Caloundra vs Kings Beach
Kings Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 58 in Caloundra. In both, most households are people living alone. In Caloundra, most households own their home and about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Kings Beach, about half of households rent and the large majority of homes are flats or apartments. On these figures, Caloundra tends to suit older residents.
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
Caloundra
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (7 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (24% vs 6%)
- But Kings Beach carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 93/100)
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
- Caloundra has cheaper houses ($1,002,000 vs $1,650,000)
- Kings Beach leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 38%)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Kings Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (29% vs 37%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Caloundra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (89/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Caloundra
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (9 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 30%)
- is more walkable (89/100 vs 76/100)
- But Kings Beach carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 93/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kings Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.1% vs 0.4%)
Weighs unit yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Caloundra and Kings Beach 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
Caloundra has more residents (3,932 vs 3,042); Kings Beach has higher household incomes ($65,832 vs $50,960).
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,932 +23% vs other | 3,042 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.4% | +9.1% |
| Median age | 58 | 53 |
| Median household income | $50,960/yr | $65,832/yr +29% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $360/wk | $370/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,002,000 | $1,650,000 |
| Median unit price | $880,000 | $865,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 22 days from 22 sales | 38 days from 8 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.
11 vs 5 sales
21 vs 5 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.
94 vs 136 sales
37 vs 75 sales
Development activity
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2,962 across Sunshine Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -41% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.1% $780/wk on $995K | — |
| Units | 4.0% $695/wk on $900K | 4.4% $720/wk on $859K |
Ranking within QLD
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 14% of QLD | Higher than 31% of QLD |
| Schools | Higher than 60% of QLD | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 98% of QLD | Higher than 94% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of QLD | Higher than 82% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 85% of QLD | Higher than 73% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 59% of QLD | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 32% of QLD | Higher than 47% of QLD |
Liveability
Kings Beach scores higher overall (62 vs 46); Caloundra is more walkable (89 vs 76).
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | B |
| Score | 46/100 | 62/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Caloundra carries more crime risk (93 vs 59).
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 93/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 86/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 4 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UniSC Sunshine Coast, 9.6 km | None |
Schools in Caloundra
- Caloundra State School Government · Primary above peers
- Caloundra Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
- Caloundra State High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Kairos Community College - Caloundra Campus Independent · Secondary · Special school
Schools in Kings Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 5 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 26 | 7 |
| Parks & reserves | 10 | 6 |
| Childcare | 7 | 0 |
| GPs | 9 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 7 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 9 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 0 |
Mobility
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 89/100 | 76/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 91.3 km | 92.5 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 81 min | 80 min |
| Public transport score | 78/100 Bus | 71/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 84.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 23.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 4551 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 4551 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.7%).
Setting
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 794 m 1.5 km to a named beach | 202 m 316 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 75/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the curb | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 18% 4,232 premises | 12% 2,995 premises |
Climate
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,052 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 14.7°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.31 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,690/yr same for both | |
| Council | Sunshine Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Fisher same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Wallace same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Caloundra | Kings Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Caloundra
Kings Beach
More comparisons
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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.