Pretty Beach NSW 2257

Pretty Beach is a suburb in New South Wales, 96 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 35 minutes by car. Population is 314; the median age is 57 and the median household income is $94,536 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb fell 10.8% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $428 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,547. Pretty Beach is characterised by high bushfire risk. Walkability is moderate.

This suburb is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 314. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Pretty Beach's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.75 million, roughly 30% above where it sat a year earlier.

$1,755,000

In line with its 3 neighbours (median $1,795,222)

↑ +30.3% year-on-year

Based on 14 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 5 sales $1.6M

Rental Market

Rent agreed on new leases

Jul–Sep 2026
3-bed houses
$700/wk
94 bonds
+35% since 2021
2-bed units
$550/wk
22 bonds
+38% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2257 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

119 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 25% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2257.

SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

1 crash

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Council Flood Studies

Central Coast Council has published 31 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

All 31 on the portal

Coastal Erosion

24
monitoring points
within 5 km
6
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-0.08
worst rate (m/yr)
Stable
40 m
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 24 (100%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 0 (0%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 0 (0%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
40 m
Rate
-0.06 m/yr
Net Movement
-0.4 m
Certainty
good

Data Quality

High certainty: 24 of 24 points (100%)

Schools

No schools in this suburb boundary.

Walkability

Pretty Beach is somewhat walkable on foot — at 53/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.

53
out of 100
Somewhat Walkable
Top 18% in NSW
Public Transport within 1 km 76
Schools within 1.5 km 60
Parks within 800 m 100
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 60
Hospitals within 5 km 80

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Pretty Beach.

25
out of 100
Bottom 21% in NSW
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
3.0 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
1.6 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.5 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
1 min
Span of service
14.1 hours

Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Pretty Beach.

63
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
32%
Premises covered
251
Technology mix
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 68%
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 32%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
2 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
None
Childcare
1 in suburb
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Central Coast (NSW): council population

The whole council area, not just Pretty Beach · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
357,816
+0.7% in a year
Change
+2,462
people since 2024
Density
213
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+401
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+238
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+1,823
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
10/10
9/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
8/10
7/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
10/10
10/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Pretty Beach is home to 314 residents, with a median age of 57 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $95,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.9%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

314

10.8% since 2016

Median Age

57

11.8% since 2016

Median Household Income

$94,536/yr

15.9% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$428/wk

0.5% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,547/mo

10.7% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.3

4.2% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$40,820/yr

18.9% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

3.9%

50.0% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

72.2%

3.7% since 2016

Total Dwellings

126

0.8% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

87.3%

3.8% since 2016

Houses

100.0%

0.8% since 2016

Rental Stress

23.5%

14.2% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

19.6%

23.1% since 2016

Work From Home

53.5%

216.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 126 (100.0%)
Townhouses 4 (3.2%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 66 (52.4%)
Mortgage 44 (34.9%)
Renting 16 (12.7%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
73.6%
English Spoken at Home
89.2%
Employment Rate
44.8%
10.4% since 2016
Completed Year 12
56.4%

Occupations

Professionals 43 (34.4%)
Managers 21 (16.8%)
Community & Personal Service 17 (13.6%)
Clerical & Administrative 12 (9.6%)
Technicians & Trades 11 (8.8%)
Sales 10 (8.0%)
Labourers 9 (7.2%)

Religion

No Religion 167 (53.2%)
Christianity 110 (35.0%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 20 (6.4%)
South Africa 8 (2.5%)
New Zealand 6 (1.9%)
Germany 4 (1.3%)
Japan 3 (1.0%)
Netherlands 3 (1.0%)

When They Arrived

Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.

2016-2021 0 (0.0%)
2011-2015 5 (1.6%)
2001-2010 10 (3.2%)
1991-2000 10 (3.2%)
1981-1990 10 (3.2%)
Before 1981 27 (8.6%)

0 residents (0.0%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.

Languages Spoken at Home

Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.

Spanish 9 (2.9%)

Age Distribution

0-4 4 (1.3%)
5-14 28 (8.9%)
15-19 13 (4.1%)
20-24 7 (2.2%)
25-34 21 (6.7%)
35-44 19 (6.1%)
45-54 37 (11.8%)
55-64 57 (18.2%)
65-74 71 (22.6%)
75-84 36 (11.5%)
85+ 9 (2.9%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 29 (39.7%)
Lone Person 29 (39.7%)
One Parent Families 9 (12.3%)
Group Household 6 (8.2%)

Commute to Work

Worked from Home 54 (53.5%)
Car (driver) 39 (38.6%)
Train 4 (4.0%)
Walked Only 4 (4.0%)

15% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (19 of 125).

