Terrigal is a coastal town in New South Wales, in Central Coast Council.
Public transport coverage is exceptionally strong, placing it among the highest-ranked coastal towns. Local amenities are a relative strength. School access is strong. Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group, and reported crime is lower than in most comparable places. Housing is expensive relative to comparable places, with median house prices 40% above the peer median.
Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising public transport and local amenities over 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
Coastal town · compared with coastal towns in New South Wales (162)
Strengths
Public transport coverage is exceptionally strong
Local amenities are a relative strength
Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group
Reported crime is lower than in most comparable places
School access is strong
Weaknesses
Housing is expensive relative to comparable places
What stands out
Terrigal Beach
Wamberal Beach
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★★★☆☆
Professionals★★☆☆☆
Retirees★★★☆☆
Students★☆☆☆☆
Budget buyers★☆☆☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Terrigal compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$1.56M
-1.6% change
Median rent
$800/wk
Houses $875 · Units $690
Population (ERP)
13,427
+1.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
13.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#23
among Coastal & beach · Established
Crime rate
14th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
67th
percentile in NSW
Rented dwellings
25%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
10/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
72nd
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
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
54.3/100 — Average
State standing
Top 21% of New South Wales' suburbs
National rank
1233rd in Australia
State rank
442nd in NSW
Peer rank
#23 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#69 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
97%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$690
Houses (January to March 2026)
$875
All types (January to March 2026)
$800
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
185
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$1,565,000
Median price change
-1.6%
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
+1.0% annual · +5.3% over 5 years · 67th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.0%
5-year growth
+5.3%
Change in 1 year
+137
Change in 5 years
+673
Growth rank in NSW
67th 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 (~14,250), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
12,730
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$2,056
Dwelling vacancy
13.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
751 of 5,458
Median monthly mortgage
$2,492
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$520
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
39.9% / 35.6% / 24.5%
Employment rate
58.1%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
33.4% / 0.6% / 47.5%
Walked or cycled to work
1.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
3,341 / 344 / 1,012
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.
28.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 16.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified28.7% · 27.8% NSW
Diploma qualified12.2% · 9.3% NSW
Trade / vocational16.4% · 15% NSW
Year 12 or below42.6% · 47.9% NSW
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Management and commerce24.1%
Health15.2%
Society and culture13.1%
Education11.9%
Engineering and related technologies11.8%
Architecture and building8%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 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)
$62,585
71st percentile in NSW · +7% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$68,038
68th percentile in NSW · +5% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
19.0%
78th percentile in NSW · +38% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$112,237
87th percentile in NSW · +77% vs Australia
Residents with business income
11.0%
59th percentile in NSW · +6% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2260 — 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
16,323
Taxpayers reporting net rent
3,087
Median net rent
$0
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,832
Taxable income vs state median
+12%
Salary / wages vs state median
+8%
Rental investment vs state median
+36%
Super vs state median
+59%
Business income vs state median
+10%
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
8.1% speak a language other than English at home; 22.2% born overseas
Language at home
11,155 English only · 981 other
Non-English at home
8.1%
Born overseas
2,696 (22.2%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
247 (1.9%)
Australian citizens
11,306
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
29
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
Mandarin42 · 12%
Spanish32 · 9.1%
Italian26 · 7.4%
Afrikaans21 · 6%
Portuguese19 · 5.4%
Greek18 · 5.1%
Cantonese16 · 4.6%
Japanese14 · 4%
Religion
51.5%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 51.5%, while 39.4% reported no religion.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
39.4%
32.8%
Christianity
51.5%
47.6%
Other / not stated
9.1%
19.6%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
23.6%
22.4%
Anglican
15.1%
11.9%
Uniting Church
2.7%
2.1%
Christian (not further defined)
2.5%
2.4%
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 2260, which is shared with other suburbs.
