Charlestown vs Safety Beach

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.1M in Charlestown and $1.1M in Safety Beach.

For units, Charlestown sits at a median of $730K against $700K in Safety Beach, which makes Safety Beach the more affordable unit market and Charlestown the pricier one.

Gross rental yield on houses is effectively level, at 3.50% in Charlestown and 3.50% in Safety Beach, so neither suburb has a cash flow edge on houses.

Over the past year house prices moved +14.9% in Charlestown and +4.2% in Safety Beach (an estimate), so recent momentum favours Charlestown, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Rental vacancy is 1.5% in Safety Beach and 1.9% in Charlestown, so landlords in Safety Beach face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Charlestown is the bigger suburb, with a population of 13,601 against 1,103, roughly 12 times the size of Safety Beach; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

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