City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.

Education

Bachelor Degree 63 (20.1%)
Certificate III & IV 42 (13.4%)
Postgraduate Degree 34 (10.8%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 29 (9.2%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 13 (4.1%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 6 (4.8%)
1 car 45 (36.0%)
2 cars 56 (44.8%)
3 cars 22 (17.6%)

Council Rates

Central Coast (NSW)
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,409 a year through Central Coast (NSW) based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,409/yr
15% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Pretty Beach's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Residential 51%
  • Environmental 34%
  • Infrastructure and transport 9%
  • Parks and recreation 5%
  • Not zoned 1%

Planning zones cover 99% of the suburb's area. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.

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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Central Coast (NSW)

The whole council area, not just Pretty Beach · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 1,441 new dwellings were approved across Central Coast (NSW). That mix is 924 houses and 517 units. Approvals are up 66.7% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
1,441dwellings
+66.7% YoY
Houses
924
detached dwellings
Units
517
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.

Air Quality

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 5.1 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.

PM10 averaged 14.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.36 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Wyong monitoring station, 28.7 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Norah Head AWS, 34.6 km

High rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
38 m
785 m to a named beach
Annual rainfall
1,272 mm
104 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
26.4°C
3 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
10.6°C
0 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

EV adoption

0.9%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.04% in 2021
+0.3 points this year
Top 23% in NSW

In postcode 2257, 185 of 21,178 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.8% (597 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.7%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.04%
2022
0.10%
2023
0.22%
2024
0.55%
2025
0.87%

Rooftop solar

31
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.6 kW each

In postcode 2257, 4,445 rooftop-solar systems totalling 29.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,312 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 364 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
257
2020
349
2021
372
2022
358
2023
501
2024
381
2025
337
2026
192

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.

Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$9,153
Loan amount
$1,404,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,891,091

13 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2257.

Deposit
$351,000
Stamp duty
$77,812
Cash needed at settlement
$428,812

Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW

The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.

Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Robertson

Currently held by Gordon Reid Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Gordon Reid 59.4% 40.6% +7.1
2022 Gordon Reid 52.3% 47.7% -6.5
2019 Lucy Wicks 45.8% 54.2% +3.1

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.

State Electorate

Terrigal District

Currently held by Adam Crouch Liberal

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Adam Crouch LP 51.2%
2019 Adam Crouch LP 62.3%
2015 Adam Crouch LP 59.0%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Pretty Beach?

Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Pretty Beach to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Pretty Beach

What natural hazards affect Pretty Beach?

Pretty Beach has a high recorded bushfire history (82/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Pretty Beach?

Pretty Beach, NSW had a population of 314 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Pretty Beach, NSW?

The postcode for Pretty Beach, NSW is 2257.

How far is Pretty Beach from Sydney?

Pretty Beach is 96 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 94 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Pretty Beach?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Pretty Beach was $94,536 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Pretty Beach?

There are too few current rental listings in Pretty Beach for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $428, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Pretty Beach?

The median age of residents in Pretty Beach was 57 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Pretty Beach at risk of bushfire?

Pretty Beach has a high recorded bushfire history (82/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.

Is Pretty Beach walkable?

Pretty Beach scores 53/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the air quality in Pretty Beach?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Pretty Beach (Wyong) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.1 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.8 µg/m³. That puts Pretty Beach below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

What is the weather like in Pretty Beach?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Pretty Beach, Norah Head AWS (34.6 km away), summer days average 26.4°C, winter nights 10.6°C, 1,272 mm of rain a year over 104 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Pretty Beach?

First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Pretty Beach belong to?

Pretty Beach sits within the Central Coast (NSW) local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Pretty Beach?

The average residential rates bill through Central Coast (NSW) is $1,409 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Pretty Beach?

Across Central Coast (NSW), 1,441 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 66.7% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Pretty Beach in?

Pretty Beach sits within the federal Division of Robertson, currently held by Gordon Reid (Australian Labor Party).

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Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

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