Swan Bay vs New Italy
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Swan Bay, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Swan Bay: a median of $670,000, against $270,000 in New Italy, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Swan Bay tends to suit couples, while New Italy suits people living alone 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
Swan Bay
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (94% vs 56%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (97% vs 85%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Swan Bay leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 34%)
- New Italy has cheaper houses ($270,000 vs $670,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
New Italy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $310/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
New Italy
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (439 min vs 450 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (683.9 km vs 697 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
New Italy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (15% vs 4%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Swan Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (60.1% vs 33.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Swan Bay and New Italy 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
Swan Bay has higher household incomes ($95,316 vs $60,216); Swan Bay has more residents (357 vs 249).
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 357 +30% vs other | 249 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +60.1% | +33.2% |
| Median age | 43 | 42 |
| Median household income | $95,316/yr +37% vs other | $60,216/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk +26% vs other | $230/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).
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 (2.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $670,000 | $270,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $500,000 |
Zoning mix
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 95% |
| Residential | 5% | 0% |
| Environmental | 4% same for both | |
| 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
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 48% of NSW same for both | |
| Affordability | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
Liveability
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 89/100 |
| Crime | — | Moderate 67/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 4 |
Mobility
Swan Bay sits further from the CBD (697 km vs 683.9 km).
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 697 km +2% vs other | 683.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 450 min | 439 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2471 | 0.2% postcode 2472 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 73 postcode 2471 | 79 postcode 2472 |
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 (76.8%).
Setting
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 16 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 13.8 km 4.9 km to a named beach | 11.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 17/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 116 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Climate
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,408 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr same for both | |
| Council | Richmond Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Swan Bay | New Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Swan Bay
New Italy
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Swan Bay
Other comparisons with New Italy
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.