Surf Beach vs Malua Bay.
Suburb-to-suburb comparison across price, growth, lifestyle, schools and risk.
Surf Beach scores higher on walkability (12/100 vs 0/100 ), useful if you're optimising for a car-light household. On school quality, the average ICSEA across schools serving Malua Bay (948) sits above Surf Beach (935). Malua Bay skews owner-occupied (79%), Surf Beach runs more rental-dense (68% owner).
For buyers
We don't yet have verified suburb-level medians for one or both of these suburbs. Check the individual profiles for the data we do publish, and the methodology page for how we source it.
For investors
Rental or growth data is incomplete for one or both suburbs. Look at the full investor view on each suburb profile for a complete picture.
For families
Malua Bay edges out on average school ICSEA (948 vs 935). Malua Bay also has a higher family-household share (74% vs 64%), so the catchment community skews family-heavy.
Common questions
Does Surf Beach or Malua Bay have better schools?
On average school ICSEA (the ACARA index that benchmarks educational advantage), Malua Bay scores 948 vs 935 in Surf Beach. ICSEA is a school-community indicator, not a quality rating, so always check NAPLAN results and catchment boundaries for the specific address you're considering.
Which is more walkable, Surf Beach or Malua Bay?
Surf Beach scores 12/100 on walkability vs 0/100. 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.
The numbers behind the take
Price & Market
Rental
Lifestyle & Demographics
Risk & Hazard
Schools
Climate
Green dot = better on that metric (lower price, higher growth, higher walkability, lower risk).
Compare Surf Beach against another suburb