Chelmer vs Fig Tree Pocket

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Fig Tree Pocket: a median of $2.01 million, against $1.75 million in Chelmer, and rent is higher there too. Chelmer is closer to the city centre: 8.9 km, against 12.9 km.

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

Fig Tree Pocket

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (11 vs 5)
  • is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 75%)

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

First-home buyers

Chelmer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,745,000 vs $2,010,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Chelmer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($490/wk vs $590/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Chelmer

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (8% vs 2%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (8.9 km vs 12.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, 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

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

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

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
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.

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Walkability 61 / 56
Chelmer — Walkability: 61/100 Fig Tree Pocket — Walkability: 56/100
Safety 70 / 69
Chelmer — Safety: 70/100 Fig Tree Pocket — Safety: 69/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Chelmer — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fig Tree Pocket — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Fig Tree Pocket has more residents (4,345 vs 3,325); Fig Tree Pocket rents higher ($590/wk vs $490/wk).

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Population 3,325 4,345
+31% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.9% +7.4%
Median age 41 40
Median household income $176,904/yr $197,132/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $490/wk $590/wk
+20% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
0-4 4.9% / 4.6%
Chelmer — 0-4: 4.9% Fig Tree Pocket — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 17.1% / 18.2%
Chelmer — 5-14: 17.1% Fig Tree Pocket — 5-14: 18.2%
15-19 8.1% / 9.1%
Chelmer — 15-19: 8.1% Fig Tree Pocket — 15-19: 9.1%
20-24 6.6% / 5.8%
Chelmer — 20-24: 6.6% Fig Tree Pocket — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 5.7% / 5.6%
Chelmer — 25-34: 5.7% Fig Tree Pocket — 25-34: 5.6%
35-44 13.5% / 14.5%
Chelmer — 35-44: 13.5% Fig Tree Pocket — 35-44: 14.5%
45-54 15.4% / 17.9%
Chelmer — 45-54: 15.4% Fig Tree Pocket — 45-54: 17.9%
55-64 11.8% / 11.5%
Chelmer — 55-64: 11.8% Fig Tree Pocket — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 8.7% / 7.8%
Chelmer — 65-74: 8.7% Fig Tree Pocket — 65-74: 7.8%
75-84 4.8% / 3.8%
Chelmer — 75-84: 4.8% Fig Tree Pocket — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ 3.5% / 1.2%
Chelmer — 85+: 3.5% Fig Tree Pocket — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Chelmer 64.5% couple families
Chelmer — Couple Families: 64.5% Chelmer — Lone Person: 20.2% Chelmer — One Parent Families: 10.6% Chelmer — Group Household: 3.2% Chelmer — Other Families: 1.5%
Fig Tree Pocket 72.6% couple families
Fig Tree Pocket — Couple Families: 72.6% Fig Tree Pocket — Lone Person: 12.2% Fig Tree Pocket — One Parent Families: 11.1% Fig Tree Pocket — Group Household: 3.2% Fig Tree Pocket — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Chelmer 16.4% renting
Chelmer — Owned Outright: 39.2% Chelmer — Mortgage: 44.5% Chelmer — Renting: 16.4%
Fig Tree Pocket 13.3% renting
Fig Tree Pocket — Owned Outright: 42.3% Fig Tree Pocket — Mortgage: 44.3% Fig Tree Pocket — Renting: 13.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
England 5.7% / 6.0%
Chelmer — England: 5.7% Fig Tree Pocket — England: 6.0%
South Africa 1.5% / 4.3%
Chelmer — South Africa: 1.5% Fig Tree Pocket — South Africa: 4.3%
New Zealand 2.3% / 2.5%
Chelmer — New Zealand: 2.3% Fig Tree Pocket — New Zealand: 2.5%
China 1.6% / 2.4%
Chelmer — China: 1.6% Fig Tree Pocket — China: 2.4%
India 1.2% / 2.8%
Chelmer — India: 1.2% Fig Tree Pocket — India: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).

