Question 1

Is Cumbalum a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Cumbalum is a semi-rural suburb on the western outskirts of Ballina with a relaxed country atmosphere close to the coast and the Richmond River. The neighbourhood mixes small farms and hobby properties with newer low-density housing, so you’ll find tree-lined rural lanes alongside more recent residential streets and pockets of bushland and open paddocks. The community is weighted towards families — couple families with children make up about 50.4% of families — and the suburb has a population of 2,211, a median age of 37. Just over four in five homes are owner-occupied (81.9%).

Everyday life combines larger blocks and a quieter pace with straightforward road access to Ballina’s shops, services and coastal recreation, and Ballina Byron Gateway Airport sits a few kilometres to the west. The Cumbalum Urban Release Area is bringing new residential land and precinct infrastructure, with contributions planned for an interchange, a community centre site, playing-field access and an indoor sports and events complex. That mix tends to suit buyers after extra space and families; whether it suits you depends on what you want from a suburb.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Cumbalum?

Accepted Answer

At a median house price of $1,215,000, buying a house in Cumbalum works out to about 10.8 times what a typical local household earned in a year at the last Census, which sits well above local incomes. Renting tells a different story: an average house rent of $850 a week would take roughly 39% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, a sizeable share, while a unit at $600 a week would take about 28%, a moderate share. For many people the rent share is the most relevant number when weighing options between renting and buying.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Question 3

Is Cumbalum a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

If you're weighing up Cumbalum as an investment, the past year shows a split between prices and rents. House values edged down 1.1% over the 12 months while house rents rose a solid 9.0%, so on the house side rental income has been the stronger performer compared with price movement. Unit rents jumped 13.2%, a strong rise that also outpaced the increase in house rents.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$1.22M	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	-1.1%	N/A
Sold Past 3 months	14	N/A
Median days on market Past 12 months	44	N/A
Average rent Past 12 months	$850	$600
Change in rent Past 12 months	9.0%	13.2%

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