Castaways Beach vs Marcus Beach
Marcus Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 51 in Castaways Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Castaways Beach, most households are couple families. In Marcus Beach, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Castaways Beach tends to suit couples, while Marcus Beach suits people living alone.
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
Castaways Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 56%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Marcus Beach
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 11%)
- has cheaper rent ($468/wk vs $750/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (29% vs 36%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Marcus Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (128.6 km vs 131.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Marcus Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.8% vs 4.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castaways Beach and Marcus 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
Castaways Beach rents higher ($750/wk vs $468/wk); Castaways Beach has higher household incomes ($108,316 vs $83,876).
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 683 | 839 +23% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.1% | +10.8% |
| Median age | 51 | 48 |
| Median household income | $108,316/yr +23% vs other | $83,876/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $750/wk +38% vs other | $468/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
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 (24.9%).
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 (8.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,053,750 | $2,050,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $975,000 |
| Median land price | $1,690,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 64 days from 8 sales |
Development activity
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 239 across Noosa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -9% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 80% of QLD | Higher than 55% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of QLD | Higher than 73% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 95% of QLD | Higher than 92% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 80% of QLD | Higher than 86% of QLD |
Liveability
Castaways Beach scores higher overall (49 vs 44).
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | C |
| Score | 49/100 | 44/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Low 18/100 | Low 19/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 8 same for both | |
| Waterways | 0 | 8 |
Mobility
Castaways Beach sits further from the CBD (131.1 km vs 128.6 km).
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 18/100 | 12/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 131.1 km +2% vs other | 128.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 107 min | 105 min |
| Public transport score | 46/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 8.0 7-9am + 5-7pm same for both | |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.4% postcode 4567 | 1.7% postcode 4573 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 4567 | 59 postcode 4573 |
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 (66.4%).
Setting
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 9 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.0 km 1.0 km to a named beach | 1.0 km 2.3 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 72/100 | 76/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 48% 310 premises | 57% 403 premises |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 12.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,614/yr same for both | |
| Council | Noosa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wide Bay same for both | |
| Member | Llew O'Brien same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castaways Beach | Marcus Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Castaways Beach
Other comparisons with Marcus Beach
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.