Taylors Beach vs Salamander Bay
Taylors Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 57 in Salamander Bay. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Taylors Beach, about half of households are couple families. In Salamander Bay, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Taylors Beach: a median of $1.35 million, against $1.05 million in Salamander Bay. On these figures, Taylors Beach tends to suit couples, while Salamander Bay suits people living alone, older residents, 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
Salamander Bay
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
- has more childcare (5 vs 0)
- But Taylors Beach is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 44%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Taylors Beach leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 36%)
- Salamander Bay has cheaper land ($440,000 vs $885,500)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Taylors Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 34%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Taylors Beach sits closer to the CBD (201.1 km vs 203.6 km)
- Salamander Bay is more walkable (34/100 vs 12/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Salamander Bay
ahead on 5 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (6 vs 0)
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 12/100)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (41% vs 14%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Taylors Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.1% vs 3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Taylors Beach and Salamander Bay 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
Salamander Bay has more residents (4,991 vs 130); Taylors Beach has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $57,564).
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 130 | 4,991 +3739% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.1% | +3.7% |
| Median age | 51 | 57 |
| Median household income | $84,500/yr +32% vs other | $57,564/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $370/wk | $380/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).
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 (5.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,355,000 | $1,050,000 |
| Median unit price | $506,000 | $650,000 |
| Median land price | $885,500 | $440,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 3 sales | 30 days from 80 sales |
Zoning mix
Taylors Beach has more land zoned for conservation (86% vs 49%).
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 86% | 49% |
| Residential | 2% | 25% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 20% |
| Industrial | 8% | 2% |
| Rural and farming | 5% | 0% |
| Commercial | 0% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 495 across Port Stephens same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -72% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.4% $780/wk on $922K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 89% of NSW |
Liveability
Salamander Bay is more walkable (34 vs 12).
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 31/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Taylors Beach carries more crime risk (96 vs 68).
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 51/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Crime | High 96/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 36/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 6 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 2 |
Schools in Taylors Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Salamander Bay
- St Philip's Christian College - Port Stephens Independent · Combined above peers
- Tomaree High School Government · Secondary at peers
- St Philip's Christian College Gilibaa Independent · Primary below peers
- Tomaree Public School Government · Primary below peers
- Edmondson Park College Independent · Primary
- St Philip's Christian College Dynamic Learning - Port Stephens Independent · Combined · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 3 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 7 |
| Childcare | 0 | 5 |
| GPs | 0 | 6 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 5 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Salamander Bay sits further from the CBD (203.6 km vs 201.1 km).
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 12/100 | 34/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 201.1 km | 203.6 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 153 min | 157 min |
| Public transport score | 33/100 Bus | 78/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 10.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 116.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 0 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2316 | 0.7% postcode 2317 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2316 | 39 postcode 2317 |
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 (69.2%).
Setting
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 888 m 3.5 km to a named beach | 538 m 3.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 60/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 27% 367 premises | 31% 3,282 premises |
Climate
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,181 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,359/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Stephens same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Paterson same for both | |
| Member | Meryl Swanson same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Taylors Beach | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Taylors Beach
Other comparisons with Salamander Bay
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.