Smithtown vs Summer Island
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Summer Island, most households are couple families. On these figures, Smithtown tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Summer Island suits couples.
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
Summer Island
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 79/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 53%)
- But Smithtown has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Smithtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Smithtown has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $450/wk)
- Summer Island leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 27%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Smithtown
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (46/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (287 min vs 298 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (436.6 km vs 446 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Smithtown
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (46/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 12%)
- But Summer Island carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Smithtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.9% vs -7.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Smithtown and Summer Island 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
Smithtown has more residents (625 vs 93); Summer Island has higher household incomes ($109,200 vs $61,256).
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 625 +85% vs other | 93 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.9% | -7.9% |
| Median age | 43 | 41 |
| Median household income | $61,256/yr | $109,200/yr +78% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk | $450/wk +41% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
Property market
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $470,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 87 days from 14 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Summer Island has more rural and farming land (94% vs 75%); Smithtown has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 6%).
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 75% | 94% |
| Environmental | 21% | 6% |
| Industrial | 4% | 0% |
| 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
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 13% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 23% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 84% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
Liveability
Smithtown is more walkable (46 vs 0).
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 32/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Summer Island carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 0); Smithtown carries more crime risk (79 vs 11).
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Crime | High 79/100 | Low 11/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Smithtown
- Smithtown Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Summer Island
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Summer Island sits further from the CBD (446 km vs 436.6 km).
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 46/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 436.6 km | 446 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 287 min | 298 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2440 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 2440 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 (79.8%).
Setting
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | -2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.8 km | 7.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 283 premises | 0% 31 premises |
Council rates
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Smithtown | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Smithtown
Summer Island
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Smithtown
Other comparisons with Summer Island
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.