Sawtell vs Toormina

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Toormina, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Sawtell: a median of $1.24 million, against $768,000 in Toormina, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Toormina tends to suit 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

Toormina

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (7 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (12 vs 4)
  • But Sawtell carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 88/100)

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

First-home buyers

Toormina

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($768,000 vs $1,240,000)
  • has cheaper units ($465,000 vs $675,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Toormina

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($335/wk vs $380/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Toormina

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 56/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Sawtell carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 88/100)
  • Toormina is more walkable (87/100 vs 56/100)

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

Investors

Toormina

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.4% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sawtell Toormina
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.

Sawtell Toormina
Walkability 56 / 87
Sawtell — Walkability: 56/100 Toormina — Walkability: 87/100
Safety 27 / 12
Sawtell — Safety: 27/100 Toormina — Safety: 12/100
Low fire risk 50 / 100
Sawtell — Low fire risk: 50/100 Toormina — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Toormina has more residents (6,171 vs 3,788); Sawtell has higher household incomes ($73,060 vs $55,068).

Sawtell Toormina
Population 3,788 6,171
+63% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.9% -0.3%
Median age 47 45
Median household income $73,060/yr
+25% vs other
 $55,068/yr
Median weekly rent $380/wk
+12% vs other
 $335/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sawtell Toormina
0-4 4.7% / 4.9%
Sawtell — 0-4: 4.7% Toormina — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 11.6% / 12.5%
Sawtell — 5-14: 11.6% Toormina — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 5.4% / 5.3%
Sawtell — 15-19: 5.4% Toormina — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 3.4% / 4.9%
Sawtell — 20-24: 3.4% Toormina — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 9.5% / 10.8%
Sawtell — 25-34: 9.5% Toormina — 25-34: 10.8%
35-44 11.5% / 10.8%
Sawtell — 35-44: 11.5% Toormina — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 14.1% / 11.3%
Sawtell — 45-54: 14.1% Toormina — 45-54: 11.3%
55-64 14.6% / 12.5%
Sawtell — 55-64: 14.6% Toormina — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 15.1% / 11.7%
Sawtell — 65-74: 15.1% Toormina — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 7.6% / 9.6%
Sawtell — 75-84: 7.6% Toormina — 75-84: 9.6%
85+ 2.6% / 5.4%
Sawtell — 85+: 2.6% Toormina — 85+: 5.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sawtell 44.9% lone person
Sawtell — Lone Person: 44.9% Sawtell — Couple Families: 32.9% Sawtell — One Parent Families: 16.4% Sawtell — Group Household: 4.7% Sawtell — Other Families: 1.1%
Toormina 45.7% lone person
Toormina — Lone Person: 45.7% Toormina — Couple Families: 25.5% Toormina — One Parent Families: 22.6% Toormina — Group Household: 4.3% Toormina — Other Families: 1.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sawtell 33.3% renting
Sawtell — Owned Outright: 43.2% Sawtell — Mortgage: 23.6% Sawtell — Renting: 33.3%
Toormina 36.8% renting
Toormina — Owned Outright: 32.8% Toormina — Mortgage: 30.3% Toormina — Renting: 36.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sawtell Toormina
Certificate III & IV 15.0% / 17.8%
Sawtell — Certificate III & IV: 15.0% Toormina — Certificate III & IV: 17.8%
Bachelor Degree 14.6% / 7.6%
Sawtell — Bachelor Degree: 14.6% Toormina — Bachelor Degree: 7.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 6.3%
Sawtell — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Toormina — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / 1.5%
Sawtell — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% Toormina — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.7% / 1.2%
Sawtell — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7% Toormina — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).

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.

