East Ballina vs Kiama Downs
Property investment comparison - East Ballina, NSW 2478 vs Kiama Downs, NSW 2533
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: East Ballina wins 3, Kiama Downs wins 2. The better choice depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow, growth, affordability, or liquidity, the table below highlights the winner on each metric.
| Metric | East Ballina | Kiama Downs |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.4M | $1.4M |
| Median unit price | $845K | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.19% | 3.20% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 4.50% | 4.35% |
| 1-year house growth | +6.2% | -2.2%estimate |
| 3-year house growth | +15.1% | - |
| Vacancy rate | 0.8% | 2.8% |
| Population | 5,882 | 5,087 |
East Ballina vs Kiama Downs: what the numbers say
The median house price is $1.4M in East Ballina and $1.4M in Kiama Downs, so Kiama Downs is the cheaper entry point.
Gross rental yield on houses is effectively level, at 3.19% in East Ballina and 3.20% in Kiama Downs, so neither suburb has a cash flow edge on houses.
Over the past year house prices moved +6.2% in East Ballina and -2.2% in Kiama Downs (an estimate), so recent momentum favours East Ballina, while Kiama Downs went backwards.
Rental vacancy is 0.8% in East Ballina and 2.8% in Kiama Downs, so landlords in East Ballina face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
East Ballina is the bigger suburb, with a population of 5,882 against 5,087, larger than Kiama Downs; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Kiama Downs for a lower purchase price, East Ballina for recent price momentum, East Ballina for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.
Keep exploring
- National investment guide - top suburbs across every metric
- Take the suburb finder quiz - 5 questions to match your goals
- How our investment score works
- Property investment glossary - every term defined
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