Caloundra West vs Little Mountain
Caloundra West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 44 in Little Mountain. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Little Mountain: a median of $1.19 million, against $976,000 in Caloundra West. On these figures, Caloundra West tends to suit families with children 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
Little Mountain
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (20 vs 7)
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 42/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Caloundra West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($976,000 vs $1,192,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Caloundra West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 19%)
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
- Caloundra West sits closer to the CBD (84.5 km vs 88 km)
- Little Mountain is more walkable (51/100 vs 40/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Little Mountain
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 42/100)
- is more walkable (51/100 vs 40/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Caloundra West
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- is growing faster (15.5% vs 8.4%)
- returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.5% vs 3.6%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Caloundra West and Little Mountain 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
Little Mountain has more residents (11,068 vs 7,270); Little Mountain skews older (44 vs 37).
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,270 | 11,068 +52% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.5% | +8.4% |
| Median age | 37 | 44 |
| Median household income | $81,692/yr | $85,072/yr +4% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $465/wk | $461/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).
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 (7.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $976,000 | $1,192,500 |
| Median unit price | $805,000 | — |
| Median land price | — | $1,230,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 22 days from 69 sales | 26 days from 94 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.
52 vs 45 sales
81 vs 116 sales
17 vs 28 sales
Development activity
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2,962 across Sunshine Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -41% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.5% $825/wk on $950K | 3.6% $892/wk on $1.3M |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 53% of QLD | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of QLD | Higher than 87% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of QLD | Higher than 82% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 94% of QLD | Higher than 84% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 77% of QLD | Higher than 27% of QLD |
Liveability
Little Mountain is more walkable (51 vs 40); Little Mountain scores higher overall (69 vs 62).
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | A |
| Score | 62/100 | 69/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Caloundra West carries more crime risk (42 vs 31).
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | Low 31/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 3 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UniSC Sunshine Coast, 9.2 km | 1 UniSC Sunshine Coast, 7.0 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 1.5% | 1.3% |
Schools in Caloundra West
- Unity College Catholic · Combined at peers
Schools in Little Mountain
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 20 |
| Childcare | 4 | 3 |
| GPs | 1 same for both | |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 3 |
| Waterways | 5 | 3 |
Mobility
Little Mountain sits further from the CBD (88 km vs 84.5 km).
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 40/100 | 51/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 84.5 km | 88 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 74 min | 75 min |
| Public transport score | 70/100 Bus | 72/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 23.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 25.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| 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 (79.9%).
Setting
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 51 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.2 km 2.4 km to a named beach | 4.0 km 4.5 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 86/100 | 74/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 61% 3,360 premises | 47% 4,346 premises |
Climate
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,690/yr same for both | |
| Council | Sunshine Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Caloundra West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West | Little Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Caloundra West
Other comparisons with Little Mountain
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.