Blue Mountain vs Koumala
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Koumala, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Blue Mountain tends to suit families with children, while Koumala suits couples.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Blue Mountain is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 66%)
- Koumala has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Blue Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (5% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Blue Mountain
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 14%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Koumala
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (622 min vs 659 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (909.5 km vs 948.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Blue Mountain and Koumala drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Koumala has more residents (772 vs 83); Koumala rents higher ($250/wk vs $200/wk).
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 83 | 772 +830% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.8% | -7.1% |
| Median age | 44 | 45 |
| Median household income | $79,612/yr | $95,316/yr +20% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $250/wk +25% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $530,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 24 days from 4 sales |
Development activity
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 27 across Isaac | 574 across Mackay |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% | -6% |
Ranking within QLD
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 50% of QLD | Higher than 69% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 35% of QLD | Higher than 39% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 5% of QLD | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of QLD | Higher than 44% of QLD |
Liveability
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 22/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 48/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 49/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | High 96/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Blue Mountain
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Koumala
- Koumala State School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 19 | 66 |
Mobility
Blue Mountain sits further from the CBD (948.3 km vs 909.5 km).
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 948.3 km +4% vs other | 909.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 659 min | 622 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 4737 | 0.0% postcode 4738 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 4737 | 69 postcode 4738 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.1%).
Setting
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 203 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 49 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 28.3 km | 15.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 0% 322 premises |
Council rates
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $925/yr | $1,873/yr |
| Council | Isaac | Mackay |
Federal electorate
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Capricornia same for both | |
| Member | Michelle Landry same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Blue Mountain | Koumala | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Blue Mountain
Koumala
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Blue Mountain
Other comparisons with Koumala
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.