Chittaway Bay vs Port Macquarie

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $925K in Chittaway Bay and $925K in Port Macquarie.

For units, Chittaway Bay sits at a median of $670K against $630K in Port Macquarie, which makes Port Macquarie the more affordable unit market and Chittaway Bay the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +7.4% in Chittaway Bay and +4.9% in Port Macquarie, so recent momentum favours Chittaway Bay, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Chittaway Bay houses are +12.6% and Port Macquarie houses +3.6%, so Chittaway Bay has compounded faster than Port Macquarie over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 0.7% in Chittaway Bay and 1.1% in Port Macquarie, so landlords in Chittaway Bay face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Port Macquarie is the bigger suburb, with a population of 47,693 against 1,987, roughly 24 times the size of Chittaway Bay; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

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