Located in New South Wales, Sandy Beach sits 548 km from Sydney CBD, around 6 hours 5 minutes by car. The suburb has 2,913 residents, a median age of 35, and a median household income of $81,484 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 27.4% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $420 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,810. Sandy Beach is characterised by high crime risk. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Sandy Beach a good suburb?
Sandy Beach scores a C (32/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 23/100 · 548.2 km · 363 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $928K
Moderate crime risk
Fire 37/100 · Crime 61/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 35 · 2,913 residents
Liveability Rating
32 / 100 · Ranked #1224 in NSWEach bar is Sandy Beach's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Sandy Beach?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
32 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSandy Beach's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $928,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$927,500
Based on 44 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 20 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 14 sales $885K
- 4 bed 24 sales $962K
Land
$980,000
Based on only 5 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Sandy Beach are currently listed at around $975,000 on average. Based on 13 houses listed in the past six months.
$975K
13 houses listed in the last 6 months.
13 of the suburb's 1,030 dwellings (1.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Sandy Beach rent for around $700 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$700/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
7 rentals advertised against an estimated 273 rented homes (2.6%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $700/wk
- 25 bonds
- +34% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $550/wk
- 12 bonds
- +28% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2456 (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 202584 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 36% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2456.
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.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$700/week ($36,000 a year) on a $975,000 median
Based on a small sample (7 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
22 active Airbnb listings: 22 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 2.0% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Sandy Beach safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Sandy Beach sits in the moderate band, with 129 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 16% on the prior year.
129 offences
16.2% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202511 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
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
Coffs Harbour City Council has published 13 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 2.1 km
- Rate
- -0.47 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -8.9 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
One school serve Sandy Beach, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 336 students in one school (avg 336)
Primary
Walkability
Sandy Beach is very car-dependent on foot — at 23/100, nearly all errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Sandy Beach.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 39.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 13.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 4.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 13.5 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 Sandy Beach.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 11%
- Premises covered
- 1,179
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
Coffs Harbour: council population
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
The ABS scores 8 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Sandy Beach is home to about 2,900 residents, with a median age of 35, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $81,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,913
Median Age
35
Median Household Income
$81,484/yr
Census Median Rent
$420/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,810/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$39,676/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.6%
Total Dwellings
1,030
Owner-Occupier Rate
73.5%
Houses
97.5%
Rental Stress
26.8%
Mortgage Stress
26.7%
Work From Home
11.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.3%
- Employment Rate
- 58.4%
- Completed Year 12
- 36.9%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
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.
71 residents (2.4%) 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.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
6.2% of residents (168) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (107).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,703 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 321 people work here; 1,317 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 76% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,437 a year through Coffs Harbour based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 66%
- Environmental 18%
- Residential 11%
- Parks and recreation 2%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- 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: Coffs Harbour
In the year to August 2026, 356 new dwellings were approved across Coffs Harbour. That mix is 208 houses and 148 units. Approvals are up 61.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Coffs Harbour 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
CLEANPM2.5 averaged 4.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 10.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.22 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Coffs Harbour monitoring station, 18.1 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Lower Bucca, 8.0 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 36 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.0 km
- 2.2 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,827 mm
- 115 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
1 facility within 5 km- 2.5 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Xylenes (individual or mixed isomers) · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene)
EV adoption
In postcode 2456, 69 of 13,603 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.2% (299 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2456, 4,136 rooftop-solar systems totalling 24.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,964 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 226 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.
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).
Mortgage repayments
3 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 6 across postcode 2456.
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.
At $927,500 this is $327,500 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
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
Currently held by Kevin Hogan The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kevin Hogan | 40.7% | 59.3% | +1.4 |
| 2022 | Kevin Hogan | 39.3% | 60.7% | +1.3 |
| 2019 | Kevin Hogan | 40.5% | 59.5% | +7.2 |
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
Currently held by Gurmesh Singh The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Gurmesh Singh NP | 63.2% |
| 2019 | Gurmesh Singh NP | 60.3% |
| 2015 | Andrew Fraser NP | 64.3% |
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 Sandy 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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 2,913 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #1 in Coffs Harbour suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #1 in Coffs Harbour suburbs where young families live
- #2 in Coffs Harbour suburbs that grew fastest, 2016-2021
- #2 in Where the Indian community lives in Coffs Harbour
- #2 in Coffs Harbour suburbs with the largest non-religious population
- #2 in Coffs Harbour suburbs where the most Punjabi is spoken at home
- #2 in Coffs Harbour suburbs with the largest Sikh community
- #3 in Coffs Harbour suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #3 in Highest-yielding Coffs Harbour suburbs (houses)
- #4 in Best Coffs Harbour suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #5 in Coffs Harbour suburbs with the best public transport
- #6 in The best beachside suburbs in Coffs Harbour
- #6 in Coffs Harbour's highest-income suburbs
- #6 in Coffs Harbour suburbs that suit young professionals
- #8 in Coffs Harbour's most educated suburbs
- #8 in The safest suburbs in Coffs Harbour
- #9 in Best Coffs Harbour suburbs to rent in
- #9 in Most walkable suburbs in Coffs Harbour
- #10 in Coffs Harbour suburbs where the most residents moved from a capital city
- #11 in The most liveable suburbs in Coffs Harbour
- #12 in Coffs Harbour suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #12 in Coffs Harbour suburbs where seniors live
- #13 in Coffs Harbour suburbs with the biggest house blocks
- #14 in Coffs Harbour's most owner-occupied suburbs
Nearby suburbs
Compare Sandy 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 Sandy Beach
Is Sandy Beach a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Sandy Beach is moderate (61/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Sandy Beach?
Sandy Beach has a low recorded bushfire history (37/100, 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.
Is Sandy Beach a good place to live?
Sandy Beach has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (32/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Sandy Beach?
Sandy Beach, NSW had a population of 2,913 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Sandy Beach, NSW?
The postcode for Sandy Beach, NSW is 2456.
How far is Sandy Beach from Sydney?
Sandy Beach is 548 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 363 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Sandy Beach?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Sandy Beach was $81,484 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 Sandy Beach?
The median advertised rent in Sandy Beach is $700 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Sandy Beach?
The median age of residents in Sandy Beach was 35 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Sandy Beach at risk of bushfire?
Sandy Beach has a low recorded bushfire history (37/100). 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.
How are the schools in Sandy Beach?
There is 1 school inside the Sandy Beach boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Sandy Beach walkable?
Sandy Beach scores 23/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. 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 Sandy Beach?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Sandy Beach (Coffs Harbour) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 4.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 10.8 µg/m³. That puts Sandy Beach below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Sandy Beach?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Sandy Beach, Lower Bucca (8 km away), 1,827 mm of rain a year over 115 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Sandy 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 Sandy Beach belong to?
Sandy Beach sits within the Coffs Harbour local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Sandy Beach?
The average residential rates bill through Coffs Harbour is $1,437 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Sandy Beach?
Across Coffs Harbour, 356 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 61.0% 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 Sandy Beach in?
Sandy Beach sits within the federal Division of Page, currently held by Kevin Hogan (The Nationals).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.