Cheap beach houses: Where to find affordable seaside suburbs across Sydney and Greater NSW

Buying an affordable coastal home in Sydney and NSW has never been easier than it is now. Find out where the best beachside bargains are.

There are many coastal areas near Sydney and across NSW where leaving the city and making a seachange won’t hurt buyers’ wallets as much you may expect.

New figures collated by realestate.com.au reveal there were many beachside suburbs where median house prices were below $650,000 - the threshold for which first-home buyers can access the state government exemption on stamp duty and other support.

RELATED: NSW’s beach suburbs where prices are skyrocketing

What a Labor win will mean for home seekers

Cheapest towns in NSW to buy a house

Coastal NSW towns north of Newcastle such as Karuah and Tarro offered houses around the $525,000 mark.

There are many coastal homes in NSW that are listed under $1 million.

The region was also home to NSW’s cheapest beachside area, the suburb of Karuah, where the median price of a house was $510,000.

Further up the coast, Bilambil Heights offered the cheapest apartments near the sea, with the median price at $242,500. On the south coast, Narooma units had a median of $281,000, according to the realestate.com.au study powered with PropTrack data.

The cheapest suburb in the Greater Sydney region to bag a beach house was the Central Coast suburb of Budgewoi.

6 Ocean Avenue, Stuarts Point is moments away from the water - with a $775,000 price guide

The median price of houses in the coastal peninsula suburb 112km north of the Sydney CBD was $630,000. It’s an increase from the $466,000 median price recorded at the start of 2020.

Realestate.com.au economist Paul Ryan said the cheapest beachside suburbs had a lot in common.

“Location is a big factor in the price and less accessible areas will always be cheaper,” Mr Ryan said.

Coastal living has become increasingly popular during the Covid pandemic, with home seekers capitalising on work from home arrangements to make a sea-change, Mr Ryan said.

Median prices in Noraville in Greater Sydney were $797,000

“People in the inner city areas of Sydney are looking to trade in their one bedroom apartments for a four bedroom (coastal) house for a better lifestyle,” he said.

“Areas like Budgewoi and The Entrance have been overlooked in the past since they were usually considered too difficult to move into and subsequently commute on a daily basis to the city. The trend of working from home has changed all that.”

Budgewoi builder Simon Sharp moved to 50 Sunrise Ave in Budgewoi in 2019 and has lived on the Central Coast for his whole life.

10 Waterview Road, Nords Wharf - Price guide: $1,550,000 - $1,625,000

Mr Sharp told The Daily Telegraph prices in the area were rising rapidly and he had seen up to 20 couples vying for homes in the area.

“The market up here is crazy, this area’s been growing over time and many of the houses are selling before they even go to market,” Mr Sharp said.

“Why spend a million dollars to live in Sydney when you can get a beachside place for under $800,000?”

During the pandemic, Mr Sharp had completely renovated the property which had initially been built during the 1980’s.

Karuah was the cheapest place in NSW to buy a home near the water - $510,000 for a house.

Real estate agent Liam Osborne of Osborn George sold homes in the Karuah region and said the cheaper prices were attracting buyers.

“It’s been getting more and more popular with retirees as it’s well known for being a good spot for fishing and boating,” he said.

“A lot of buyers who have come to the community hail from Sydney and Newcastle. We had a situation last year where there were not enough sellers and too many buyers interested in the area.”

Mr Osborne said Karuah’s popularity had been boosted over the last few years due to the increasing move for buyers to work-from home.

28 Morante Road, Karuah NSW real estate - Sold for $555,500

Many of the other beach suburbs among the cheapest in the Greater Sydney area were on the Central Coast, including Umina Beach, Woy Woy Bay and The Entrance.

The Entrance was the cheapest suburb in the Greater Sydney area where buyers could snap up units, with prices averaging $550,000 to $654,000.

CHEAPEST BEACHSIDE SUBURBS IN GREATER SYDNEY

(By median sale price)

Houses

#1: Budgewoi: $630,000

#2: Chain Valley Bay: $677,500

#3: The Entrance: $760,000

#4: Noraville: $797,000

#5: Chittaway Bay: $837,500

#6: Empire Bay: $890,000

#7: Bateau Bay: $950,000

#8: Umina Beach: $995,000

#9: Woy Woy Bay: $1,100,000

#10: Booker Bay: $1,250,000

Units

#1: The Entrance - $550,000

#2: The Entrance North - $654,000

#3: Ettalong North - $720,000

#4: Brighton-le-Sands - $726,000

#5: Umina Beach - $735,000

#6: Blue Bay - $829,250

#7: Booker Bay - $850,000

#8: San Souci - $920,000

#9: Monterey - $927,000

#10: Dee Why - $929,750

Cheapest beachside suburbs in NSW

Houses

#1: Karuah - $510,000

#2: Stuarts Point - $525,000

#3: Tarro - $525,000

#4: Pindimar - $535,000

#5: Mallabula - $540,000

#6: Nambucca Heads: $550,000

#7: Toronto - $567,250

#8: Tanilba Bay - $580,000

#9: Batemans Bay - $581,500

#10: North Arm Cove - $585,000

Units

#1: Bilambil Heights - $242,500

#2: Narooma - $281,000

#3: Eden - $345,000

#4: Merimbula - $349,000

#5: Sussex Inlet - $349,000

#6: North Haven - $350,000

#7: Batehaven - $365,000

#8: Tweed Heads West - $387,500

#9: Sapphire Beach - $400,000

#10: Morisset - $407,500

MORE: Luxe coast home to raise big bucks for local charity
Bankstown blocks sell for $17m
Sorrento mansion’s secret sale smashes price record