Sawtell Toormina
England 3.6% / 3.3%
Sawtell — England: 3.6% Toormina — England: 3.3%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.1%
Sawtell — New Zealand: 1.5% Toormina — New Zealand: 1.1%
Philippines — / 1.1%
Sawtell — Philippines: not among its largest Toormina — Philippines: 1.1%
South Africa 0.7% / —
Sawtell — South Africa: 0.7% Toormina — South Africa: not among its largest
Scotland 0.4% / 0.3%
Sawtell — Scotland: 0.4% Toormina — Scotland: 0.3%
Germany 0.3% / 0.4%
Sawtell — Germany: 0.3% Toormina — Germany: 0.4%
India — / 0.6%
Sawtell — India: not among its largest Toormina — India: 0.6%
Thailand 0.3% / —
Sawtell — Thailand: 0.3% Toormina — Thailand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sawtell 68.6% houses
Sawtell — Houses: 68.6% Sawtell — Townhouses: 12.4% Sawtell — Flats / Apartments: 18.9%
Toormina 65.1% houses
Toormina — Houses: 65.1% Toormina — Townhouses: 23.4% Toormina — Flats / Apartments: 11.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Sawtell Toormina
Median house price $1,240,000 $768,000
Median unit price $675,000 $465,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 74 days
from 35 sales
 31 days
from 27 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.

Sawtell Toormina
3 bed $1.14M / $733K
Sawtell — 3 bed: $1.14M (34 sales) Toormina — 3 bed: $733K (52 sales)

34 vs 52 sales

4 bed $1.39M / $880K
Sawtell — 4 bed: $1.39M (32 sales) Toormina — 4 bed: $880K (29 sales)

32 vs 29 sales

Zoning mix

Sawtell Toormina
Residential 42% 51%
Parks and recreation 41% 28%
Environmental 14% 4%
Industrial 0% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 6%
Commercial 1% 2%
Planning zones cover 99% of Sawtell and 100% of Toormina. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Sawtell Toormina
New dwellings approved 356
across Coffs Harbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +61%
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.

Sawtell Toormina
Houses 3.0%
$695/wk on $1.23M
 4.4%
$672/wk on $799K
Units 4.5%
$575/wk on $660K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Sawtell Toormina
House price Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW
Income Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 15% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 46% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 36% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 45% of NSW —

Liveability

Toormina is more walkable (87 vs 56).

Sawtell Toormina
Grade C
same for both
Score 36/100 39/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Sawtell carries more bushfire risk (50 vs 0); Toormina carries more crime risk (88 vs 73).

Sawtell Toormina
Bushfire Moderate
50/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
73/100
 High
88/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
67/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Sawtell Toormina
Inside the suburb 1 5
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 3

Schools in Sawtell

  • Sawtell Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Toormina

  • Coffs Harbour Bible Church School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Toormina High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Mary Help of Christians Primary School Sawtell Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Toormina Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • William Bayldon Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sawtell Toormina
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 7 1
Parks & reserves 4 12
Childcare 0 7
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Sawtell Toormina
Walkability score 56/100 87/100
Distance to Sydney 521.7 km 521.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 340 min 339 min
Public transport score 71/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 99.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2452
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 2452
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.

Sawtell Toormina
Car (driver) 72.8% / 80.5%
Sawtell — Car (driver): 72.8% Toormina — Car (driver): 80.5%
Worked from Home 17.0% / 8.1%
Sawtell — Worked from Home: 17.0% Toormina — Worked from Home: 8.1%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 6.8%
Sawtell — Car (passenger): 5.2% Toormina — Car (passenger): 6.8%
Walked Only 3.3% / 3.3%
Sawtell — Walked Only: 3.3% Toormina — Walked Only: 3.3%
Bicycle 1.4% / 0.5%
Sawtell — Bicycle: 1.4% Toormina — Bicycle: 0.5%
Bus 0.2% / 0.8%
Sawtell — Bus: 0.2% Toormina — Bus: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.5%).

Setting

Sawtell Toormina
Elevation 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 736 m
801 m to a named beach
 1.7 km
1.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Sawtell Toormina
Connectivity score 100/100 99/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 100%
2,149 premises
 96%
3,285 premises

Climate

Sawtell Toormina
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Sawtell Toormina
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 10.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.22 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Sawtell Toormina
Average residential rate $1,437/yr
same for both
Council Coffs Harbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Sawtell Toormina
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sawtell Toormina
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sawtell

Beach Coastal Parks Retirees River

Toormina

Coastal Parks Quiet Retirees Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sawtell

Sawtell vs Coffs Harbour Sawtell vs Bonville Sawtell vs Bundagen

Other comparisons with Toormina

Toormina vs Coffs Harbour Toormina vs Boambee East Toormina vs Bonville
Full data on Sawtell Full data on Toormina
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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