Bateau Bay vs Murrays Beach

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.2M in Bateau Bay and $1.2M in Murrays Beach.

For units, Bateau Bay sits at a median of $800K against $635K in Murrays Beach, which makes Murrays Beach the more affordable unit market and Bateau Bay the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +6.8% in Bateau Bay and +5.6% in Murrays Beach, so recent momentum favours Bateau Bay, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Bateau Bay houses are +0.2% and Murrays Beach houses -1.4%, so Bateau Bay has compounded faster than Murrays Beach over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 0.4% in Bateau Bay and 5.5% in Murrays Beach, so landlords in Bateau Bay face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Bateau Bay is the bigger suburb, with a population of 12,516 against 882, roughly 14 times the size of Murrays Beach; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: Bateau Bay for recent price momentum, Bateau Bay for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.