Best Cairns suburbs for first-home buyers
Woree leads the list on a median of $322,000. Across the full ranking, entry prices run from $322,000 to $880,000.
This ranking scores every eligible Cairns suburb on the median price for the property type (relative to Cairns), adjusted for walkability, growth momentum, safety, and CBD access. Houses and units are ranked separately since the buyer decision (and the price point) differ substantially.
Affordability is scored as a percentile within Cairns — cheaper suburbs get a higher affordability score without us chasing state-specific grant caps that shift each year. Growth is the sum of the 2016→2021 census population + dwelling change: a proxy for the suburb building equity under a new owner. Safety filters out any suburb below the 30 / 100 composite (bushfire + crime + flood combined) so a cheap flood-plain suburb can't win on price alone.
Best Cairns suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
Detached and semi-detached houses only — units, townhouses and apartments are ranked separately below.
Manoora
QLD 4870 · 6,175 residents$580K median · 34 recent listings · very walkable
Woree
QLD 4868 · 5,127 residents$670K median · 30 recent listings · walkable
Edmonton
QLD 4869 · 11,409 residents$772K median · 84 recent listings · walkable
Mount Sheridan
QLD 4868 · 8,678 residents$750K median · 77 recent listings · somewhat walkable
White Rock
QLD 4868 · 4,918 residents$700K median · 25 recent listings · car-dependent
Manunda
QLD 4870 · 5,191 residents$654K median · 24 recent listings · walkable
Westcourt
QLD 4870 · 3,841 residents$722K median · 18 recent listings · very walkable
Bentley Park
QLD 4869 · 8,360 residents$758K median · 70 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Mooroobool
QLD 4870 · 7,136 residents$700K median · 36 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Earlville
QLD 4870 · 4,200 residents$790K median · 17 recent listings · walkable
Parramatta Park
QLD 4870 · 3,621 residents$772K median · 12 recent listings · walkable
Smithfield
QLD 4878 · 6,664 residents$838K median · 62 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Kewarra Beach
QLD 4879 · 6,133 residents$880K median · 75 recent listings · walkable
Yorkeys Knob
QLD 4878 · 2,794 residents$694K median · 18 recent listings · very car-dependent
Kanimbla
QLD 4870 · 2,827 residents$839K median · 10 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Ranked from 27 qualifying suburbs.
Best Cairns suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
Units, apartments and townhouses — everything the listings data classifies as a unit rather than a detached house.
Woree
QLD 4868 · 5,127 residents$322K median · 26 recent listings · walkable
Manoora
QLD 4870 · 6,175 residents$399K median · 33 recent listings · very walkable
Westcourt
QLD 4870 · 3,841 residents$400K median · 22 recent listings · very walkable
Earlville
QLD 4870 · 4,200 residents$410K median · 8 recent listings · walkable
Manunda
QLD 4870 · 5,191 residents$368K median · 30 recent listings · walkable
Edge Hill
QLD 4870 · 4,088 residents$389K median · 7 recent listings · walkable
Cairns North
QLD 4870 · 5,334 residents$470K median · 63 recent listings · very walkable
Holloways Beach
QLD 4878 · 2,398 residents$360K median · 6 recent listings · car-dependent
Parramatta Park
QLD 4870 · 3,621 residents$500K median · 20 recent listings · walkable
Smithfield
QLD 4878 · 6,664 residents$500K median · 5 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Cairns City
QLD 4870 · 3,616 residents$594K median · 44 recent listings · walkable
Palm Cove
QLD 4879 · 2,450 residents$495K median · 49 recent listings · car-dependent
Freshwater
QLD 4870 · 2,142 residents$544K median · 8 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Mooroobool
QLD 4870 · 7,136 residents$500K median · 11 recent listings · somewhat walkable
Trinity Beach
QLD 4879 · 6,594 residents$560K median · 26 recent listings · walkable
Ranked from 19 qualifying suburbs.
35% affordability (percentile within Cairns) · 20% walkability · 15% growth (2016→2021 population + dwelling change) · 15% safety (bushfire, crime, flood risks combined) · 10% CBD access. Plus a small volume bonus rewarding suburbs with deeper listing inventory. See how we calculate for the full methodology.
Common questions about this ranking
What are the best Cairns suburbs for first-home buyers?
Woree leads the list on a median of $322,000. Across the full ranking, entry prices run from $322,000 to $880,000.
How is this ranking scored?
Each eligible Cairns suburb is scored on five factors: 35% affordability (median price as a percentile within Cairns — cheaper suburbs score higher), 20% OpenStreetMap-derived walkability, 15% growth (2016→2021 population and dwelling change combined), 15% safety (bushfire, crime and flood risks combined), and 10% CBD access (drive-time to the CBD). A small volume bonus rewards suburbs with deeper listing inventory so buyers have real choice.
Why are houses and units ranked separately?
The price gap between a median house and a median unit is usually 30–50 percent in Australian metros, and buyers self-select strongly on the house-vs-unit choice before shortlisting suburbs. Blending the two into one score would hide the signal each type of buyer is actually looking for, so we publish both lists on the same page.
Which suburbs are eligible for the ranking?
To appear on the list, a suburb needs a resident population of at least 1,000, at least 5 listings of the property type in the last 6 months (so we're not ranking a market with one sale), and a composite safety score of at least 30/100 — bushfire, crime and flood risks combined. The safety gate stops a genuinely dangerous suburb winning on price alone.
How often is this list updated?
The top 15 is recomputed after each property-listings refresh — monthly on the 1st. Growth and safety inputs refresh alongside the underlying ABS census and state-government risk datasets.
Same list in other cities
- Best Sydney suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Melbourne suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Brisbane suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Perth suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Adelaide suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Hobart suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Darwin suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Canberra suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Newcastle suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Central Coast suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Sunshine Coast suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Gold Coast suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Wollongong suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Geelong suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Townsville suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Toowoomba suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Busselton suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Ballarat suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Albany suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Ballina suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Geraldton suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Warragul suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Bundaberg suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Launceston suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Bendigo suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Rockhampton suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Mackay suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Albury – Wodonga suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Camden Haven suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Burnie suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Wagga Wagga suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Coffs Harbour suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Alice Springs suburbs for first-home buyers
- Best Mount Isa suburbs for first-home buyers
Related
Rankings last computed 24 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