Tantawangalo vs Cathcart
Cathcart is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 52 in Tantawangalo. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Tantawangalo, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Tantawangalo tends to suit couples and older residents, while Cathcart suits families with children.
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
- Tantawangalo carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 58/100)
- Cathcart is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 50%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cathcart
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cathcart
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 11%)
- has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $340/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 26%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cathcart
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (337 min vs 362 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (487.4 km vs 494.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Tantawangalo
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 58/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 9%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Tantawangalo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.8% vs -1.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Tantawangalo and Cathcart 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
Tantawangalo rents higher ($340/wk vs $180/wk); Tantawangalo has more residents (162 vs 106).
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 162 +35% vs other | 106 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.8% | -1.9% |
| Median age | 52 | 37 |
| Median household income | $69,316/yr +2% vs other | $68,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $340/wk +47% vs other | $180/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
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 (16.0%).
Property market
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,312,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Cathcart has more rural and farming land (80% vs 32%); Tantawangalo has more land zoned for conservation (68% vs 20%).
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 32% | 80% |
| Environmental | 68% | 20% |
| 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
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Bega Valley | 72 across Snowy Monaro |
| Approvals change year on year | -32% | +29% |
Ranking within NSW
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 68% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 19% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 35% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
Liveability
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Cathcart carries more crime risk (58 vs 21); Cathcart carries more bushfire risk (92 vs 71).
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 71/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| 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
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 18 | 25 |
Mobility
Tantawangalo sits further from the CBD (494.5 km vs 487.4 km).
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 494.5 km +1% vs other | 487.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 362 min | 337 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2550 | 0.2% postcode 2632 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2550 | 40 postcode 2632 |
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 (82.9%).
Setting
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 724 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 830 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 36.2 km | 42.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 768 mm | 670 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 25.5°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | -0.2°C |
Council rates
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,767/yr | $1,253/yr |
| Council | Bega Valley | Snowy Monaro |
Federal electorate
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Tantawangalo | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Tantawangalo
Other comparisons with Cathcart
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.