Empire Bay, NSW 2257
Empire Bay property market
House sales lead the way in Empire Bay, with 37 sales at around $1.287M (up) as of July 2026, taking about 48 days to sell (up from 45 days last year), with 4-bedroom the biggest group at around 4 in 10.
House rentals follow, with 22 leases at $673 a week, renting out in about 17 days, among the country's biggest house rent drops. Followed by 5 unit rentals at $515 a week and 5 unit sales at around $860k.
Who lives hereAn above-average-income, mostly owner-occupied, family-oriented suburb.
House covers houses, duplexes, semi-detached and terraces; Unit covers apartments, units, townhouses and villas.
Empire Bay demographics & population
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) 2021 · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Unlock the full report
Detailed, institutional-grade analysis — well beyond the usual suburb snapshot.
InsideWho lives here · What homes cost to buy & rent · How fast homes are selling · How much is for sale or rent · How it compares to nearby suburbs · Schools nearby
This report
- The complete Empire Bay report
- 30 days of live access
- Download as a PDF
- Months of supply needs the add-on
Full access
- Unlimited suburb reports
- Near real-time + 5-year data
- 50+ dual-metric map views
- Demand cycle + market velocity
Already a member? Sign in
Who lives in Empire Bay?
The age structure, household make-up, and cultural fabric of the people who call this suburb home.
Share of all residents by 5-year band · hover a band for the count + split
A strongly multicultural community with deep migrant heritage.
2020–21 understated — COVID border closures.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Housing & affordability in Empire Bay
What it costs to live here, who owns versus rents, and the shape of the housing stock.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Income & employment in Empire Bay
Incomes, employment, and the occupation mix of the people who live here.
A typical household earns about 1.8× the typical individual here.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Getting around Empire Bay
How people get to work, and how car-dependent the suburb is — the clearest tell of inner-urban versus outer-suburban living.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Education · ACARA My School 2025
Schools in and around Empire Bay
1 school inside Empire Bay, plus the closest options around it. Families can choose from 1 primary school in Empire Bay and its surrounds — no high school sits within this radius. Distances are straight-line from the suburb centre and are not enrolment catchments — always confirm zones with the school.
ICSEA is ACARA’s official measure of a school’s socio-educational advantage — based mainly on parents’ education and occupation, plus the school’s location and student mix.
- Within Empire Bay · 1Order by
- 1Empire Bay Public SchoolGovernment · Primary · Co-ed · Years K-6 · Within suburbState Rank—English—Maths—Students251Multilingual50%ICSEA Rank50th
Why are some State Rank and star ratings blank? Schools can choose not to publish their results. In practice, schools that score well above their state average almost always publish theirs — so a blank rating more often reflects a school opting out than a top result being hidden. Academic results also tend to rise with ICSEA Rank, so higher-ICSEA schools more often carry a strong State Rank as well.
School profile and ICSEA data sourced from ACARA — © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (data year 2025) · State Rank & star columns are Micromarkets-compiled academic ratings from publicly available school results · Distances are straight-line from the suburb centre, not catchments.
Turnover
How settled or transient the community is — and where newcomers came from.
Empire Bay median house price & rent
Headline price, rent, yield and time on market for Empire Bay — choose a property type and size below.
House & unit prices by bedroom
Every segment this suburb tracks — sales and rentals side by side, ranked by total activity over the last twelve months.
Empire Bay property growth
Where each segment sits against its peers in the chosen geography — past the midline means it's outperforming the rest.
Market demandHow fast this market is moving — a velocity index built from trailing-year transaction volume and median days on market. Strong volume lifts the score; days on market drags it down, with the drag growing sharply once listings start lingering. Ranked against peers in the chosen geography.
Houses
Units
Buying vs renting in Empire Bay
What it costs each week to own a property versus renting the same one — positive means buying carries the premium, negative means rent covers the mortgage.
How strong is demand, and which way is it heading?
Two questions on one chart — how strong demand is right now, and which way it's heading year-on-year.
Sales market velocity
Empire Bay against the neighbourhood
Eight diagnostic views cutting the data a different way each time — Empire Bay in blue, peers in colour.
How fast — and is it getting faster?
Housing supply & months of stock
How long current listings would take to clear at the recent rate of sales or leases. Critical shortage and Oversupply only fire at the genuine tails of the national distribution — sales tip in under 0.7 months, rentals far faster, under 0.3.
Sales market
| Segment | Band | Months of supply left | YoYYoY change12-month change in months of supply. Down means stock is tightening (fewer months than a year ago); up means stock is loosening. | ListedListedActive listings in this segment right now, derived from months of supply multiplied by the recent transaction rate. | SoldSold (last year)Total sold transactions completed in this segment over the last 12 months. | Per monthPer monthAverage monthly absorption — how many properties are sold each month in this segment, over the last 12 months. |
|---|
Rental market
| Segment | Band | Months of supply left | YoYYoY change12-month change in months of supply. Down means stock is tightening (fewer months than a year ago); up means stock is loosening. | ListedListedActive listings in this segment right now, derived from months of supply multiplied by the recent transaction rate. | LeasedLeased (last year)Total leased transactions completed in this segment over the last 12 months. | Per monthPer monthAverage monthly absorption — how many properties are leased each month in this segment, over the last 12 months. |
|---|
Who's transacting — buyers or tenants?
