Mayfield vs Nelson Bay

The median house price is $1.1M in Mayfield and $1.0M in Nelson Bay, so Nelson Bay is the cheaper entry point.

For units, Mayfield sits at a median of $830K against $700K in Nelson Bay, which makes Nelson Bay the more affordable unit market and Mayfield the pricier one.

Gross rental yield on houses is effectively level, at 3.47% in Mayfield and 3.48% in Nelson Bay, so neither suburb has a cash flow edge on houses.

Over the past year house prices moved +10.5% in Mayfield and +0.1% in Nelson Bay (an estimate), so recent momentum favours Mayfield, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Rental vacancy is 1.1% in Mayfield and 1.6% in Nelson Bay, so landlords in Mayfield face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Mayfield is the bigger suburb, with a population of 9,760 against 6,141, larger than Nelson Bay; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

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