Cawarral vs Coowonga
Cawarral is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 51 in Coowonga. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cawarral, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Cawarral: a median of $900,000, against $735,000 in Coowonga, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Cawarral tends to suit families with children and couples, while Coowonga suits people living alone, older residents, 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
Cawarral
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 38/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Cawarral leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 36%)
- Coowonga has cheaper houses ($735,000 vs $900,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Coowonga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($265/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cawarral
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (32/100 vs 13/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (659.4 km vs 663.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cawarral
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (32/100 vs 13/100)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 38/100)
- But Coowonga has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cawarral and Coowonga 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
Cawarral has more residents (831 vs 255); Cawarral has higher household incomes ($91,416 vs $67,184).
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 831 +69% vs other | 255 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | +0.4% |
| Median age | 43 | 51 |
| Median household income | $91,416/yr +27% vs other | $67,184/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +12% vs other | $265/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
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 (20.0%).
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 (2.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $900,000 | $735,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,142,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 50 days from 13 sales | 42 days from 6 sales |
Development activity
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 317 across Livingstone same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +97% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 64% of QLD | Higher than 33% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 82% of QLD | Higher than 74% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 20% of QLD | Higher than 19% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of QLD | Higher than 36% of QLD |
Liveability
Cawarral is more walkable (32 vs 13).
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 44/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Cawarral carries more bushfire risk (44 vs 0); Coowonga carries more crime risk (38 vs 25).
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 44/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Low 38/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cawarral
- Cawarral State School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Coowonga
- Coowonga State School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 0 |
Mobility
Coowonga sits further from the CBD (663.4 km vs 659.4 km).
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 32/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 659.4 km | 663.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 459 min | 460 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4702 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 58 postcode 4702 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 (83.9%).
Setting
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 93 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 25 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.8 km | 4.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 339 premises | 0% 93 premises |
Climate
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,330 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 8.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,445/yr same for both | |
| Council | Livingstone same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Capricornia same for both | |
| Member | Michelle Landry same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cawarral | Coowonga | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cawarral
Other comparisons with Coowonga
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.