Out of every property transaction in this suburb, what share are sales versus leases — each point a rolling twelve-month window.
Empire Bay — Units & Houses, all bedrooms
Empire Bay median house price & rent history
Each tape traces one metric across sixty months for the selected segment — every point a trailing twelve-month figure, matching the headline KPIs above.
Five-year summaryAs of Jun 2026, the median house sale price in Empire Bay rose from $591k (Jul 2021) to $959k (Jun 2026) — +62.3% growth over five years — peaking at $1.10M between Apr 2025 and Mar 2026. Median house rent went from $354/wk to $468/wk (+32.2%) over the same period. For units, the median sale price rose from $401k to $568k (+41.7%), with rent up from $363/wk to $441/wk (+21.5%) over the same period.
Suburbs near Empire Bay: prices compared
The nearest suburbs to Empire Bay, ranked by distance — each lined up against Empire Bay on the same measures, so the differences jump out at a glance.
Suburbs like Empire Bay
Suburbs anywhere in NSW that behave like Empire Bay — matched on price, growth, selling speed and demand, not on distance. A shortlist of markets that move the same way — including ones far away you'd never think to compare. (Want the suburbs right next door instead? See Nearby markets above.)
Empire Bay vs Long Jetty: the closest sales-market match trades at a median of $836k against Empire Bay's $863k — about 3% lower, with homes selling in 28 days versus 58 days here.
Comparable sales markets to Empire Bay: Long Jetty median house price, Stockton property prices, Blackwall median house price, Ettalong Beach median house price and Picton property growth.
Empire Bay's closest rental-market twins: Blackwall median house price, Picton property growth, Ettalong Beach property market, Long Jetty median house price and Stockton market trends. Each link opens that suburb's full market report.
Frequently asked · Empire Bay
26 data-driven answers about Empire Bay's property market — every one computed from the metrics above.
What things cost
Prices, rent, yield, ownership costWhat is the median house price in Empire Bay?
#The median house price in Empire Bay, NSW 2257 is $863k as of June 2026, based on 5 sales over the past 12 months. Houses there have moved +50.0% year-on-year. Prices vary by bedroom count, from compact two-bedroom homes to larger four-bedroom houses. See the bedroom-level breakdown below for 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom medians.
What is the median unit price in Empire Bay?
#The median unit price in Empire Bay, NSW 2257 is $863k as of June 2026, based on 5 sales over the past 12 months. Units have moved +50.0% year-on-year and currently trade at roughly 100% of the median house price.
How much does it cost to rent in Empire Bay?
#The median weekly house rent in Empire Bay is $507 as of June 2026, drawn from 4 leases over the past 12 months. Units rent for around $507 per week. House rents have moved +0.5% year-on-year. Current vacancy pressure is shown in the supply section above.
How much is rent for a 3 bedroom house in Empire Bay?
#A 3 bedroom house in Empire Bay rents for a median $507 per week as of June 2026, drawn from 4 leases over the past 12 months. Across other house sizes: 2-bedroom $507/week, 4-bedroom $507/week. Unit rents: 1-bedroom $507/week, 3-bedroom $507/week. Figures cover only segments with enough recent leases to be statistically meaningful; sparse segments are excluded. The segment breakdown covers rent, yield and days on market for every property type and bedroom count.
What is the gross rental yield in Empire Bay?
#Gross rental yield in Empire Bay is 2.70% for houses and 2.70% for units as of June 2026, compared with the NSW unit median of 3.44%. Gross yield is annual rent divided by purchase price — it doesn't account for ownership costs like council rates, strata, maintenance or vacancy.
How much is a 3 bedroom house in Empire Bay?
#As of June 2026, Empire Bay medians by bedroom count:
| Property | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | — | $863k | $863k | $863k |
| Units | $863k | — | $863k | — | $863k |
Figures cover only segments with enough recent transactions to be statistically meaningful; sparse segments are excluded.
What does it cost to own versus rent at the Empire Bay median?
#At the median Empire Bay house ($863k purchase, $507/week rent), weekly mortgage repayments sit at roughly $996 — about $489 more per week than renting. That gap is the ownership premium. Figures assume 80% LVR, a 6.0% interest rate and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan.
How the market is moving
Speed, supply, growth, cycle phaseWhat are Empire Bay's property market trends?
#Empire Bay's property market trends to June 2026: house prices rose +50.0% year-on-year and units +50.0%; weekly house rents moved +0.5%; homes now sell in a median 58 days — faster than a year ago by 15; sales supply sits at 5.3 months (very loose). Read together — price, rent, selling speed and supply — they show which way the Empire Bay market is leaning. The 5-year tape and demand cycle charts above plot the full trajectory.
What does the data say about Empire Bay as an investment?
