Capalaba vs Birkdale

Capalaba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 43 in Birkdale. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Birkdale, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Birkdale: a median of $1.25 million, against $1.05 million in Capalaba, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Capalaba tends to suit 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

Capalaba

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (45 vs 26)
  • has more childcare (13 vs 9)
  • But Birkdale carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 72/100)

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

First-home buyers

Capalaba

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,050,000 vs $1,250,000)
  • has cheaper units ($716,250 vs $847,000)
  • But Birkdale has cheaper land ($1,217,500 vs $1,970,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Capalaba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($385/wk vs $435/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Capalaba has more GPs (10 vs 1)
  • Birkdale carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 72/100)

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

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

Capalaba Birkdale
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.

Capalaba Birkdale
Walkability 80 / 77
Capalaba — Walkability: 80/100 Birkdale — Walkability: 77/100
Safety 28 / 60
Capalaba — Safety: 28/100 Birkdale — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Capalaba — Low fire risk: 100/100 Birkdale — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Birkdale rents higher ($435/wk vs $385/wk); Birkdale skews older (43 vs 39).

Capalaba Birkdale
Population 18,002
+18% vs other
 14,816
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.9% +2.2%
Median age 39 43
Median household income $90,844/yr $98,956/yr
+9% vs other
Median weekly rent $385/wk $435/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Capalaba Birkdale
0-4 5.9% / 5.0%
Capalaba — 0-4: 5.9% Birkdale — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 12.5% / 12.9%
Capalaba — 5-14: 12.5% Birkdale — 5-14: 12.9%
15-19 5.7% / 6.2%
Capalaba — 15-19: 5.7% Birkdale — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 5.6% / 5.3%
Capalaba — 20-24: 5.6% Birkdale — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 13.2% / 10.1%
Capalaba — 25-34: 13.2% Birkdale — 25-34: 10.1%
35-44 13.8% / 12.4%
Capalaba — 35-44: 13.8% Birkdale — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 12.5% / 13.6%
Capalaba — 45-54: 12.5% Birkdale — 45-54: 13.6%
55-64 13.2% / 12.6%
Capalaba — 55-64: 13.2% Birkdale — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 10.9% / 11.9%
Capalaba — 65-74: 10.9% Birkdale — 65-74: 11.9%
75-84 5.0% / 7.0%
Capalaba — 75-84: 5.0% Birkdale — 75-84: 7.0%
85+ 1.7% / 2.9%
Capalaba — 85+: 1.7% Birkdale — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Capalaba 43.7% couple families
Capalaba — Couple Families: 43.7% Capalaba — Lone Person: 32.2% Capalaba — One Parent Families: 18.8% Capalaba — Group Household: 4.0% Capalaba — Other Families: 1.3%
Birkdale 50.1% couple families
Birkdale — Couple Families: 50.1% Birkdale — Lone Person: 29.7% Birkdale — One Parent Families: 16.2% Birkdale — Group Household: 2.7% Birkdale — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Capalaba 26.4% renting
Capalaba — Owned Outright: 30.5% Capalaba — Mortgage: 43.1% Capalaba — Renting: 26.4%
Birkdale 19.8% renting
Birkdale — Owned Outright: 37.4% Birkdale — Mortgage: 42.8% Birkdale — Renting: 19.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Capalaba Birkdale
Certificate III & IV 19.4% / 17.7%
Capalaba — Certificate III & IV: 19.4% Birkdale — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Bachelor Degree 10.1% / 11.3%
Capalaba — Bachelor Degree: 10.1% Birkdale — Bachelor Degree: 11.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 8.6%
Capalaba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Birkdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 3.0%
Capalaba — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Birkdale — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 1.9%
Capalaba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Birkdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).

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.

Capalaba Birkdale
New Zealand 5.6% / 4.6%
Capalaba — New Zealand: 5.6% Birkdale — New Zealand: 4.6%
England 4.2% / 5.6%
Capalaba — England: 4.2% Birkdale — England: 5.6%
South Africa 1.3% / 1.8%
Capalaba — South Africa: 1.3% Birkdale — South Africa: 1.8%
India 1.1% / 0.8%
Capalaba — India: 1.1% Birkdale — India: 0.8%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.9%
Capalaba — Scotland: 0.5% Birkdale — Scotland: 0.9%
Philippines 1.2% / —
Capalaba — Philippines: 1.2% Birkdale — Philippines: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 0.9%
Capalaba — Netherlands: not among its largest Birkdale — Netherlands: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Capalaba 77.7% houses
Capalaba — Houses: 77.7% Capalaba — Townhouses: 18.6% Capalaba — Flats / Apartments: 3.7%
Birkdale 83.9% houses
Birkdale — Houses: 83.9% Birkdale — Townhouses: 11.2% Birkdale — Flats / Apartments: 4.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Capalaba Birkdale
Median house price $1,050,000 $1,250,000
Median unit price $716,250 $847,000
Median land price $1,970,000 $1,217,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 13 days
from 123 sales
 20 days
from 166 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.

