Scotts Head vs Nambucca Heads

Scotts Head is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 57 in Nambucca Heads. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Nambucca Heads, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Scotts Head: a median of $965,000, against $730,000 in Nambucca Heads, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Nambucca Heads tends to suit people living alone, older residents, 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

They split

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

  • Scotts Head is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 36%)
  • Nambucca Heads has more childcare (5 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Nambucca Heads

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($265,000 vs $399,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($730,000 vs $965,000)
  • But Scotts Head leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 36%)

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

Renters

Nambucca Heads

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 18%)
  • has cheaper rent ($280/wk vs $330/wk)
  • But Scotts Head leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 33%)

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

Commuting to the city

Nambucca Heads

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 4/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (317 min vs 346 min)
  • But Scotts Head sits closer to the CBD (478.7 km vs 485.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Nambucca Heads

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 4/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (28% vs 11%)
  • But Scotts Head carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 85/100)

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

Investors

Nambucca Heads

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 2.4%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
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.

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Walkability 4 / 71
Scotts Head — Walkability: 4/100 Nambucca Heads — Walkability: 71/100
Safety 29 / 15
Scotts Head — Safety: 29/100 Nambucca Heads — Safety: 15/100
Low fire risk 85 / 49
Scotts Head — Low fire risk: 85/100 Nambucca Heads — Low fire risk: 49/100

Demographics

Nambucca Heads has more residents (6,675 vs 986); Scotts Head has higher household incomes ($63,024 vs $43,628).

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Population 986 6,675
+577% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.7% +5.5%
Median age 54 57
Median household income $63,024/yr
+31% vs other
 $43,628/yr
Median weekly rent $330/wk
+15% vs other
 $280/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
0-4 4.8% / 4.3%
Scotts Head — 0-4: 4.8% Nambucca Heads — 0-4: 4.3%
5-14 12.1% / 9.3%
Scotts Head — 5-14: 12.1% Nambucca Heads — 5-14: 9.3%
15-19 4.1% / 4.5%
Scotts Head — 15-19: 4.1% Nambucca Heads — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 1.3% / 3.3%
Scotts Head — 20-24: 1.3% Nambucca Heads — 20-24: 3.3%
25-34 6.7% / 7.4%
Scotts Head — 25-34: 6.7% Nambucca Heads — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 11.1% / 8.1%
Scotts Head — 35-44: 11.1% Nambucca Heads — 35-44: 8.1%
45-54 11.2% / 9.9%
Scotts Head — 45-54: 11.2% Nambucca Heads — 45-54: 9.9%
55-64 19.5% / 15.6%
Scotts Head — 55-64: 19.5% Nambucca Heads — 55-64: 15.6%
65-74 18.5% / 18.5%
Scotts Head — 65-74: 18.5% Nambucca Heads — 65-74: 18.5%
75-84 7.9% / 13.2%
Scotts Head — 75-84: 7.9% Nambucca Heads — 75-84: 13.2%
85+ 2.1% / 5.6%
Scotts Head — 85+: 2.1% Nambucca Heads — 85+: 5.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head 42.8% lone person
Scotts Head — Lone Person: 42.8% Scotts Head — Couple Families: 37.9% Scotts Head — One Parent Families: 12.9% Scotts Head — Group Household: 5.3% Scotts Head — Other Families: 1.1%
Nambucca Heads 58.3% lone person
Nambucca Heads — Lone Person: 58.3% Nambucca Heads — Couple Families: 18.8% Nambucca Heads — One Parent Families: 17.0% Nambucca Heads — Group Household: 4.2% Nambucca Heads — Other Families: 1.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head 18.1% renting
Scotts Head — Owned Outright: 58.4% Scotts Head — Mortgage: 23.5% Scotts Head — Renting: 18.1%
Nambucca Heads 34.9% renting
Nambucca Heads — Owned Outright: 48.1% Nambucca Heads — Mortgage: 16.9% Nambucca Heads — Renting: 34.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Certificate III & IV 20.5% / 17.2%
Scotts Head — Certificate III & IV: 20.5% Nambucca Heads — Certificate III & IV: 17.2%
Bachelor Degree 14.2% / 6.2%
Scotts Head — Bachelor Degree: 14.2% Nambucca Heads — Bachelor Degree: 6.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 6.3%
Scotts Head — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Nambucca Heads — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 1.4%
Scotts Head — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Nambucca Heads — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.4%
Scotts Head — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Nambucca Heads — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

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.