#As of June 2026 in Empire Bay, house prices rose +50.0% over the year, gross rental yield is 2.70% against a NSW median of 1.79%, houses take a median 58 days to sell, sales supply is 5.3 months (very loose). Capital growth, rental yield, selling speed and supply are the signals investors weigh — but these figures describe the market, not a recommendation. This is data, not financial advice; always do your own research and consider a licensed adviser.
How quickly do houses sell in Empire Bay?
#Houses in Empire Bay sell in a median 58 days on market as of June 2026, with units clearing slightly similarly at 58 days. Days on market have tightened by 15 days versus a year ago. Faster clearance typically coincides with stronger buyer demand and lower supply.
Is Empire Bay a tight or loose property market right now?
#Empire Bay's sales market sits at 5.3 months of supply for houses as of June 2026 — classified as Very Loose against the Australian distribution. Under 1.7 months is Severe (extreme shortage); over 4.5 months is Loose. The rental side is tighter still at 0.4 months of supply.
Have property prices in Empire Bay gone up or down?
#House prices in Empire Bay moved +50.0% over the 12 months to June 2026, while units moved +50.0%. The 5-year tape above plots the full monthly trajectory — showing where the market changed character rather than just crossing round numbers.
How active is the rental market in Empire Bay?
#Empire Bay's house rental market sits at 0.4 months of supply as of June 2026 — classified as Severe (extreme shortage), with 5 houses leased over the past 12 months. Tighter supply typically corresponds to faster letting and upward pressure on rents.
Where is Empire Bay in its property market cycle?
#Empire Bay's house market is currently in the 'softer_weakening' phase as of June 2026 — combining above-median sales velocity nationally with year-on-year tightening in days on market. The demand cycle chart above plots all eight segments on the same demand-versus-direction axes.
How it compares
Vs state, vs nearby, vs popularHow does Empire Bay compare to other NSW suburbs?
#Empire Bay's median house price ($863k) is 9% below the NSW median ($954k) as of June 2026. On selling speed, houses clear in 58 days vs 26 days state median. On gross yield, Empire Bay sits at 2.70% vs 1.79% state median.
How does Empire Bay compare to neighbouring suburbs?
#Empire Bay's most-similar nearby market is Long Jetty (12.8 km away) with a median house price of $836k — about 3% cheaper. The Nearby and Similar markets sections above rank every peer within radius and by composite similarity across price, days on market, yield, ownership cost and cycle phase.
What's the most popular property type in Empire Bay?
#The most-transacted segment in Empire Bay over the 12 months to June 2026 is 2 bed houses with 8 sales. 3 bed houses come second at 8 sales. The buying-versus-renting section above breaks down the top segments with weekly mortgage, rent and ownership-cost detail.
How many properties were sold and leased in Empire Bay last year?
#Empire Bay recorded 8 house sales and 8 unit sales over the 12 months to June 2026 — a combined 16 transactions. On the rental side, 5 houses and 5 units were leased. Segments with statistically thin samples are excluded from displayed figures.
About the area
Population, income, who lives here, schoolsWhat postcode is Empire Bay in?
#Empire Bay is in postcode 2257, in the Central Coast region of NSW. Addresses there are written as Empire Bay, NSW 2257.
What is the population of Empire Bay?
#Empire Bay, NSW 2257 is home to 2,242 residents (ABS Census 2021). The median resident age is 30, and the average household holds 2.3 people. The "Who lives here" section above breaks the community down by age, life stage and tenure.
What is the median household income in Empire Bay?
#The median household in Empire Bay earns $1k per week — roughly $55k a year (ABS Census 2021). Median personal income runs $598/week. Income, rent-to-income and mortgage-to-income context sits in the "Who lives here" section above.
What is the unemployment rate in Empire Bay?
#The unemployment rate in Empire Bay is 50.0% (ABS Census 2021). That sits right around the median for Australian suburbs. The rate counts people who are working or actively looking for work — not a share of all residents. Workforce participation sits at 50%. The local economy section above covers incomes, employment status and the occupation mix.
Do people own or rent in Empire Bay?
#Empire Bay is mostly owner-occupied: about 100% of households are owner-occupiers and 50% rent (ABS Census 2021). Of owners, 50% own outright and 50% are paying off a mortgage.
What schools are near Empire Bay?
#Empire Bay has 78 schools within reach, 1 of them inside the suburb itself — including Empire Bay Public School. The Schools section above maps each one with sector, year range, enrolment, Micromarkets-compiled academic ratings and ICSEA (ACARA).
Is Empire Bay a good place to live?
#Empire Bay, NSW 2257 has a population of 2,242, a median age of 30, a median household income around $1k/week, 50% of households renting (ABS Census 2021). There are 78 schools within reach. Whether it's the right fit depends on your priorities — these figures describe the community, housing mix and amenity rather than offer a verdict.
About this data
Methodology and update cadenceWhen was this Empire Bay market data last updated?
#This Empire Bay market data was last updated July 2026, covering the 12 months to June 2026. Figures are computed monthly from 12-month rolling windows of recorded sales and leases, with five years of monthly history behind the trend charts. Methodology, glossary and data sources are linked in the footer.