Cairns North vs Manunda

In both, most households rent. In Cairns North, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. In Manunda, about half of homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are people living alone. Units cost more in Cairns North: a median of $432,000, against $332,000 in Manunda, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Cairns North tends to suit young adults, while Manunda suits 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

Manunda

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 2)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (39% vs 14%)
  • has more childcare (7 vs 3)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Cairns North leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 28%)
  • Manunda has cheaper units ($332,000 vs $432,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Manunda

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($259/wk vs $340/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Cairns North

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 68/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Cairns North

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (86% vs 61%)
  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 68/100)

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

Investors

Cairns North

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (2.8% vs -3.7%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.4% vs 5.9%)
  • But Manunda returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.2% vs 3.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Cairns North Manunda
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.

Cairns North Manunda
Walkability 82 / 68
Cairns North — Walkability: 82/100 Manunda — Walkability: 68/100
Safety 3 / 5
Cairns North — Safety: 3/100 Manunda — Safety: 5/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Cairns North — Low fire risk: 100/100 Manunda — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Cairns North rents higher ($340/wk vs $259/wk); Cairns North has higher household incomes ($72,904 vs $55,588).

Cairns North Manunda
Population 5,334
+3% vs other
 5,191
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.8% -3.7%
Median age 37 39
Median household income $72,904/yr
+24% vs other
 $55,588/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk
+24% vs other
 $259/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cairns North Manunda
0-4 3.9% / 5.6%
Cairns North — 0-4: 3.9% Manunda — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 7.6% / 10.3%
Cairns North — 5-14: 7.6% Manunda — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 4.0% / 6.3%
Cairns North — 15-19: 4.0% Manunda — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 8.5% / 7.3%
Cairns North — 20-24: 8.5% Manunda — 20-24: 7.3%
25-34 21.9% / 14.5%
Cairns North — 25-34: 21.9% Manunda — 25-34: 14.5%
35-44 16.2% / 13.5%
Cairns North — 35-44: 16.2% Manunda — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 13.1% / 13.4%
Cairns North — 45-54: 13.1% Manunda — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 12.2% / 12.3%
Cairns North — 55-64: 12.2% Manunda — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 8.6% / 10.2%
Cairns North — 65-74: 8.6% Manunda — 65-74: 10.2%
75-84 3.1% / 5.3%
Cairns North — 75-84: 3.1% Manunda — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 0.9% / 1.4%
Cairns North — 85+: 0.9% Manunda — 85+: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cairns North 57.7% lone person
Cairns North — Lone Person: 57.7% Cairns North — Couple Families: 15.8% Cairns North — One Parent Families: 13.1% Cairns North — Group Household: 11.6% Cairns North — Other Families: 1.8%
Manunda 52.7% lone person
Manunda — Lone Person: 52.7% Manunda — Couple Families: 18.5% Manunda — One Parent Families: 19.9% Manunda — Group Household: 6.5% Manunda — Other Families: 2.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cairns North 65.3% renting
Cairns North — Owned Outright: 16.5% Cairns North — Mortgage: 18.3% Cairns North — Renting: 65.3%
Manunda 57.2% renting
Manunda — Owned Outright: 21.0% Manunda — Mortgage: 21.8% Manunda — Renting: 57.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cairns North Manunda
Certificate III & IV 11.8% / 16.5%
Cairns North — Certificate III & IV: 11.8% Manunda — Certificate III & IV: 16.5%
Bachelor Degree 16.2% / 8.7%
Cairns North — Bachelor Degree: 16.2% Manunda — Bachelor Degree: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.2% / 6.9%
Cairns North — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2% Manunda — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.6% / 1.9%
Cairns North — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6% Manunda — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 1.1%
Cairns North — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Manunda — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

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

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.

Cairns North Manunda
England 3.7% / 2.8%
Cairns North — England: 3.7% Manunda — England: 2.8%
New Zealand 2.9% / 3.0%
Cairns North — New Zealand: 2.9% Manunda — New Zealand: 3.0%
India 3.6% / 1.8%
Cairns North — India: 3.6% Manunda — India: 1.8%
Philippines 1.8% / 2.3%
Cairns North — Philippines: 1.8% Manunda — Philippines: 2.3%
Nepal — / 2.1%
Cairns North — Nepal: not among its largest Manunda — Nepal: 2.1%
China 1.4% / 0.6%
Cairns North — China: 1.4% Manunda — China: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cairns North 81.4% flats / apartments
Cairns North — Flats / Apartments: 81.4% Cairns North — Houses: 14.2% Cairns North — Townhouses: 4.4%
Manunda 48.0% flats / apartments
Manunda — Flats / Apartments: 48.0% Manunda — Houses: 38.7% Manunda — Townhouses: 13.3%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Cairns North Manunda
Median house price $750,000 $690,000
Median unit price $432,500 $332,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 17 sales
 26 days
from 36 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.

