Murwillumbah vs Wadalba
Property investment comparison - Murwillumbah, NSW 2484 vs Wadalba, NSW 2259
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Murwillumbah wins 5, Wadalba wins 0. 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 | Murwillumbah | Wadalba |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $980K | $980K |
| Median unit price | $500K | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 4.20% | 4.00% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 5.21% | 4.43% |
| 1-year house growth | +8.9% | +7.0% |
| 3-year house growth | +27.3% | +13.3% |
| Vacancy rate | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| Population | 7,616 | 4,204 |
Murwillumbah vs Wadalba: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $980K in Murwillumbah and $980K in Wadalba.
On cash flow, Murwillumbah leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 4.20%, compared with 4.00% in Wadalba, a gap of 0.20 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +8.9% in Murwillumbah and +7.0% in Wadalba, so recent momentum favours Murwillumbah, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Murwillumbah houses are +27.3% and Wadalba houses +13.3%, so Murwillumbah has compounded faster than Wadalba over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 0.2% in Murwillumbah and 0.7% in Wadalba, so landlords in Murwillumbah face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Murwillumbah is the bigger suburb, with a population of 7,616 against 4,204, larger than Wadalba; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Murwillumbah for rental income, Murwillumbah for recent price momentum, Murwillumbah 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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