Capalaba Birkdale
2 bed $700K / $680K
Capalaba — 2 bed: $700K (7 sales) Birkdale — 2 bed: $680K (5 sales)

7 vs 5 sales

3 bed $972K / $1.03M
Capalaba — 3 bed: $972K (95 sales) Birkdale — 3 bed: $1.03M (96 sales)

95 vs 96 sales

4 bed $1.11M / $1.31M
Capalaba — 4 bed: $1.11M (97 sales) Birkdale — 4 bed: $1.31M (116 sales)

97 vs 116 sales

5 bed $1.45M / $1.72M
Capalaba — 5 bed: $1.45M (22 sales) Birkdale — 5 bed: $1.72M (31 sales)

22 vs 31 sales

6 bed $1.3M / $1.81M
Capalaba — 6 bed: $1.3M (5 sales) Birkdale — 6 bed: $1.81M (7 sales)

5 vs 7 sales

Development activity

Capalaba Birkdale
New dwellings approved 1,598
across Redland
same for both
Approvals change year on year -26%
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.

Capalaba Birkdale
Houses 3.9%
$750/wk on $990K
 3.7%
$875/wk on $1.24M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Capalaba Birkdale
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 64% of QLD Higher than 73% of QLD
Schools Higher than 1% of QLD Higher than 24% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 95% of QLD
same for both
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 80% of QLD Higher than 82% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of QLD Higher than 89% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 51% of QLD Higher than 35% of QLD

Liveability

Birkdale scores higher overall (64 vs 52).

Capalaba Birkdale
Grade B
same for both
Score 52/100 64/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Capalaba carries more crime risk (72 vs 40).

Capalaba Birkdale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
72/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
34/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Capalaba Birkdale
Inside the suburb 3
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 3
Rated below peers 2 0

Schools in Capalaba

  • St Luke's Catholic Parish School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Capalaba State College Government · Combined below peers
  • Coolnwynpin State School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Birkdale

  • Birkdale South State School Government · Primary at peers
  • Birkdale State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary MacKillop Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Capalaba Birkdale
Supermarkets 9 2
Cafes & restaurants 32 5
Parks & reserves 45 26
Childcare 13 9
GPs 10 1
Pharmacies 9 2
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 9 2
Fuel stations 6 3
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 44 20

Mobility

Capalaba Birkdale
Walkability score 80/100 77/100
Distance to Brisbane 22.8 km 24.6 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 32 min 34 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 223.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 103.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 4157
 1.0%
postcode 4159
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 74
postcode 4157
 81
postcode 4159

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.

Capalaba Birkdale
Car (driver) 75.1% / 72.5%
Capalaba — Car (driver): 75.1% Birkdale — Car (driver): 72.5%
Worked from Home 15.4% / 18.7%
Capalaba — Worked from Home: 15.4% Birkdale — Worked from Home: 18.7%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 3.7%
Capalaba — Car (passenger): 4.5% Birkdale — Car (passenger): 3.7%
Train 0.8% / 3.5%
Capalaba — Train: 0.8% Birkdale — Train: 3.5%
Bus 2.6% / 0.6%
Capalaba — Bus: 2.6% Birkdale — Bus: 0.6%
Walked Only 1.3% / 0.8%
Capalaba — Walked Only: 1.3% Birkdale — Walked Only: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.1%).

Setting

Capalaba Birkdale
Elevation 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
same for both
Distance to the ocean 6.6 km 1.9 km
4.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Capalaba Birkdale
Connectivity score 74/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 15%
8,970 premises
 11%
6,282 premises

Climate

Capalaba Birkdale
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Capalaba Birkdale
PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³ 3.1 µg/m³
PM10 14.6 µg/m³ 14.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.48 pphm —

Council rates

Capalaba Birkdale
Average residential rate $1,879/yr
same for both
Council Redland
same for both

Federal electorate

Capalaba Birkdale
Division Bowman
same for both
Member Henry Pike
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Capalaba Birkdale
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Capalaba

Middle-Ring Parks River

Birkdale

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Capalaba

Capalaba vs Thornlands Capalaba vs Alexandra Hills Capalaba vs Sheldon Capalaba vs Chandler Capalaba vs Burbank

Other comparisons with Birkdale

Birkdale vs Alexandra Hills Birkdale vs Wellington Point Birkdale vs Thorneside Birkdale vs Chandler Birkdale vs Ransome
Full data on Capalaba Full data on Birkdale
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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.

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