4.0% Safety Bay — 85+: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Rockingham 55.1% lone person
Rockingham — Lone Person: 55.1% Rockingham — Couple Families: 24.4% Rockingham — One Parent Families: 15.0% Rockingham — Group Household: 4.1% Rockingham — Other Families: 1.3%
Safety Bay 39.1% lone person
Safety Bay — Lone Person: 39.1% Safety Bay — Couple Families: 41.6% Safety Bay — One Parent Families: 15.7% Safety Bay — Group Household: 2.7% Safety Bay — Other Families: 1.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Rockingham 38.2% renting
Rockingham — Owned Outright: 34.8% Rockingham — Mortgage: 27.1% Rockingham — Renting: 38.2%
Safety Bay 20.0% renting
Safety Bay — Owned Outright: 41.7% Safety Bay — Mortgage: 38.3% Safety Bay — Renting: 20.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Rockingham Safety Bay
Certificate III & IV 19.3% / 19.6%
Rockingham — Certificate III & IV: 19.3% Safety Bay — Certificate III & IV: 19.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 8.1%
Rockingham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Safety Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Bachelor Degree 6.8% / 8.2%
Rockingham — Bachelor Degree: 6.8% Safety Bay — Bachelor Degree: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / 1.7%
Rockingham — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% Safety Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.6%
Rockingham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Safety Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).

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.

Rockingham Safety Bay
England 14.9% / 14.5%
Rockingham — England: 14.9% Safety Bay — England: 14.5%
New Zealand 4.1% / 3.7%
Rockingham — New Zealand: 4.1% Safety Bay — New Zealand: 3.7%
Scotland 2.3% / 1.7%
Rockingham — Scotland: 2.3% Safety Bay — Scotland: 1.7%
South Africa 0.9% / 1.0%
Rockingham — South Africa: 0.9% Safety Bay — South Africa: 1.0%
Philippines 1.3% / —
Rockingham — Philippines: 1.3% Safety Bay — Philippines: not among its largest
Thailand — / 0.6%
Rockingham — Thailand: not among its largest Safety Bay — Thailand: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Rockingham 65.5% houses
Rockingham — Houses: 65.5% Rockingham — Flats / Apartments: 14.3% Rockingham — Townhouses: 20.1%
Safety Bay 93.6% houses
Safety Bay — Houses: 93.6% Safety Bay — Flats / Apartments: 6.4% Safety Bay — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Rockingham Safety Bay
Median house price $800,000 $841,000
Median unit price $565,000 $620,000
Median land price $543,000 $648,888
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 182 sales
 17 days
from 59 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.

Rockingham Safety Bay
2 bed $550K / $665K
Rockingham — 2 bed: $550K (37 sales) Safety Bay — 2 bed: $665K (5 sales)

37 vs 5 sales

3 bed $750K / $790K
Rockingham — 3 bed: $750K (190 sales) Safety Bay — 3 bed: $790K (66 sales)

190 vs 66 sales

4 bed $862K / $902K
Rockingham — 4 bed: $862K (144 sales) Safety Bay — 4 bed: $902K (55 sales)

144 vs 55 sales

5 bed $975K / $1.22M
Rockingham — 5 bed: $975K (16 sales) Safety Bay — 5 bed: $1.22M (6 sales)

16 vs 6 sales

Development activity

Rockingham Safety Bay
New dwellings approved 1,869
across Rockingham
same for both
Approvals change year on year -11%
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.

Rockingham Safety Bay
Houses 4.3%
$665/wk on $800K
 4.0%
$685/wk on $895K
Units 4.6%
$535/wk on $599K
 —

Ranking within WA

Rockingham Safety Bay
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 18% of WA Higher than 37% of WA
Schools Higher than 38% of WA Higher than 1% of WA
Walkability Higher than 97% of WA Higher than 83% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 56% of WA Higher than 60% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of WA Higher than 85% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of WA Higher than 24% of WA
Rental yield (units) Higher than 18% of WA —

Liveability

Rockingham is more walkable (85 vs 53).

Rockingham Safety Bay
Grade C
same for both
Score 44/100 46/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Rockingham carries more crime risk (88 vs 56).

Rockingham Safety Bay
Bushfire Low
25/100
 Low
17/100
Crime High
88/100
 Moderate
56/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
34/100
 Moderate
45/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Rockingham Safety Bay
Inside the suburb 13 3
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 3 2
Rated below peers 2 0

Schools in Rockingham

  • Rockingham Montessori School Independent · Primary above peers
  • SMYL Community College Independent · Secondary · Special school above peers
  • Kolbe Catholic College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Rockingham Beach Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Rockingham Senior High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Bungaree Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Safety Bay

  • Safety Bay Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Safety Bay Senior High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Malibu School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Rockingham Safety Bay
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 18 5
Parks & reserves 21 8
Childcare 10 3
GPs 9 1
Pharmacies 7 2
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 8 1
Fuel stations 2 1
EV chargers 4 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Safety Bay sits further from the CBD (50.5 km vs 47.6 km).

Rockingham Safety Bay
Walkability score 85/100 53/100
Distance to Perth 47.6 km 50.5 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 47 min 51 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 581.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 144.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 6168
 0.5%
postcode 6169
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 6168
 65
postcode 6169

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.

Rockingham Safety Bay
Car (driver) 77.4% / 77.8%
Rockingham — Car (driver): 77.4% Safety Bay — Car (driver): 77.8%
Worked from Home 6.1% / 8.6%
Rockingham — Worked from Home: 6.1% Safety Bay — Worked from Home: 8.6%
Car (passenger) 5.9% / 5.0%
Rockingham — Car (passenger): 5.9% Safety Bay — Car (passenger): 5.0%
Train 5.3% / 5.5%
Rockingham — Train: 5.3% Safety Bay — Train: 5.5%
Bus 2.3% / 1.6%
Rockingham — Bus: 2.3% Safety Bay — Bus: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.8%).

Setting

Rockingham Safety Bay
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.2 km 544 m

NBN connectivity

Rockingham Safety Bay
Connectivity score 63/100 74/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
10,210 premises
 52%
3,624 premises

Climate

Rockingham Safety Bay
Annual rainfall 745 mm —
Summer max (Jan) 31.4°C —
Winter min (Jul) 7.6°C —

Council rates

Rockingham Safety Bay
Average residential rate $2,007/yr
same for both
Council Rockingham
same for both

Federal electorate

Rockingham Safety Bay
Division Brand
same for both
Member Madeleine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Rockingham Safety Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Rockingham

Coastal Outer Parks Retirees Townhouses

Safety Bay

Coastal Large Blocks Outer Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Rockingham

Rockingham vs Cooloongup Rockingham vs Shoalwater Rockingham vs Hillman Rockingham vs East Rockingham

Other comparisons with Safety Bay

Safety Bay vs Waikiki Safety Bay vs Cooloongup Safety Bay vs Shoalwater
Full data on Rockingham Full data on Safety Bay
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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