Newport vs Runaway Bay

The median house price is $1.6M in Newport and $1.6M in Runaway Bay, so Newport is the cheaper entry point.

For units, Newport sits at a median of $1.4M against $1.0M in Runaway Bay, which makes Runaway Bay the more affordable unit market and Newport the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +12.8% in Newport and +16.3% in Runaway Bay, so recent momentum favours Runaway Bay, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Newport houses are +34.2% and Runaway Bay houses +18.2%, so Newport has compounded faster than Runaway Bay over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 1.9% in Runaway Bay and 2.0% in Newport, so landlords in Runaway Bay face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Runaway Bay is the bigger suburb, with a population of 9,308 against 5,964, larger than Newport; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

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