Empire Bay vs Sawtell
Property investment comparison - Empire Bay, NSW 2257 vs Sawtell, NSW 2452
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Empire Bay wins 2, Sawtell 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 | Empire Bay | Sawtell |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Median unit price | - | $750K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.00% | 3.08% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 3.61% | 3.60% |
| 1-year house growth | +4.7% | +7.7%estimate |
| 3-year house growth | +9.6% | - |
| Vacancy rate | 2.1% | 2.2% |
| Population | 2,522 | 3,788 |
Empire Bay vs Sawtell: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.3M in Empire Bay and $1.3M in Sawtell.
On cash flow, Sawtell leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 3.08%, compared with 3.00% in Empire Bay, a gap of 0.08 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +4.7% in Empire Bay and +7.7% in Sawtell (an estimate), so recent momentum favours Sawtell, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Rental vacancy is 2.1% in Empire Bay and 2.2% in Sawtell, so landlords in Empire Bay face less competition for tenants.
Sawtell is the bigger suburb, with a population of 3,788 against 2,522, larger than Empire Bay; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Sawtell for rental income, Sawtell for recent price momentum, Empire Bay 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
Compare any 2-4 Australian suburbs
Build your own multi-suburb comparison with the full interactive tool.
Open interactive comparison