Cairns North Manunda
2 bed $720K / $450K
Cairns North — 2 bed: $720K (12 sales) Manunda — 2 bed: $450K (5 sales)

12 vs 5 sales

3 bed $735K / $645K
Cairns North — 3 bed: $735K (10 sales) Manunda — 3 bed: $645K (38 sales)

10 vs 38 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.

Cairns North Manunda
1 bed $344K / $242K
Cairns North — 1 bed: $344K (58 sales) Manunda — 1 bed: $242K (47 sales)

58 vs 47 sales

2 bed $452K / $371K
Cairns North — 2 bed: $452K (130 sales) Manunda — 2 bed: $371K (65 sales)

130 vs 65 sales

3 bed $618K / $505K
Cairns North — 3 bed: $618K (30 sales) Manunda — 3 bed: $505K (11 sales)

30 vs 11 sales

Development activity

Cairns North Manunda
New dwellings approved 767
across Cairns
same for both
Approvals change year on year -81%
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.

Cairns North Manunda
Houses 3.6%
$650/wk on $949K
 5.2%
$658/wk on $654K
Units 6.4%
$575/wk on $470K
 5.9%
$420/wk on $368K

Ranking within QLD

Cairns North Manunda
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 42% of QLD Higher than 18% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 80% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 96% of QLD Higher than 91% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 75% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of QLD Higher than 82% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of QLD Higher than 95% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 93% of QLD Higher than 88% of QLD

Liveability

Cairns North is more walkable (82 vs 68).

Cairns North Manunda
Grade C
same for both
Score 39/100 36/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Cairns North Manunda
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
97/100
 High
95/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
35/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 10
within 5 km
 11
within 5 km

Schools

Cairns North Manunda
Inside the suburb 2 6
Rated above peers 2
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Cairns North

  • Cairns State High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Mother of Good Counsel School Catholic · Primary above peers

Schools in Manunda

  • Cairns School of Distance Education Government · Combined above peers
  • St Francis Xavier's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Cairns West State School Government · Primary at peers
  • FNQ Vocational Academy Government · Secondary at peers
  • The BUSY School Independent · Secondary
  • Trinity Bay State High School Government · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Cairns North Manunda
Supermarkets 3 1
Cafes & restaurants 14 3
Parks & reserves 8 17
Childcare 3 7
GPs 4 1
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 4 3
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 6

Mobility

Cairns North Manunda
Walkability score 82/100 68/100
Distance to Brisbane 1700.9 km 1699.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 1174 min 1172 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 132.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 40.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 4870
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 4870
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.

Cairns North Manunda
Car (driver) 58.4% / 70.7%
Cairns North — Car (driver): 58.4% Manunda — Car (driver): 70.7%
Worked from Home 13.9% / 11.2%
Cairns North — Worked from Home: 13.9% Manunda — Worked from Home: 11.2%
Walked Only 13.1% / 3.5%
Cairns North — Walked Only: 13.1% Manunda — Walked Only: 3.5%
Car (passenger) 7.7% / 8.8%
Cairns North — Car (passenger): 7.7% Manunda — Car (passenger): 8.8%
Bicycle 4.0% / 2.9%
Cairns North — Bicycle: 4.0% Manunda — Bicycle: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.7%).

Setting

Cairns North Manunda
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 203 m 2.0 km

NBN connectivity

Cairns North Manunda
Connectivity score 87/100 72/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 62%
3,866 premises
 48%
3,369 premises

Climate

Cairns North Manunda
Annual rainfall 2,121 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 18.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Cairns North Manunda
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Cairns North Manunda
Average residential rate $1,354/yr
same for both
Council Cairns
same for both

Federal electorate

Cairns North Manunda
Division Leichhardt
same for both
Member Matt Smith
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cairns North Manunda
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cairns North

Affordable Apartments Coastal Multicultural Parks

Manunda

Affordable Apartments Coastal Parks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cairns North

Cairns North vs Whitfield Cairns North vs Edge Hill Cairns North vs Parramatta Park Cairns North vs Cairns City Cairns North vs Aeroglen Cairns North vs Coral Sea

Other comparisons with Manunda

Manunda vs Mooroobool Manunda vs Manoora Manunda vs Edge Hill Manunda vs Westcourt Manunda vs Parramatta Park
Full data on Cairns North Full data on Manunda
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.

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