Living in a house in Flat Tops costs about $23,689 a year: council rates, water and sewerage, commute and home insurance combined. Flat Tops sits more than 100 kilometres from Sydney CBD. Unit costs come in at $23,639, as lower council rates more than offset the $1,800 body corporate levy. Driving is costed as a flat regional allowance of $18,200, about 20,000km of household driving a year, because a daily CBD commute is not realistic from here.
Regional driving allowance · ATO 91c/km · 20,000km a year
$18,200
Home insurance
Estimated · flood Low · fire High
$2,400
Body corporate
Estimated
$1,800
Total annual running cost
$23,689
($1,974/month)
↑ 14% above Dungog average
SuburbCost affordability score ●●○○○3.0/10 Poor
Cheaper to run than 26% of Dungog suburbs. Score blends running cost (50%), schools (20%) and flood & fire risk (30%).
Estimated electricity cost
typical 2-person household
House
$2,827/yr
5,238 kWh
Unit
$2,369/yr
3,929 kWh
Estimated from AER residential benchmarks for Flat Tops's climate zone at 2026-27 regulated prices for its electricity network. Get the free report for a breakdown by your exact number of occupants.
Getting around Flat Tops
within a 2 km walk
Nearest stop
No scheduled service within a 2 km walk of the suburb centre.
Supermarkets
0
Cafes
0
Parks
0
Counted from OpenStreetMap via Overpass inside a 2 km walking radius of the suburb centre, built 2026-08-07. Distances are straight line from that centre, so a specific address can be closer or further. Mapping is contributed and can lag a new opening.
Flat Tops is more than 100 kilometres from Sydney CBD, so a daily commute is not assumed. Driving is costed as a flat regional allowance of $18,200 a year, about 20,000km of household driving at the ATO rate of 91c/km. Add your own workplace in the free report to cost the real drive.
What are the council rates in Flat Tops?
Flat Tops falls under Dungog Council. The average residential rate for 2026-27 is $1,712 per year for an owner-occupied house, based on OLG data uplifted by the council's IPART rate peg. Individual properties pay more or less depending on land value. Unit owners in strata schemes pay $1,712 per year. These figures cover the general rate only and exclude waste and cleansing charges.
What does it cost to run a unit in Flat Tops?
Running a unit in Flat Tops costs approximately $23,639 per year by car or $7,839 by public transport. This includes council rates of $1,712, water and sewerage $1,377, estimated body corporate levy of $1,800, and contents insurance of $550. Body corporate fees vary significantly between buildings. Always confirm the actual levy before purchasing.
Is Flat Tops close to public transport?
No scheduled public transport stop was found within a 2 km walk of the centre of Flat Tops. The running cost on this page assumes driving, which is why the commute component is the largest line for most suburbs in this position.
What shops and parks are in Flat Tops?
Within a 2 km walk of the centre of Flat Tops there are 0 supermarkets, 0 cafes and 0 parks. These counts come from OpenStreetMap via Overpass, which is contributed mapping and can lag a recent opening or closure.
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Data sources: Council rates: Dungog rates (OLG 2024-25 + IPART 2026-27 peg). Water: Hunter Water 2026-27. Commute: ATO cents per kilometre rate 2026–27 (91c/km). Insurance: AI-estimated, disclosed as estimate. Schools: ACARA ICSEA 2025. Risk: Fire: NSW RFS Bush Fire Prone Land. Flood: modelled from 30m elevation (topographic). Data updated 2026-07. Cost estimates are for comparison purposes only and do not constitute financial, insurance, or credit advice.