Fern Bay vs Oakdale
Property investment comparison - Fern Bay, NSW 2295 vs Oakdale, NSW 2570
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Fern Bay wins 1, Oakdale wins 4. 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 | Fern Bay | Oakdale |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.1M | $1.1M |
| Median unit price | $815K | $720K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.50% | 2.90% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 4.00% | 4.16% |
| 1-year house growth | +6.5% | +12.6% |
| 3-year house growth | +10.6% | +19.7% |
| Vacancy rate | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Population | 4,046 | 2,028 |
Fern Bay vs Oakdale: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.1M in Fern Bay and $1.1M in Oakdale.
For units, Fern Bay sits at a median of $815K against $720K in Oakdale, which makes Oakdale the more affordable unit market and Fern Bay the pricier one.
On cash flow, Fern Bay leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 3.50%, compared with 2.90% in Oakdale, a gap of 0.60 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +6.5% in Fern Bay and +12.6% in Oakdale, so recent momentum favours Oakdale, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Fern Bay houses are +10.6% and Oakdale houses +19.7%, so Oakdale has compounded faster than Fern Bay over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is the same in both, at 1.0%.
Fern Bay is the bigger suburb, with a population of 4,046 against 2,028, larger than Oakdale; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Fern Bay for rental income, Oakdale for recent price momentum. 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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