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
475
Against the person
171
Against property
196
Rate per 1,000 residents
35.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 74 residents
State crime-rate percentile
13.5th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-0.1%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
117
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
8.71
Most common offence types
Domestic Violence Related Assault37
Fraud51
Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment57
Malicious Damage To Property50
Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault43
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
Schools within 2 km
4
Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
1,061
Median ICSEA percentile
72th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
5
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
3
School list
Aspect Central Coast SchoolSpecial · Independent · ICSEA 1030 · 60th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 122 students · Top SEA quarter 21% · 0.1 km awayView on My School →
Terrigal High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1044 · 66th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 847 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
Terrigal Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1078 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 14% · 888 students · Top SEA quarter 32% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
Our Lady Star of The Sea Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1102 · 85th percentile · LBOTE 12% · 605 students · Top SEA quarter 41% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
Avoca Beach PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Erina HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Erina Hts PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Kincumber HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Kincumber PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Terrigal HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Terrigal PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Woodport PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_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
NSW government school intake zones — NSW Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published
Great for outdoor family life — 10 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
Well connected by public transport — 156 public transport stops
Strong local sport and recreation — 97 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
34/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.16
Parks per 1,000 residents
0.79
Food & drink(2)
Terrigal HotelBar
176 Terrigal Drive
Lagoon BistroRestaurant
Shopping(2)
Terrigal SupercellarsBottle shop
Georges Fruit BarnGreengrocer
Everyday services(2)
Petrol station
ShellPetrol station
Community(5)
Terrigal Childrens CentreChildcare
Terrigal Fifty Plus Leisure and Learning CentreCommunity centre
Duffys Road, Terrigal
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary SchoolSchool
165 Serpentine Road
Terrigal High SchoolSchool
Terrigal
Terrigal Public SchoolSchool
Terrigal
Sport & outdoors(109)
BBQ
Beach
Terrigal BeachBeach
Wamberal BeachBeach
Drinking water
Gosford Coastal Open Space System (Gazettal in Progress)Nature reserve
Terrigal Lagoon WetlandNature reserve
Anniversary Avenue ReservePark
Drummer Parry ParkPark
Terrigal Lagoon ReservePark
Terrigal Rotary ParkPark
Playground
Terrigal Rotary ParkPlayground
Public toilets
Banjo's Skate ParkSports field
Sports field
Elysium apartments poolSwimming pool
156 Terrigal Drive
Swimming pool
1 Barnhill Road, Terrigal
Swimming pool (91)
Transport(49)
49 bus stops
Other(13)
Bicycle Parking
Terrigal Fire StationFire station
7 Terrigal Drive
Central Coast Marine Discovery CentreInformation
Parking (19)
Parking Entrance
Church of the Holy TrinityPlace of worship
Terrigal Presbyterian ChurchPlace of worship
Shelter (3)
Guzman y Gomez StadiumStadium
Duffys Road, Terrigal
TelstraTelephone
Terrigal BMX ClubTrack
Track (4)
Waste Basket (2)
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
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
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
Places of worship
2 places of worship within ~1.5 km
Church of the Holy Trinity
Terrigal Presbyterian Church
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
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.
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
26° / 18°
Rainfall
386 mm · ~48 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
Usual max / min
22° / 14°
Rainfall
394 mm · ~49 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
Usual max / min
17° / 8°
Rainfall
266 mm · ~33 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
Usual max / min
22° / 13°
Rainfall
253 mm · ~32 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)
244 TERRIGAL DRIVE TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
81 BEAUFORT ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport; Supporting Development
5 PRINCE OF WALES COURT TERRIGAL 2260Determined
August 2026
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
31 HILLCREST STREET TERRIGAL 2260Additional Information Requested
Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home
81 HASTINGS ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Additional Information Requested
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
63 BELLEVUE CRESCENT TERRIGAL 2260Determined
July 2026
Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
22 CASINO STREET TERRIGAL 2260Determined
June 2026
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation
75 BEAUFORT ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
5 BRUNSWICK ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)
37 WINDEMERE DRIVE TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dual occupancy; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)
30 ASH STREET TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Signage; Advertising and signage; Advertising structure; Building identification sign; Business identification sign
5 CHURCH STREET TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
127 HASTINGS ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dual occupancy; Demolition; Medium Density Housing; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Swimming pool; Residential Accommodation; Supporting Development
100 HASTINGS ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah
354 SCENIC HIGHWAY TERRIGAL 2260Determined
May 2026
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool; Residential Accommodation
77 BEAUFORT ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Erection of a new structure; Registered club
4 WILSON ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport
48 RIVIERA AVENUE TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
13 RAYMOND TERRACE TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool
115 HASTINGS ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Determined
April 2026
Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Swimming pool
126 SCENIC HIGHWAY TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Demolition; Residential flat building; Erection of a new structure
Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Recreation facility (indoor)
10 CHURCH STREET TERRIGAL 2260Additional Information Requested
Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Garage, carport or carparking space; Swimming pool
23 LORIKEET STREET TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Garage, carport or carparking space; Rainwater tanks; Skylights, roof windows and ventilators; Swimming pool; Residential Accommodation; Supporting Development
15 JOHN GRAY CLOSE TERRIGAL 2260Withdrawn
Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure
5 ALEXANDER CLOSE TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool
16 COTTEE CRESCENT TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Shed; Erection of a new structure
273 SCENIC HIGHWAY TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Subdivision
36 KINGS AVENUE TERRIGAL 2260Under Assessment
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
12 OGILVIE STREET TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
5 TRADE WINDS AVENUE TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
12 PARRY AVENUE TERRIGAL 2260Withdrawn
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
33 VICARY ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Determined
February 2026
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
160 HASTINGS ROAD TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
235 SCENIC HIGHWAY TERRIGAL 2260Determined
Small bar; Food and drink premise; Hours of operation and trading
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
Robertson
Member of Parliament
Gordon REID (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
114,922
Turnout (2025)
92.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+7.1 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 40.6%Labor 59.4%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.0 km away).
Coalition 45.4%Labor 54.6%
4.8 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +8.6 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
Terrigal WestLabor 52.7% · Coalition 47.3% TPP (2025)0.6 km away
TerrigalLabor 61.3% · Coalition 38.7% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
Terrigal LagoonLabor 51.8% · Coalition 48.2% TPP (2025)1.1 km away
Terrigal SouthLabor 53.1% · Coalition 46.9% TPP (2025)1.6 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.
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%)