Side by sideSuburb comparison

Shoal Bay vs Fingal Bay.

Comparing two suburbs with median house prices of $1,250,000 and $1,280,000. Shoal Bay edges out on more headline metrics in this comparison.

Shoal Bay (median $1,250,000) is roughly 2% cheaper to buy into than Fingal Bay ($1,280,000). Over the past year, Shoal Bay (+5.9%) ran 1.4 percentage points ahead of Fingal Bay (+4.5%) on house-price growth.

Shoal Bay scores higher on walkability (6/100 vs 2/100 ), useful if you're optimising for a car-light household.

The takeWhich suburb suits which buyer

For buyers

Shoal Bay is the lower entry point at $1,250,000 median, 2% below the other suburb. For first home buyers, that translates to a smaller deposit and lower stamp duty bill.

For investors

Shoal Bay carries both higher gross yield (3.00% vs 2.93%) and stronger 12-month growth. On the headline numbers, it's the cleaner investor case of the two.

For families

Fingal Bay has a heavier family-household mix (69% vs 55%), which typically signals stronger demand for family-amenable infrastructure (parks, schools, supermarkets).

Common questionsShoal Bay vs Fingal Bay

Common questions

Is Shoal Bay or Fingal Bay cheaper to buy in?

Shoal Bay has the lower median house price at $1,250,000, roughly 2% below Fingal Bay ($1,280,000). The gap on units is usually similar but worth checking on the full suburb profiles.

Which has stronger property growth, Shoal Bay or Fingal Bay?

Over the past 12 months, Shoal Bay grew +5.9% vs +4.5% in Fingal Bay, a gap of 1.4 percentage points. Twelve-month growth can swing year to year, so weight long-run trends from the individual suburb profiles before making a buy decision.

Which is more walkable, Shoal Bay or Fingal Bay?

Shoal Bay scores 6/100 on walkability vs 2/100. Above 70 is considered very walkable (most errands on foot), 50-69 is walkable for some errands, below 50 typically requires a car for daily life.

Which suburb has higher rental yield, Shoal Bay or Fingal Bay?

Gross rental yield on houses is 3.00% in Shoal Bay vs 2.93% in Fingal Bay. Gross yield equals annual rent divided by purchase price. Net yield (after strata, rates, insurance, agent fees and maintenance) typically runs 1.5-2 percentage points lower.

The numbers behind the take

Shoal Bay
Metric
Fingal Bay

Price & Market

$1,250,000
Median house
$1,280,000
$298,800
Median unit
$298,800
+5.9%
Annual growth (house)
+4.5%
Days on market

Rental

$720/wk
Rent (house / wk)
$720/wk
$550/wk
Rent (unit / wk)
$550/wk
55.0%
Owner occupied
64.0%
33.0%
Renter occupied
23.0%

Lifestyle & Demographics

6
Walk score
2
10
Transit score
0
100
Bike score
45
1,815
Population
1,635
59
Median age
63

Risk & Hazard

Flood class
Bushfire risk

Schools

8
Schools nearby
8
961
Avg ICSEA
961

Climate

1143 mm
Annual rainfall
1143 mm
24.7°C
Mean max (Jan)
24.7°C

Green dot = better on that metric (lower price, higher growth, higher walkability, lower risk).