NSW · Tweed Council

Cabarita Beach, 2488

Est. population · Jun 2025

104

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+5.0%

Median age

52

Median income

$1,875/wk

Employment rate

45.6%

University qualified

21.1%

Work from home

46.3%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$1,843,000

Languages at home

7.2%non-English

Most common: French

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Beach
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Cabarita Beach is known for: Beach, Green suburb, Regional centre

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Cabarita Beach, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Cabarita Beach, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/cabarita-beach

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Suburb profile

Cabarita Beach is a major regional centre in New South Wales, in Tweed Council.

Dining and cafés are a relative strength, placing it among the highest-ranked major regional centres. Open-space access is exceptionally strong, and local school ICSEA scores sit well above the peer median. Green cover is an exceptional strength, and working from home is an exceptional strength. Housing is among the most expensive in its peer group. Median house prices have risen 15% year on year.

Cabarita Beach is a better fit for people who value open space and dining more than lower housing costs.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in New South Wales (276)

Strengths

  • Open-space access is exceptionally strong
  • Dining and cafés are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • Working from home is a relative strength
  • Local school ICSEA scores sit well above the peer median

Weaknesses

  • Housing is among the most expensive in its peer group

What stands out

  • Cabarita Beach
  • Maggies Beach

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Cabarita Beach compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

$1.84M

+15% change

Median rent

$850/wk

Population (ERP)

104

0.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

54.1%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Crime rate

29th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

14th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

44%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

6/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

64th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Housing

Houses (January to March 2026)
$910
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$1,843,000
Median price change
+15.2%

Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

104(June 2025)

0.0% annual · +5.0% over 5 years · 14th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
0.0%
5-year growth
+5.0%
Change in 1 year
0
Change in 5 years
+5
Growth rank in NSW
14th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~100), extrapolated at +1.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
101
Median age
52
Median household income / week
$1,875
Dwelling vacancy
54.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
33 of 61
Median monthly mortgage
$2,265
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$400
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
40% / 16% / 44%
Employment rate
45.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
46.3% / 0% / 22%
Walked or cycled to work
22%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
15 / 0 / 13

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

21.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 11.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified21.1% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified12.2% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational11.1% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below55.6% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce22.7%
  • Health20.5%
  • Engineering and related technologies11.4%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services11.4%
  • Architecture and building9.1%
  • Natural and physical sciences9.1%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$52,032

36th percentile in NSW · -11% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$56,317

29th percentile in NSW · -13% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

66th percentile in NSW · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$67,911

46th percentile in NSW · +7% vs Australia

Residents with business income
15.0%

93rd percentile in NSW · +44% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2488 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
2,182
Taxpayers reporting net rent
359
Median net rent
$3,601
Taxpayers reporting business income
326
Taxable income vs state median
-7%
Salary / wages vs state median
-10%
Rental investment vs state median
+14%
Super vs state median
-3%
Business income vs state median
+50%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

7.2% speak a language other than English at home; 19.3% born overseas

Language at home
77 English only · 6 other
Non-English at home
7.2%
Born overseas
17 (19.3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
7 (6.9%)
Australian citizens
78
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • French3 · 100%

Religion

47.5%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 47.5%, while 32.7% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion32.7%32.8%
Christianity47.5%47.6%
Other / not stated19.8%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic18.8%22.4%
Anglican10.9%11.9%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2488, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
5
Against the person
2
Against property
2
Rate per 1,000 residents
48.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 50 residents
State crime-rate percentile
28.9th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+67.1%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
5
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
48.08

Most common offence types

  • Breach Apprehended Violence Order1
  • Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment1
  • Malicious Damage To Property1
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault0

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
1,040
Median ICSEA percentile
64th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
1
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Bogangar Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1040 · 64th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 325 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 0.1 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Bogangar PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Kingscliff HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

3 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Tweed Coast Rd At Cypress Cres
  • Tweed Coast Rd At Cypress Cres
  • Tweed Coast Rd At Pandanus Pde

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

  • Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed

Amenities

47 mapped amenities

2 restaurants · 2 cafes · 1 bars · 2 fast food · 1 playgrounds · 1 dog parks · 5 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 3 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
19/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
19.8
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
69.31
Parks per 1,000 residents
29.7
Food & drink(7)
  • The BurrowBar

    Unit 1 36 Tweed Coast Road

  • Kartel EspressoCafe

    Unit 2 16 Tweed Coast Road

  • NectarCafe

    Unit 3 34 Tweed Coast Road

  • Rita's BurgersFast food

    Unit 2 34 Tweed Coast Road

  • The Stunned MulletFast food

    Unit 1 16 Tweed Coast Road

  • Cabarita Beach Surf Life Saving ClubRestaurant
  • The Beach Bar & GrillRestaurant
Everyday services(1)
  • Southern Cross Credit UnionBank

