Tuggerawong vs Wadalba

Wadalba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 43 in Tuggerawong. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wadalba, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wadalba: a median of $950,000, against $860,000 in Tuggerawong, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Tuggerawong tends to suit people living alone, while Wadalba 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

Wadalba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 56%)

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

First-home buyers

Tuggerawong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($860,000 vs $950,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Tuggerawong has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $480/wk)
  • Wadalba has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 28%)

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

Commuting to the city

Wadalba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 54/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Tuggerawong has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 10%)
  • Wadalba is more walkable (72/100 vs 54/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Wadalba

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (48.5% vs 0.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.2% vs 3.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Tuggerawong Wadalba
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.

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Walkability 54 / 72
Tuggerawong — Walkability: 54/100 Wadalba — Walkability: 72/100
Safety 31 / 30
Tuggerawong — Safety: 31/100 Wadalba — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 43 / 51
Tuggerawong — Low fire risk: 43/100 Wadalba — Low fire risk: 51/100

Demographics

Wadalba has more residents (4,204 vs 1,285); Wadalba rents higher ($480/wk vs $350/wk).

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Population 1,285 4,204
+227% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.4% +48.5%
Median age 43 32
Median household income $76,804/yr $100,984/yr
+31% vs other
Median weekly rent $350/wk $480/wk
+37% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Tuggerawong Wadalba
0-4 6.1% / 9.3%
Tuggerawong — 0-4: 6.1% Wadalba — 0-4: 9.3%
5-14 12.4% / 17.0%
Tuggerawong — 5-14: 12.4% Wadalba — 5-14: 17.0%
15-19 4.7% / 7.5%
Tuggerawong — 15-19: 4.7% Wadalba — 15-19: 7.5%
20-24 5.5% / 5.4%
Tuggerawong — 20-24: 5.5% Wadalba — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 11.9% / 14.2%
Tuggerawong — 25-34: 11.9% Wadalba — 25-34: 14.2%
35-44 11.0% / 16.4%
Tuggerawong — 35-44: 11.0% Wadalba — 35-44: 16.4%
45-54 13.3% / 11.7%
Tuggerawong — 45-54: 13.3% Wadalba — 45-54: 11.7%
55-64 15.4% / 8.3%
Tuggerawong — 55-64: 15.4% Wadalba — 55-64: 8.3%
65-74 10.4% / 6.7%
Tuggerawong — 65-74: 10.4% Wadalba — 65-74: 6.7%
75-84 6.7% / 2.6%
Tuggerawong — 75-84: 6.7% Wadalba — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 2.1% / 0.8%
Tuggerawong — 85+: 2.1% Wadalba — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Tuggerawong 41.6% couple families
Tuggerawong — Couple Families: 41.6% Tuggerawong — Lone Person: 36.8% Tuggerawong — One Parent Families: 14.4% Tuggerawong — Group Household: 5.0% Tuggerawong — Other Families: 2.2%
Wadalba 51.0% couple families
Wadalba — Couple Families: 51.0% Wadalba — Lone Person: 21.9% Wadalba — One Parent Families: 22.7% Wadalba — Group Household: 3.2% Wadalba — Other Families: 1.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Tuggerawong 27.6% renting
Tuggerawong — Owned Outright: 35.7% Tuggerawong — Mortgage: 36.6% Tuggerawong — Renting: 27.6%
Wadalba 40.0% renting
Wadalba — Owned Outright: 17.5% Wadalba — Mortgage: 42.5% Wadalba — Renting: 40.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Certificate III & IV 21.6% / 16.9%
Tuggerawong — Certificate III & IV: 21.6% Wadalba — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Bachelor Degree 7.6% / 8.3%
Tuggerawong — Bachelor Degree: 7.6% Wadalba — Bachelor Degree: 8.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.8% / 7.6%
Tuggerawong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8% Wadalba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.0% / 2.2%
Tuggerawong — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0% Wadalba — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 0.9%
Tuggerawong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Wadalba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

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.

