Coffs Harbour
NSWCoffs Harbour is a growing suburb in NSW with 27,089 residents.
- SAL code
- 10959
- SA2
- 104021084
- Population
- 27,089
Coffs Harbour, NSW had 27,089 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 3.6% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 55-64 years, and the median age sits at 43. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,733 a month. Around 57.3% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 39.6%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 61.0% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 73 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Coffs Harbour, NSW at a glance
Coffs Harbour is the regional centre of the NSW Mid-North Coast, ~540 km north of Sydney and ~390 km south of Brisbane. It mixes a working harbour, a CBD, beach pockets and a hinterland — drawing sea-changers, retirees, remote workers and families chasing a coastal lifestyle without metro pricing. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Coffs is big enough to have everything (hospital, university campus, regional airport, two big shopping centres) and small enough to feel like a community. Park Beach Plaza and the CBD anchor day-to-day shopping; the Jetty precinct is the cafe + dining heart, with waterfront dining and dolphin-watching at the harbour. Beach choice is unusual for a town this size — Park, Diggers and Jetty within the suburb, plus Sawtell, Emerald, Moonee and Woolgoolga within a short drive. The hinterland (Bruxner Park, Sealy Lookout, banana plantations) gives green space the metros can't. Schools are deep: state high schools at Coffs Harbour, Toormina and Orara, plus Bishop Druitt College, John Paul College and the Coffs Harbour Senior College for senior years. There's no commuter rail, but XPT services run to Sydney and Brisbane, and the regional airport gives same-day access to Sydney for work. In short: a settled coastal regional centre that genuinely supports a lifestyle move without sacrificing services.
For investors
Coffs Harbour 2450 is a yield-and-stability regional play. Median house $825,000 against $690/wk rent gives a 4.51% gross yield; units $585,000 / $550 rent → 4.92% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth +3.13%, units +1.30% — modest after the post-COVID surge. 377 house and 379 unit sales in 12 months (a deep market for a regional town). Days-on-market 45 (houses) / 48 (units). Vacancy 1.2% September 2025 (PRD).
Strengths
- Deep, dual-segment market (~756 sales/yr across houses + units) — easy to enter and exit for a regional suburb.
- Tight vacancy ~1.2% (PRD Sep 2025) supports leasing velocity and rent durability.
- Yields ~4.5-4.9% sit above most NSW coastal alternatives at this price point (Your Investment Property May 2026).
- Regional-centre infrastructure (Base Hospital, Southern Cross University, regional airport) underpins long-term demand.
Trade-offs
- Capital growth has cooled to ~3.1% houses / ~1.3% units (12-month, 2026) — moderate after the 2020-22 surge.
- Days-on-market 45-48 is well above metro Sydney; expect slower exits than capital-city stock.
- Tourism + lifestyle exposure means demand is sensitive to discretionary-spend and remote-work trends.
- Bypass opening (late 2026) will reduce highway traffic through the CBD — net positive for liveability, but watch flow-on retail effects on highway-fronting strips.
What's coming
City of Coffs Harbour's 2025/26 Operational Plan carries ~$64m in capital works: $5m for a new flood detention basin in North Boambee, $3m to renew Fiddaman Road at Emerald Beach, $1.2m for the Park Avenue bus interchange upgrade, and $750k toward Coffs Harbour Jetty remediation. The $2.2bn Pacific Highway bypass is on track to open to traffic late 2026 (project completion 2027), removing through-traffic and 12 sets of lights from the CBD.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a coastal regional centre with metro-grade services and a credible lifestyle case. For investors: a yield-led play with stable demand — not a high-growth speculative one.
Population
?27,089
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+3.6%
3yr: +2.9% · 10yr: +7.5%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,231/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
43
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?2/10
SA2 · more disadvantaged
Unemployment
?5.1%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
6
3 primary, 3 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?23
15 long day, 5 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?73
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?5
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Coffs Harbour - North (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Coffs Harbour suburb alone is ~27,089 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 14,968 to 18,960 over 24 years, averaging 1.0% per year.
Schools
6 in suburbSector
6 public
Type
3 primary · 3 secondary
Total enrolment
3,489
Avg per school
582
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Coffs Harbour PS20.3%
- Tyalla PS 19.0%
- Narranga PS 18.9%
- Boambee PS 10.9%
- Kororo PS 7.1%
- Orara Upper PS 0.2%
- Karangi PS 0.1%
- Toormina PS 0.0%
- Sawtell PS 0.0%
Secondary
Coffs Harbour HS46.7%
- Orara HS 38.5%
- Coffs Harbour SC 27.4%
- Toormina HS 14.7%
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 4.7%Predominantly detached houses (61%), mixed tenure (57.3% own or mortgage), built for families (42% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: NSW RFS BFPL via SEED
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
19 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 18.1% | 8.35 km² |
| RU2 | ZoneRural | 17.8% | 8.18 km² |
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 17.4% | 8.03 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 10.2% | 4.68 km² |
| SP1 | ZoneSpecial use | 9.3% | 4.29 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 6.2% | 2.83 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 3.9% | 1.81 km² |
| W2 | ZoneWaterway | 3.0% | 1.39 km² |
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 3.0% | 1.38 km² |
| C1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 2.2% | 1.01 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 2.0% | 0.94 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 2.0% | 0.91 km² |
| RU3 | ZoneRural | 1.7% | 0.78 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.9% | 0.42 km² |
| E2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.9% | 0.42 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.4% | 0.20 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 0.3% | 0.15 km² |
| W4 | ZoneWaterway | 0.2% | 0.11 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 0.2% | 0.09 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.