Burleigh Heads vs Elanora

In both, most households own their home. In Burleigh Heads, about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Elanora, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Burleigh Heads: a median of $1.68 million, against $1.48 million in Elanora, though rent is higher in Elanora. On these figures, Burleigh Heads tends to suit people living alone and share households, while Elanora suits families with children and 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

Elanora

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (79% vs 39%)
  • carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 83/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 43%)
  • But Burleigh Heads has more parks and reserves (24 vs 5)

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

First-home buyers

Elanora

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($860,000 vs $1,200,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,477,500 vs $1,677,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Burleigh Heads

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 17%)
  • has cheaper rent ($480/wk vs $525/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Burleigh Heads

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (87.8 km vs 94.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Burleigh Heads has more units and townhouses to downsize into (61% vs 21%)
  • Elanora carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 83/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Burleigh Heads Elanora
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.

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Walkability 43 / 42
Burleigh Heads — Walkability: 43/100 Elanora — Walkability: 42/100
Safety 17 / 49
Burleigh Heads — Safety: 17/100 Elanora — Safety: 49/100
Low fire risk 76 / 100
Burleigh Heads — Low fire risk: 76/100 Elanora — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Population 10,572 12,539
+19% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.9% +3.2%
Median age 42
same for both
Median household income $88,452/yr $90,688/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $480/wk $525/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Burleigh Heads Elanora
0-4 4.5% / 5.6%
Burleigh Heads — 0-4: 4.5% Elanora — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 8.6% / 13.4%
Burleigh Heads — 5-14: 8.6% Elanora — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 3.9% / 6.4%
Burleigh Heads — 15-19: 3.9% Elanora — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 5.9% / 5.4%
Burleigh Heads — 20-24: 5.9% Elanora — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 17.0% / 9.5%
Burleigh Heads — 25-34: 17.0% Elanora — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 13.3% / 13.6%
Burleigh Heads — 35-44: 13.3% Elanora — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 12.5% / 13.9%
Burleigh Heads — 45-54: 12.5% Elanora — 45-54: 13.9%
55-64 12.4% / 11.6%
Burleigh Heads — 55-64: 12.4% Elanora — 55-64: 11.6%
65-74 12.6% / 10.8%
Burleigh Heads — 65-74: 12.6% Elanora — 65-74: 10.8%
75-84 6.5% / 7.0%
Burleigh Heads — 75-84: 6.5% Elanora — 75-84: 7.0%
85+ 2.7% / 2.9%
Burleigh Heads — 85+: 2.7% Elanora — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Burleigh Heads 29.6% couple families
Burleigh Heads — Couple Families: 29.6% Burleigh Heads — Lone Person: 43.9% Burleigh Heads — One Parent Families: 13.3% Burleigh Heads — Group Household: 11.9% Burleigh Heads — Other Families: 1.3%
Elanora 48.5% couple families
Elanora — Couple Families: 48.5% Elanora — Lone Person: 26.7% Elanora — One Parent Families: 19.4% Elanora — Group Household: 4.4% Elanora — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Burleigh Heads 34.7% renting
Burleigh Heads — Owned Outright: 34.9% Burleigh Heads — Mortgage: 30.4% Burleigh Heads — Renting: 34.7%
Elanora 17.4% renting
Elanora — Owned Outright: 38.8% Elanora — Mortgage: 43.9% Elanora — Renting: 17.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Certificate III & IV 14.9% / 17.7%
Burleigh Heads — Certificate III & IV: 14.9% Elanora — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Bachelor Degree 16.0% / 11.6%
Burleigh Heads — Bachelor Degree: 16.0% Elanora — Bachelor Degree: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.0% / 8.7%
Burleigh Heads — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0% Elanora — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 2.9%
Burleigh Heads — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Elanora — Postgraduate Degree: 2.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 1.6%
Burleigh Heads — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Elanora — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

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.

Burleigh Heads Elanora
New Zealand 5.1% / 4.5%
Burleigh Heads — New Zealand: 5.1% Elanora — New Zealand: 4.5%
England 4.2% / 5.1%
Burleigh Heads — England: 4.2% Elanora — England: 5.1%
Brazil 1.6% / 0.4%
Burleigh Heads — Brazil: 1.6% Elanora — Brazil: 0.4%
South Africa 0.9% / 1.0%
Burleigh Heads — South Africa: 0.9% Elanora — South Africa: 1.0%
Scotland 0.4% / 0.6%
Burleigh Heads — Scotland: 0.4% Elanora — Scotland: 0.6%
Canada 0.5% / 0.4%
Burleigh Heads — Canada: 0.5% Elanora — Canada: 0.4%
Germany — / 0.4%
Burleigh Heads — Germany: not among its largest Elanora — Germany: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Burleigh Heads 39.0% houses
Burleigh Heads — Houses: 39.0% Burleigh Heads — Flats / Apartments: 47.2% Burleigh Heads — Townhouses: 13.8%
Elanora 78.7% houses
Elanora — Houses: 78.7% Elanora — Flats / Apartments: 4.3% Elanora — Townhouses: 17.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Median house price $1,677,500 $1,477,500
Median unit price $1,200,000 $860,000
Median land price $1,417,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 40 days
from 108 sales
 22 days
from 157 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.

