Uralba vs West Ballina
In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Uralba, about half of households are couple families. In West Ballina, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Uralba: a median of $1.7 million, against $900,000 in West Ballina, though rent is higher in West Ballina. On these figures, Uralba tends to suit couples, while West Ballina 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
Uralba
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 92/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (97% vs 68%)
- is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 44%)
- But West Ballina has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Uralba leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 42%)
- West Ballina has cheaper houses ($900,000 vs $1,700,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Uralba
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 36%)
- has cheaper rent ($265/wk vs $370/wk)
- But West Ballina has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 10%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
West Ballina
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (42/100 vs 18/100)
- has a shorter drive in (463 min vs 470 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (726.2 km vs 731.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
West Ballina
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (32% vs 3%)
- is more walkable (42/100 vs 18/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 27%)
- But Uralba carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 92/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Uralba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.1% vs 6.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Uralba and West Ballina 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
West Ballina has more residents (3,230 vs 266); Uralba has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $52,780).
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 266 | 3,230 +1114% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +23.1% | +6.8% |
| Median age | 55 | 54 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr +44% vs other | $52,780/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $265/wk | $370/wk +40% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
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 (3.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,700,000 | $900,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $707,500 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 43 days from 43 sales |
Zoning mix
Uralba has more rural and farming land (64% vs 53%).
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 64% | 53% |
| Other and special use | 19% | 17% |
| Environmental | 17% | 10% |
| Residential | 0% | 13% |
| Industrial | 0% | 5% |
| 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
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 5.4% $850/wk on $825K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 61% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 92% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 98% of NSW |
Liveability
West Ballina is more walkable (42 vs 18).
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 30/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Uralba carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 0); West Ballina carries more crime risk (92 vs 17).
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 25/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | High 92/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 27/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Uralba
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in West Ballina
- Emmanuel Anglican College Independent · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 9 |
| Childcare | 0 | 4 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 4 |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
Uralba sits further from the CBD (731.6 km vs 726.2 km).
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 18/100 | 42/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 731.6 km | 726.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 470 min | 463 min |
| Public transport score | 26/100 Bus | 73/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 5.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 40.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 4 min scheduled, not actual | 0 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 | 1.1% postcode 2478 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 | 66 postcode 2478 |
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 (76.0%).
Setting
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.6 km | 1.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 84/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 101 premises | 46% 1,476 premises |
Council rates
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page | Richmond |
| Member | Kevin Hogan | Justine Elliot |
| Party | The Nationals | Australian Labor Party |
First Home Owner Grant
| Uralba | West Ballina | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Uralba
Other comparisons with West Ballina
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.