    Unit 3 36 Tweed Coast Road

Health & services(3)
  • Coastal Dental CareDentist

    24 Tweed Coast Road

  • Cabarita Beach Medical CentreMedical clinic

    22 Tweed Coast Road

  • Tweed Coast VetVeterinary

    14 Tweed Coast Road

Sport & outdoors(13)
  • BBQ (2)
  • Bogangar BeachBeach
  • Cabarita BeachBeach
  • Casuarina BeachBeach
  • Maggies BeachBeach
  • Norries CoveBeach
  • Dog Off Leash AreaDog park
  • Norries Hill ParkPark
  • Pandanus Parade ParkPark
  • Playground
  • Cabarita BeachPublic toilets

    7 Pandanus Parade, Cabarita Beach

  • Public toilets
Places to stay(1)
  • Halcyon HouseHotel

    21 Cypress Crescent

Entertainment(2)
  • Norries HeadlandViewpoint
  • Viewpoint
Transport(2)

2 bus stops

Other(9)
  • The BeachApartment
  • Bench (3)
  • Cabarita Beach CyclesBicycle

    Unit 2 36 Tweed Coast Road

  • The Corner CollectiveClothes

    Unit 3 16 Tweed Coast Road

  • Parking (3)
  • Picnic Table (3)
  • Shelter (3)
  • Shower (2)
  • The Adventure ClubToys

    Unit 1 34 Tweed Coast Road

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Sporting clubs

1 named sporting club in this suburb

  • Cabarita Beach Surf Life Saving Club

    Surf Life Saving

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Norries Hill ParkPark
  • Pandanus Parade ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
38.6%
Woodland / forest cover
38.4%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
8
Parks (OSM)
3
Typical summer maximum
29°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
2
Nearest hospital
Tweed Valley Hospital (8.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Cabarita Beach Medical CentreTweed Coast RoadGP
  • Coastal Dental CareTweed Coast RoadDentist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
3
Participants per 1,000 residents
28.8

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
29° / 20°
Rainfall
628 mm · ~78 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
26° / 17°
Rainfall
552 mm · ~69 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
21° / 10°
Rainfall
240 mm · ~30 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
25° / 15°
Rainfall
282 mm · ~35 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.

2026· 3 proposals
  • August 2026

  • Demolition; Shop top housing; Erection of a new structure
    36 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Additional Information Requested
  • April 2026

  • Pub; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    2-6 PANDANUS PARADE CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • February 2026

  • Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)
    12A CYPRESS CRESCENT CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
2025· 2 proposals
  • October 2025

  • Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    24 Cypress Crescent Cabarita Beach NSW 2488Determined
  • April 2025

  • Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    3 PALM AVENUE CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
2024· 2 proposals
  • March 2024

  • Demolition; Residential flat building; Erection of a new structure
    2-6 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • January 2024

  • Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Shop
    2-6 PANDANUS PARADE CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
2023· 4 proposals
  • November 2023

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    6 CYPRESS CRESCENT CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • October 2023

  • Demolition; Residential flat building; Restaurant or cafe; Subdivision; Advertising and signage; Erection of a new structure; Food and drink premise; Shop; Neighbourhood shop
    36 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • June 2023

  • Alterations and additions to commercial development; Recreational Uses; Entertainment facility; Food and drink premises; Restaurant or cafe; Business premises
    7 PANDANUS PARADE CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • April 2023

  • Dual occupancy; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Garages, carports and car parking spaces
    12 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
2022· 1 proposal
  • January 2022

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    62 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
2021· 5 proposals
  • November 2021

  • Alterations and additions to commercial development
    2-6 PANDANUS PARADE CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • October 2021

  • Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development
    1 PALM AVENUE CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • Other
    2-6 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • July 2021

  • Residential flat building
    2-6 TWEED COAST ROAD CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined
  • June 2021

  • Pools / decks / fencing
    6 CYPRESS CRESCENT CABARITA BEACH 2488Determined

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Richmond
Member of Parliament
Justine ELLIOT (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
126,814
Turnout (2025)
89.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+1.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 40.0%Labor 60.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 10.8 km away).

Coalition 38.5%Labor 61.5%

1.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.8 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • BogangarLabor 61.7% · Coalition 38.3% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • Hastings PointLabor 59.5% · Coalition 40.5% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • CasuarinaLabor 55.5% · Coalition 44.5% TPP (2025)3.5 km away
  • Pottsville BeachLabor 63.8% · Coalition 36.2% TPP (2025)4.7 km away
  • PottsvilleLabor 59.1% · Coalition 40.9% TPP (2025)6.1 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
6/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Tweed Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.