Biggera Waters vs Coombabah

Biggera Waters is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 51 in Coombabah. In both, about half of households are people living alone. In Biggera Waters, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Coombabah, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Biggera Waters: a median of $1.24 million, against $1 million in Coombabah. On these figures, Biggera Waters tends to suit renters, while Coombabah suits older residents and buyers on a tighter budget.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Coombabah

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (49% vs 20%)
  • has more parks and reserves (15 vs 7)
  • carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 81/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Coombabah

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,000,000 vs $1,240,000)
  • has cheaper units ($700,000 vs $785,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Biggera Waters

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (48% vs 29%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (33% vs 38%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Biggera Waters is more walkable (79/100 vs 10/100)
  • Coombabah sits closer to the CBD (68.5 km vs 70.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Biggera Waters

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 10/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 3)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (80% vs 51%)
  • But Coombabah carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 81/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Biggera Waters is growing faster (16.9% vs -0.9%)
  • Coombabah returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.2% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Biggera Waters and Coombabah drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Walkability 79 / 10
Biggera Waters — Walkability: 79/100 Coombabah — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 19 / 60
Biggera Waters — Safety: 19/100 Coombabah — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Biggera Waters — Low fire risk: 100/100 Coombabah — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Biggera Waters has higher household incomes ($68,328 vs $56,784); Coombabah skews older (51 vs 44).

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Population 9,973 10,298
+3% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.9% -0.9%
Median age 44 51
Median household income $68,328/yr
+17% vs other
 $56,784/yr
Median weekly rent $430/wk
+3% vs other
 $415/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
0-4 3.9% / 3.8%
Biggera Waters — 0-4: 3.9% Coombabah — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 7.8% / 10.0%
Biggera Waters — 5-14: 7.8% Coombabah — 5-14: 10.0%
15-19 4.7% / 4.1%
Biggera Waters — 15-19: 4.7% Coombabah — 15-19: 4.1%
20-24 7.1% / 4.0%
Biggera Waters — 20-24: 7.1% Coombabah — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 15.6% / 9.7%
Biggera Waters — 25-34: 15.6% Coombabah — 25-34: 9.7%
35-44 12.0% / 11.0%
Biggera Waters — 35-44: 12.0% Coombabah — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 13.4% / 11.4%
Biggera Waters — 45-54: 13.4% Coombabah — 45-54: 11.4%
55-64 13.7% / 12.7%
Biggera Waters — 55-64: 13.7% Coombabah — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 12.3% / 16.5%
Biggera Waters — 65-74: 12.3% Coombabah — 65-74: 16.5%
75-84 6.8% / 12.6%
Biggera Waters — 75-84: 6.8% Coombabah — 75-84: 12.6%
85+ 2.7% / 4.3%
Biggera Waters — 85+: 2.7% Coombabah — 85+: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Biggera Waters 46.9% lone person
Biggera Waters — Lone Person: 46.9% Biggera Waters — Couple Families: 24.3% Biggera Waters — One Parent Families: 17.6% Biggera Waters — Group Household: 9.0% Biggera Waters — Other Families: 2.1%
Coombabah 49.3% lone person
Coombabah — Lone Person: 49.3% Coombabah — Couple Families: 26.1% Coombabah — One Parent Families: 17.8% Coombabah — Group Household: 5.4% Coombabah — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Biggera Waters 48.3% renting
Biggera Waters — Owned Outright: 26.9% Biggera Waters — Mortgage: 24.8% Biggera Waters — Renting: 48.3%
Coombabah 28.9% renting
Coombabah — Owned Outright: 43.0% Coombabah — Mortgage: 28.1% Coombabah — Renting: 28.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Certificate III & IV 15.7% / 17.4%
Biggera Waters — Certificate III & IV: 15.7% Coombabah — Certificate III & IV: 17.4%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 7.9%
Biggera Waters — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Coombabah — Bachelor Degree: 7.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.2% / 9.0%
Biggera Waters — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2% Coombabah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Postgraduate Degree 4.3% / 2.3%
Biggera Waters — Postgraduate Degree: 4.3% Coombabah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.4%
Biggera Waters — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Coombabah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
New Zealand 7.7% / 9.1%
Biggera Waters — New Zealand: 7.7% Coombabah — New Zealand: 9.1%
England 4.8% / 7.3%
Biggera Waters — England: 4.8% Coombabah — England: 7.3%
China 3.1% / 1.1%
Biggera Waters — China: 3.1% Coombabah — China: 1.1%
Philippines 1.0% / 1.2%
Biggera Waters — Philippines: 1.0% Coombabah — Philippines: 1.2%
South Africa 0.9% / 1.2%
Biggera Waters — South Africa: 0.9% Coombabah — South Africa: 1.2%
Scotland 0.7% / 1.1%
Biggera Waters — Scotland: 0.7% Coombabah — Scotland: 1.1%
India 1.2% / 0.5%
Biggera Waters — India: 1.2% Coombabah — India: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Biggera Waters 60.9% flats / apartments
Biggera Waters — Flats / Apartments: 60.9% Biggera Waters — Houses: 20.4% Biggera Waters — Townhouses: 18.7%
Coombabah 9.1% flats / apartments
Coombabah — Flats / Apartments: 9.1% Coombabah — Houses: 49.3% Coombabah — Townhouses: 41.6%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Median house price $1,240,000 $1,000,000
Median unit price $785,000 $700,000
Median land price $1,450,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 39 sales
 34 days
from 91 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
2 bed $778K / $635K
Biggera Waters — 2 bed: $778K (153 sales) Coombabah — 2 bed: $635K (20 sales)

