Talarm vs South Arm

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Talarm, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in South Arm: a median of $1.66 million, against $800,000 in Talarm, though rent is higher in Talarm. On these figures, Talarm tends to suit couples 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Talarm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($800,000 vs $1,659,700)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

South Arm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($178/wk vs $300/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Talarm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (321 min vs 348 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (481.5 km vs 498.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Talarm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.5% vs -0.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Talarm South Arm
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.

Talarm South Arm
Walkability 0 / 0
Talarm — Walkability: 0/100 South Arm — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 18 / 23
Talarm — Low fire risk: 18/100 South Arm — Low fire risk: 23/100

Demographics

Talarm rents higher ($300/wk vs $178/wk); Talarm has higher household incomes ($67,184 vs $46,800).

Talarm South Arm
Population 242 311
+29% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.5% -0.6%
Median age 50 49
Median household income $67,184/yr
+30% vs other
 $46,800/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+41% vs other
 $178/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Talarm South Arm
0-4 2.5% / 6.8%
Talarm — 0-4: 2.5% South Arm — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 9.9% / 8.0%
Talarm — 5-14: 9.9% South Arm — 5-14: 8.0%
15-19 5.0% / 4.5%
Talarm — 15-19: 5.0% South Arm — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 4.5% / 3.9%
Talarm — 20-24: 4.5% South Arm — 20-24: 3.9%
25-34 6.2% / 14.8%
Talarm — 25-34: 6.2% South Arm — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 9.9% / 4.5%
Talarm — 35-44: 9.9% South Arm — 35-44: 4.5%
45-54 16.1% / 10.0%
Talarm — 45-54: 16.1% South Arm — 45-54: 10.0%
55-64 20.7% / 17.0%
Talarm — 55-64: 20.7% South Arm — 55-64: 17.0%
65-74 16.1% / 20.3%
Talarm — 65-74: 16.1% South Arm — 65-74: 20.3%
75-84 9.5% / 6.1%
Talarm — 75-84: 9.5% South Arm — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ — / 1.6%
Talarm — 85+: not among its largest South Arm — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Talarm 45.3% couple families
Talarm — Couple Families: 45.3% Talarm — Lone Person: 35.8% Talarm — One Parent Families: 13.2% Talarm — Group Household: 5.7% Talarm — Other Families: 0.0%
South Arm 30.8% couple families
South Arm — Couple Families: 30.8% South Arm — Lone Person: 35.9% South Arm — One Parent Families: 21.8% South Arm — Group Household: 6.4% South Arm — Other Families: 5.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Talarm 10.8% renting
Talarm — Owned Outright: 55.4% Talarm — Mortgage: 33.7% Talarm — Renting: 10.8%
South Arm 30.7% renting
South Arm — Owned Outright: 50.5% South Arm — Mortgage: 18.8% South Arm — Renting: 30.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Talarm South Arm
England 6.2% / 1.6%
Talarm — England: 6.2% South Arm — England: 1.6%
Germany 1.2% / 1.3%
Talarm — Germany: 1.2% South Arm — Germany: 1.3%
New Zealand 2.1% / —
Talarm — New Zealand: 2.1% South Arm — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.2%).

Qualifications

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

Talarm South Arm
Certificate III & IV 16.9% / 9.3%
Talarm — Certificate III & IV: 16.9% South Arm — Certificate III & IV: 9.3%
Bachelor Degree 6.6% / 7.7%
Talarm — Bachelor Degree: 6.6% South Arm — Bachelor Degree: 7.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 4.8%
Talarm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% South Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / —
Talarm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% South Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / 1.0%
Talarm — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% South Arm — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Talarm 100.0% houses
Talarm — Houses: 100.0% Talarm — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
South Arm 99.1% houses
South Arm — Houses: 99.1% South Arm — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Talarm South Arm
Median house price $800,000 $1,659,700
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $325,000 $335,000

Zoning mix

Talarm South Arm
Rural and farming 96% 91%
Environmental 2% 9%
Residential 2% 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

Talarm South Arm
New dwellings approved 109
across Nambucca Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -64%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Talarm South Arm
House price Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Income Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 6% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 33% of NSW —
NBN connectivity Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW

Liveability

Talarm South Arm
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Talarm South Arm
Bushfire High
82/100
 High
77/100
Crime Low
25/100
 —
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

Talarm South Arm
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

Talarm South Arm
Waterways 2 9

Mobility

South Arm sits further from the CBD (498.6 km vs 481.5 km).

Talarm South Arm
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 481.5 km 498.6 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 321 min 348 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2447
 0.0%
postcode 2449
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2447
 66
postcode 2449

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.

Talarm South Arm
Car (driver) 74.1% / 66.2%
Talarm — Car (driver): 74.1% South Arm — Car (driver): 66.2%
Worked from Home 25.9% / 26.2%
Talarm — Worked from Home: 25.9% South Arm — Worked from Home: 26.2%
Car (passenger) — / 7.7%
Talarm — Car (passenger): not among its largest South Arm — Car (passenger): 7.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.1%).

Setting

Talarm South Arm
Elevation 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 133 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.0 km 24.0 km

NBN connectivity

Talarm South Arm
Connectivity score 29/100 34/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
103 premises
 13%
151 premises

Council rates

Talarm South Arm
Average residential rate $1,175/yr
same for both
Council Nambucca Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Talarm South Arm
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Talarm South Arm
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Talarm

Retirees Rural

South Arm

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Talarm

Talarm vs Macksville Talarm vs Congarinni North Talarm vs Congarinni Talarm vs Yarranbella Talarm vs Utungun

Other comparisons with South Arm

South Arm vs Bowraville South Arm vs Congarinni North South Arm vs Yarranbella South Arm vs Taylors Arm South Arm vs Upper Taylors Arm South Arm vs Buckra Bendinni
Full data on Talarm Full data on South Arm
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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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