Burleigh Heads Elanora
3 bed $1.7M / $1.35M
Burleigh Heads — 3 bed: $1.7M (54 sales) Elanora — 3 bed: $1.35M (81 sales)

54 vs 81 sales

4 bed $1.6M / $1.53M
Burleigh Heads — 4 bed: $1.6M (67 sales) Elanora — 4 bed: $1.53M (124 sales)

67 vs 124 sales

5 bed $2.09M / $1.8M
Burleigh Heads — 5 bed: $2.09M (21 sales) Elanora — 5 bed: $1.8M (14 sales)

21 vs 14 sales

Development activity

Burleigh Heads Elanora
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.

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Houses 4.2%
$1,372/wk on $1.7M
 4.3%
$1,225/wk on $1.49M
Units 4.1%
$1,075/wk on $1.35M
 —

Ranking within QLD

Burleigh Heads Elanora
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 62% of QLD Higher than 64% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 85% of QLD
same for both
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 89% of QLD Higher than 87% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of QLD Higher than 86% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 64% of QLD Higher than 67% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 36% of QLD —

Liveability

Elanora scores higher overall (64 vs 48).

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Grade C B
Score 48/100 64/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Burleigh Heads carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0); Burleigh Heads carries more crime risk (83 vs 51).

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Bushfire Low
24/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
83/100
 Moderate
51/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
15/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Gold Coast campus, 5.4 km
 2
Gold Coast Airport Development Park - Bilinga, 6.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.0% 1.6%

Schools in Burleigh Heads

  • Burleigh Heads State School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Elanora

  • Elanora State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Elanora State High School Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Supermarkets 1 6
Cafes & restaurants 55 9
Parks & reserves 24 5
Childcare 8 6
GPs 5 4
Pharmacies 2
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Fuel stations 3 2
Waterways 37 0

Mobility

Elanora sits further from the CBD (94.1 km vs 87.8 km).

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Walkability score 43/100 42/100
Distance to Brisbane 87.8 km 94.1 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 66 min 70 min
Public transport score 79/100
Tram · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 153.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 122.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 4220
 1.2%
postcode 4221
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 4220
 51
postcode 4221

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.

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Car (driver) 70.1% / 76.7%
Burleigh Heads — Car (driver): 70.1% Elanora — Car (driver): 76.7%
Worked from Home 19.4% / 15.5%
Burleigh Heads — Worked from Home: 19.4% Elanora — Worked from Home: 15.5%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 4.4%
Burleigh Heads — Car (passenger): 3.2% Elanora — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Walked Only 4.0% / 1.0%
Burleigh Heads — Walked Only: 4.0% Elanora — Walked Only: 1.0%
Bicycle 1.4% / 0.9%
Burleigh Heads — Bicycle: 1.4% Elanora — Bicycle: 0.9%
Bus 1.3% / 1.0%
Burleigh Heads — Bus: 1.3% Elanora — Bus: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.7%).

Setting

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Elevation 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.7 km
1.8 km to a named beach
 3.0 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Connectivity score 71/100 76/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 15%
9,499 premises
 12%
5,135 premises

Climate

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Annual rainfall 1,637 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Burleigh Heads Elanora
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.43 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Average residential rate $1,298/yr
same for both
Council Gold Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Division McPherson
same for both
Member Leon Rebello
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Burleigh Heads Elanora
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Burleigh Heads

Apartments Coastal Premium Regional Centre

Elanora

Premium Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Heads vs Varsity Lakes Burleigh Heads vs Palm Beach Burleigh Heads vs Burleigh Waters Burleigh Heads vs Miami Burleigh Heads vs Reedy Creek Burleigh Heads vs Tallebudgera

Other comparisons with Elanora

Elanora vs Palm Beach Elanora vs Currumbin Waters Elanora vs Tallebudgera Elanora vs Currumbin Valley
Full data on Burleigh Heads Full data on Elanora
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or