Grafton vs South Tamworth

The median house price is $555K in Grafton and $550K in South Tamworth, so South Tamworth is the cheaper entry point, with Grafton houses about 1% dearer.

For units, Grafton sits at a median of $415K against $285K in South Tamworth, which makes South Tamworth the more affordable unit market and Grafton the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +7.2% in Grafton and +20.5% in South Tamworth, so recent momentum favours South Tamworth, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Grafton houses are +15.2% and South Tamworth houses +41.7%, so South Tamworth has compounded faster than Grafton over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 0.6% in Grafton and 2.1% in South Tamworth, so landlords in Grafton face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Grafton is the bigger suburb, with a population of 10,563 against 6,621, larger than South Tamworth; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: South Tamworth for a lower purchase price, South Tamworth for recent price momentum, Grafton for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.