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
England 3.8% / 3.9%
Scotts Head — England: 3.8% Nambucca Heads — England: 3.9%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.3%
Scotts Head — New Zealand: 1.6% Nambucca Heads — New Zealand: 1.3%
Philippines 0.8% / 0.5%
Scotts Head — Philippines: 0.8% Nambucca Heads — Philippines: 0.5%
Netherlands 0.7% / 0.4%
Scotts Head — Netherlands: 0.7% Nambucca Heads — Netherlands: 0.4%
Germany 0.5% / 0.5%
Scotts Head — Germany: 0.5% Nambucca Heads — Germany: 0.5%
France 0.9% / —
Scotts Head — France: 0.9% Nambucca Heads — France: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.5%
Scotts Head — Scotland: not among its largest Nambucca Heads — Scotland: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head 89.2% houses
Scotts Head — Houses: 89.2% Scotts Head — Flats / Apartments: 6.8% Scotts Head — Townhouses: 4.0%
Nambucca Heads 72.3% houses
Nambucca Heads — Houses: 72.3% Nambucca Heads — Flats / Apartments: 14.8% Nambucca Heads — Townhouses: 12.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Median house price $965,000 $730,000
Median unit price $530,000 $530,500
Median land price $399,000 $265,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 105 days
from 7 sales
 42 days
from 50 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.

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
3 bed $915K / $702K
Scotts Head — 3 bed: $915K (8 sales) Nambucca Heads — 3 bed: $702K (58 sales)

8 vs 58 sales

4 bed $968K / $798K
Scotts Head — 4 bed: $968K (6 sales) Nambucca Heads — 4 bed: $798K (44 sales)

6 vs 44 sales

Zoning mix

Scotts Head has more land zoned for conservation (78% vs 21%); Nambucca Heads has more rural and farming land (49% vs 0%).

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Environmental 78% 21%
Rural and farming 0% 49%
Residential 13% 19%
Parks and recreation 6%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 0% 3%
Industrial 0% 1%
Planning zones cover 98% of Scotts Head and 100% of Nambucca Heads. 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

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
New dwellings approved 109
across Nambucca Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -64%
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.

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Houses 2.4%
$675/wk on $1.45M
 4.0%
$650/wk on $849K
Units — 3.9%
$420/wk on $555K

Ranking within NSW

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
House price Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
Income Higher than 25% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 59% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 6% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 21% of NSW

Liveability

Nambucca Heads is more walkable (71 vs 4).

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Grade C D
Score 32/100 29/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Nambucca Heads carries more bushfire risk (51 vs 15); Nambucca Heads carries more crime risk (85 vs 71).

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Bushfire Low
15/100
 Moderate
51/100
Crime High
71/100
 High
85/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
75/100
 High
95/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Scotts Head

  • Scotts Head Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Nambucca Heads

  • Nambucca Heads Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Frank Partridge VC Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Nambucca Valley Christian Community School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Nambucca Heads High School Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Supermarkets 1 3
Cafes & restaurants 4 18
Parks & reserves 3 14
Childcare 0 5
GPs 1 3
Pharmacies 0 3
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 0 2
EV chargers 0 1
Beaches 2 4
Waterways 0 25

Mobility

Nambucca Heads sits further from the CBD (485.2 km vs 478.7 km).

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Walkability score 4/100 71/100
Distance to Sydney 478.7 km 485.2 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 346 min 317 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2447
 0.3%
postcode 2448
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2447
 53
postcode 2448

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.

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Car (driver) 71.4% / 79.6%
Scotts Head — Car (driver): 71.4% Nambucca Heads — Car (driver): 79.6%
Worked from Home 15.5% / 9.9%
Scotts Head — Worked from Home: 15.5% Nambucca Heads — Worked from Home: 9.9%
Walked Only 8.6% / 4.0%
Scotts Head — Walked Only: 8.6% Nambucca Heads — Walked Only: 4.0%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 6.3%
Scotts Head — Car (passenger): 4.6% Nambucca Heads — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Bus — / 0.2%
Scotts Head — Bus: not among its largest Nambucca Heads — Bus: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.6%).

Setting

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 317 m
2.2 km to a named beach
 1.2 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Connectivity score 61/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 30%
668 premises
 30%
4,315 premises

Council rates

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Average residential rate $1,175/yr
same for both
Council Nambucca Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Scotts Head Nambucca Heads
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Scotts Head

Acreage Coastal Retirees

Nambucca Heads

Coastal Parks Retirees River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Scotts Head

Scotts Head vs Gumma Scotts Head vs Way Way

Other comparisons with Nambucca Heads

Nambucca Heads vs Valla Beach Nambucca Heads vs Valla Nambucca Heads vs North Macksville Nambucca Heads vs Gumma Nambucca Heads vs Hyland Park Nambucca Heads vs Newee Creek
Full data on Scotts Head Full data on Nambucca Heads
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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