Silverwater vs Sunshine
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Sunshine: a median of $1.2 million, against $1 million in Silverwater. On these figures, Silverwater 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
Sunshine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Silverwater
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,005,000 vs $1,200,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sunshine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (33/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sunshine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (33/100 vs 21/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Sunshine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.5% vs -9.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Silverwater and Sunshine 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
Sunshine has more residents (475 vs 274); Sunshine has higher household incomes ($81,900 vs $72,124).
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 274 | 475 +73% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.0% | +10.5% |
| Median age | 51 | 50 |
| Median household income | $72,124/yr | $81,900/yr +14% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk | $400/wk +5% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (2.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,005,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 24 days from 4 sales | 69 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
Silverwater has more land zoned for conservation (81% vs 56%).
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 81% | 56% |
| Residential | 19% | 40% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 4% |
| 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
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,212 across Lake Macquarie same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +2% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 39% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 15% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 81% of NSW | Higher than 87% of NSW |
Liveability
Sunshine is more walkable (33 vs 21).
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | — | Low 30/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
Mobility
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 21/100 | 33/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 121.9 km | 121.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 101 min | 97 min |
| Public transport score | 23/100 Bus | 27/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 1.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 39 min scheduled, not actual | 13 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2264 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 2264 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 (79.1%).
Setting
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 29 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.9 km | 7.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 74/100 | 77/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 52% 140 premises | 59% 247 premises |
Climate
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,272 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 10.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.27 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,708/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lake Macquarie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Silverwater | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Sunshine
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Silverwater
Other comparisons with Sunshine
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.