153 vs 20 sales

3 bed $900K / $765K
Biggera Waters — 3 bed: $900K (54 sales) Coombabah — 3 bed: $765K (17 sales)

54 vs 17 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
2 bed $840K / $707K
Biggera Waters — 2 bed: $840K (10 sales) Coombabah — 2 bed: $707K (20 sales)

10 vs 20 sales

3 bed $1.2M / $1M
Biggera Waters — 3 bed: $1.2M (29 sales) Coombabah — 3 bed: $1M (111 sales)

29 vs 111 sales

4 bed $1.74M / $1.24M
Biggera Waters — 4 bed: $1.74M (20 sales) Coombabah — 4 bed: $1.24M (50 sales)

20 vs 50 sales

5 bed $1.86M / $1.08M
Biggera Waters — 5 bed: $1.86M (5 sales) Coombabah — 5 bed: $1.08M (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

Development activity

Biggera Waters Coombabah
New dwellings approved 7,196
across Gold Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year -35%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Houses 3.0%
$865/wk on $1.49M
 5.2%
$850/wk on $854K
Units 4.7%
$760/wk on $849K
 —

Ranking within QLD

Biggera Waters Coombabah
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 35% of QLD Higher than 19% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 95% of QLD Higher than 71% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 89% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of QLD Higher than 92% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 11% of QLD Higher than 93% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 59% of QLD —

Liveability

Biggera Waters is more walkable (79 vs 10).

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Grade B
same for both
Score 54/100 53/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Biggera Waters carries more crime risk (81 vs 40).

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
81/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
14/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Gold Coast, 4.8 km
 1
Gold Coast, 7.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.1% 1.0%

Schools in Biggera Waters

  • Biggera Waters State School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Coombabah

  • Coombabah State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Coombabah State School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 9 0
Parks & reserves 7 15
Childcare 2 4
GPs 5 3
Pharmacies 3 1
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Waterways 0 4

Mobility

Biggera Waters sits further from the CBD (70.7 km vs 68.5 km).

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Walkability score 79/100 10/100
Distance to Brisbane 70.7 km
+3% vs other
 68.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 60 min
same for both
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 106.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 126.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 4216
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 4216
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Car (driver) 75.0% / 78.7%
Biggera Waters — Car (driver): 75.0% Coombabah — Car (driver): 78.7%
Worked from Home 13.3% / 12.1%
Biggera Waters — Worked from Home: 13.3% Coombabah — Worked from Home: 12.1%
Car (passenger) 5.1% / 5.1%
Biggera Waters — Car (passenger): 5.1% Coombabah — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Walked Only 2.8% / 1.4%
Biggera Waters — Walked Only: 2.8% Coombabah — Walked Only: 1.4%
Bus 1.6% / 1.3%
Biggera Waters — Bus: 1.6% Coombabah — Bus: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.7%).

Setting

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Elevation 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
same for both
Distance to the ocean 1.2 km
1.9 km to a named beach
 3.4 km

NBN connectivity

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Connectivity score 75/100 81/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 6%
4,819 premises
 23%
5,177 premises

Climate

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Annual rainfall 1,351 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 12.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Biggera Waters Coombabah
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³ 5.4 µg/m³
PM10 14.3 µg/m³ 19.3 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.43 pphm 0.91 pphm

Council rates

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Average residential rate $1,298/yr
same for both
Council Gold Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Division Fadden
same for both
Member Cameron Caldwell
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Biggera Waters Coombabah
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Biggera Waters

Apartments Coastal Parks Regional Centre Urban

Coombabah

Regional Centre Retirees Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Biggera Waters

Biggera Waters vs Labrador Biggera Waters vs Arundel Biggera Waters vs Runaway Bay Biggera Waters vs Main Beach Biggera Waters vs South Stradbroke

Other comparisons with Coombabah

Coombabah vs Helensvale Coombabah vs Arundel Coombabah vs Runaway Bay Coombabah vs Paradise Point Coombabah vs Hollywell
Full data on Biggera Waters Full data on Coombabah
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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