Tuggerawong Wadalba
England 3.3% / 3.1%
Tuggerawong — England: 3.3% Wadalba — England: 3.1%
New Zealand 2.2% / 2.0%
Tuggerawong — New Zealand: 2.2% Wadalba — New Zealand: 2.0%
Philippines 0.9% / 1.5%
Tuggerawong — Philippines: 0.9% Wadalba — Philippines: 1.5%
India — / 1.5%
Tuggerawong — India: not among its largest Wadalba — India: 1.5%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.4%
Tuggerawong — Scotland: 0.8% Wadalba — Scotland: 0.4%
South Africa — / 0.8%
Tuggerawong — South Africa: not among its largest Wadalba — South Africa: 0.8%
Netherlands 0.3% / —
Tuggerawong — Netherlands: 0.3% Wadalba — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Tuggerawong 87.5% houses
Tuggerawong — Houses: 87.5% Tuggerawong — Townhouses: 4.2% Tuggerawong — Flats / Apartments: 8.3%
Wadalba 94.3% houses
Wadalba — Houses: 94.3% Wadalba — Townhouses: 5.4% Wadalba — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Median house price $860,000 $950,000
Median unit price $710,000 —
Median land price — $671,250
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 12 sales
 20 days
from 67 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Tuggerawong Wadalba
3 bed $816K / $800K
Tuggerawong — 3 bed: $816K (16 sales) Wadalba — 3 bed: $800K (9 sales)

16 vs 9 sales

4 bed $1.11M / $958K
Tuggerawong — 4 bed: $1.11M (16 sales) Wadalba — 4 bed: $958K (102 sales)

16 vs 102 sales

Zoning mix

Tuggerawong has more land zoned for conservation (51% vs 30%).

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Residential 35% 56%
Environmental 51% 30%
Parks and recreation 11% 5%
Rural and farming 3% 6%
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

Tuggerawong Wadalba
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Houses 3.7%
$572/wk on $800K
 4.2%
$822/wk on $1.03M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Tuggerawong Wadalba
House price Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Income Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 66% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW

Liveability

Wadalba is more walkable (72 vs 54); Wadalba scores higher overall (42 vs 33).

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Grade C
same for both
Score 33/100 42/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Bushfire Moderate
57/100
 Moderate
49/100
Crime Moderate
69/100
 High
70/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Tuggerawong

  • Tuggerawong Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Wadalba

  • Wadalba Community School Government · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 2 4
Childcare 2 3
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 0 1

Mobility

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Walkability score 54/100 72/100
Distance to Sydney 98.2 km
+1% vs other
 97.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 84 min 83 min
Public transport score 66/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 34.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 61.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2259
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 2259
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.

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Car (driver) 66.5% / 64.8%
Tuggerawong — Car (driver): 66.5% Wadalba — Car (driver): 64.8%
Worked from Home 25.5% / 27.1%
Tuggerawong — Worked from Home: 25.5% Wadalba — Worked from Home: 27.1%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 4.5%
Tuggerawong — Car (passenger): 4.8% Wadalba — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Train 1.5% / 1.6%
Tuggerawong — Train: 1.5% Wadalba — Train: 1.6%
Bicycle 1.1% / —
Tuggerawong — Bicycle: 1.1% Wadalba — Bicycle: not among its largest
Bus — / 1.1%
Tuggerawong — Bus: not among its largest Wadalba — Bus: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.5%).

Setting

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Elevation 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.9 km 7.3 km

NBN connectivity

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Connectivity score 72/100 81/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 49%
525 premises
 66%
1,660 premises

Climate

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Tuggerawong Wadalba
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.36 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Division Dobell
same for both
Member Emma Mcbride
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Tuggerawong Wadalba
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Tuggerawong

Large Blocks

Wadalba

Family Large Blocks Parks Quiet Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Tuggerawong

Tuggerawong vs Wyongah Tuggerawong vs Tacoma Tuggerawong vs Rocky Point

Other comparisons with Wadalba

Wadalba vs Hamlyn Terrace Wadalba vs Wyong Wadalba vs Kanwal Wadalba vs Wyongah Wadalba vs Tacoma
Full data on Tuggerawong Full data on Wadalba
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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