Cowley Beach vs Moresby
Moresby is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 59 in Cowley Beach. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cowley Beach, the large majority of households are people living alone. In Moresby, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Cowley Beach tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Moresby suits couples.
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
Moresby
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 78/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 21%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 87%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cowley Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 18%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Moresby
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 24%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Moresby
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (1089 min vs 1108 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1596.9 km vs 1602.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Cowley Beach has more residents already 65 and over (48% vs 13%)
- Moresby carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 78/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Moresby
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (0.7% vs -16.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cowley Beach and Moresby 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
Moresby has more residents (150 vs 65); Moresby has higher household incomes ($93,184 vs $54,184).
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 65 | 150 +131% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -16.7% | +0.7% |
| Median age | 59 | 37 |
| Median household income | $54,184/yr | $93,184/yr +72% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.2%).
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 (10.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $520,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Cassowary Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +68% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 16% of QLD | Higher than 66% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of QLD | Higher than 10% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 25% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of QLD | Higher than 51% of QLD |
Liveability
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Cowley Beach carries more crime risk (78 vs 12).
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 78/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 78/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 4 | 7 |
Mobility
Cowley Beach sits further from the CBD (1602.3 km vs 1596.9 km).
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1602.3 km | 1596.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1108 min | 1089 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4871 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 4871 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 10 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 617 m | 8.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 62 premises | 0% 69 premises |
Climate
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 3,534 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 16.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,829/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cassowary Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Kennedy same for both | |
| Member | Bob Katter same for both | |
| Party | Katter's Australian Party (KAP) same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cowley Beach | Moresby | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cowley Beach
Other comparisons with Moresby
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.