Qualifications

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

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Bachelor Degree 25.0% / 24.8%
Chelmer — Bachelor Degree: 25.0% Fig Tree Pocket — Bachelor Degree: 24.8%
Postgraduate Degree 11.3% / 13.5%
Chelmer — Postgraduate Degree: 11.3% Fig Tree Pocket — Postgraduate Degree: 13.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.3% / 7.2%
Chelmer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3% Fig Tree Pocket — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Certificate III & IV 4.9% / 4.7%
Chelmer — Certificate III & IV: 4.9% Fig Tree Pocket — Certificate III & IV: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 3.1%
Chelmer — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% Fig Tree Pocket — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chelmer 94.5% houses
Chelmer — Houses: 94.5% Chelmer — Flats / Apartments: 5.5%
Fig Tree Pocket 99.4% houses
Fig Tree Pocket — Houses: 99.4% Fig Tree Pocket — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Median house price $1,745,000 $2,010,000
Median unit price $635,000 —
Median land price — $970,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 31 days
from 57 sales
 25 days
from 85 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.

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
3 bed $1.28M / $1.37M
Chelmer — 3 bed: $1.28M (33 sales) Fig Tree Pocket — 3 bed: $1.37M (16 sales)

33 vs 16 sales

4 bed $2.23M / $1.64M
Chelmer — 4 bed: $2.23M (31 sales) Fig Tree Pocket — 4 bed: $1.64M (46 sales)

31 vs 46 sales

5 bed $2.2M / $2.38M
Chelmer — 5 bed: $2.2M (23 sales) Fig Tree Pocket — 5 bed: $2.38M (52 sales)

23 vs 52 sales

Development activity

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
New dwellings approved 9,382
across Brisbane
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
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.

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Houses — 2.1%
$820/wk on $2M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 98% of QLD Higher than 99% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 74% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 89% of QLD Higher than 88% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 99% of QLD Higher than 100% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of QLD Higher than 90% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 2% of QLD

Liveability

Chelmer scores higher overall (89 vs 84).

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Grade A+
same for both
Score 89/100 84/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
30/100
 Low
31/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
St Lucia Campus, 3.3 km
 3
St Lucia Campus, 5.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.7% 5.3%

Schools in Chelmer

  • Milpera State High School Government · Secondary

Schools in Fig Tree Pocket

  • Fig Tree Pocket State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Brisbane Montessori School Independent · Combined below peers
  • Mancel College Independent · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Cafes & restaurants 1
same for both
Parks & reserves 5 11
Childcare 2 4
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Fig Tree Pocket sits further from the CBD (12.9 km vs 8.9 km).

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Walkability score 61/100 56/100
Distance to Brisbane 8.9 km 12.9 km
+45% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 19 min
Public transport score 88/100
Rail · Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 23.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 40.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.4%
postcode 4068
 4.0%
postcode 4069
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 4068
 73
postcode 4069

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.

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Car (driver) 46.0% / 52.6%
Chelmer — Car (driver): 46.0% Fig Tree Pocket — Car (driver): 52.6%
Worked from Home 38.8% / 37.8%
Chelmer — Worked from Home: 38.8% Fig Tree Pocket — Worked from Home: 37.8%
Train 8.1% / 2.3%
Chelmer — Train: 8.1% Fig Tree Pocket — Train: 2.3%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 3.3%
Chelmer — Car (passenger): 3.3% Fig Tree Pocket — Car (passenger): 3.3%
Bicycle 1.9% / 2.0%
Chelmer — Bicycle: 1.9% Fig Tree Pocket — Bicycle: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.6%).

Setting

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Elevation 12 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.1 km 19.1 km

NBN connectivity

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Connectivity score 75/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
1,178 premises
 20%
1,600 premises

Climate

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
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)

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.99 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Average residential rate $1,519/yr
same for both
Council Brisbane
same for both

Federal electorate

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Division Moreton Ryan
Member Julie-Ann Campbell Elizabeth Watson-Brown
Party Australian Labor Party The Greens

First Home Owner Grant

Chelmer Fig Tree Pocket
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Chelmer

Easy Commute Family Inner Parks Premium Professionals Quiet Trains Transport Hub

Fig Tree Pocket

Family Large Blocks Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chelmer

Chelmer vs Indooroopilly Chelmer vs Graceville

Other comparisons with Fig Tree Pocket

Fig Tree Pocket vs Indooroopilly Fig Tree Pocket vs Chapel Hill Fig Tree Pocket vs Kenmore Fig Tree Pocket vs Oxley Fig Tree Pocket vs Sinnamon Park Fig Tree Pocket vs Sherwood
Full data on Chelmer Full data on Fig Tree Pocket
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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