East Toowoomba vs South Toowoomba

In both, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are people living alone. In East Toowoomba, most households own their home. In South Toowoomba, about half of households rent. Houses cost more in East Toowoomba: a median of $1.02 million, against $765,000 in South Toowoomba. On these figures, East Toowoomba tends to suit families with children, while South Toowoomba suits young adults 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

East Toowoomba

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (10 vs 5)
  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 9)
  • But South Toowoomba has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

South Toowoomba

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($765,000 vs $1,025,000)
  • has cheaper units ($580,000 vs $672,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

East Toowoomba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (123.1 km vs 125.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

East Toowoomba

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (10 vs 3)
  • carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 85/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

East Toowoomba

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (13.5% vs 5.5%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (4.3% vs 3.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
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.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Walkability 74 / 70
East Toowoomba — Walkability: 74/100 South Toowoomba — Walkability: 70/100
Safety 34 / 15
East Toowoomba — Safety: 34/100 South Toowoomba — Safety: 15/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
East Toowoomba — Low fire risk: 100/100 South Toowoomba — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

East Toowoomba has higher household incomes ($82,732 vs $70,408).

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Population 5,953
+7% vs other
 5,512
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.5% +5.5%
Median age 37 36
Median household income $82,732/yr
+15% vs other
 $70,408/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+3% vs other
 $290/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
0-4 5.2% / 5.8%
East Toowoomba — 0-4: 5.2% South Toowoomba — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 15.6% / 11.0%
East Toowoomba — 5-14: 15.6% South Toowoomba — 5-14: 11.0%
15-19 9.8% / 5.9%
East Toowoomba — 15-19: 9.8% South Toowoomba — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 5.6% / 8.1%
East Toowoomba — 20-24: 5.6% South Toowoomba — 20-24: 8.1%
25-34 10.9% / 17.6%
East Toowoomba — 25-34: 10.9% South Toowoomba — 25-34: 17.6%
35-44 11.6% / 12.8%
East Toowoomba — 35-44: 11.6% South Toowoomba — 35-44: 12.8%
45-54 13.2% / 12.5%
East Toowoomba — 45-54: 13.2% South Toowoomba — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 11.6% / 10.7%
East Toowoomba — 55-64: 11.6% South Toowoomba — 55-64: 10.7%
65-74 9.5% / 8.7%
East Toowoomba — 65-74: 9.5% South Toowoomba — 65-74: 8.7%
75-84 5.3% / 4.7%
East Toowoomba — 75-84: 5.3% South Toowoomba — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 1.8% / 2.2%
East Toowoomba — 85+: 1.8% South Toowoomba — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

East Toowoomba 48.7% lone person
East Toowoomba — Lone Person: 48.7% East Toowoomba — Couple Families: 32.3% East Toowoomba — One Parent Families: 13.6% East Toowoomba — Group Household: 4.3% East Toowoomba — Other Families: 1.1%
South Toowoomba 48.6% lone person
South Toowoomba — Lone Person: 48.6% South Toowoomba — Couple Families: 24.3% South Toowoomba — One Parent Families: 17.6% South Toowoomba — Group Household: 7.3% South Toowoomba — Other Families: 2.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

East Toowoomba 43.4% renting
East Toowoomba — Owned Outright: 30.3% East Toowoomba — Mortgage: 26.2% East Toowoomba — Renting: 43.4%
South Toowoomba 49.7% renting
South Toowoomba — Owned Outright: 22.2% South Toowoomba — Mortgage: 28.1% South Toowoomba — Renting: 49.7%
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.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Iraq 1.6% / 3.5%
East Toowoomba — Iraq: 1.6% South Toowoomba — Iraq: 3.5%
England 2.6% / 1.8%
East Toowoomba — England: 2.6% South Toowoomba — England: 1.8%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.5%
East Toowoomba — New Zealand: 1.6% South Toowoomba — New Zealand: 1.5%
India 1.0% / 1.7%
East Toowoomba — India: 1.0% South Toowoomba — India: 1.7%
Philippines 0.6% / 1.1%
East Toowoomba — Philippines: 0.6% South Toowoomba — Philippines: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

Qualifications

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

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Bachelor Degree 15.8% / 13.4%
East Toowoomba — Bachelor Degree: 15.8% South Toowoomba — Bachelor Degree: 13.4%
Certificate III & IV 11.3% / 15.9%
East Toowoomba — Certificate III & IV: 11.3% South Toowoomba — Certificate III & IV: 15.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 6.9%
East Toowoomba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% South Toowoomba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 6.5% / 4.0%
East Toowoomba — Postgraduate Degree: 6.5% South Toowoomba — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.7% / 2.1%
East Toowoomba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7% South Toowoomba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

East Toowoomba 66.1% houses
East Toowoomba — Houses: 66.1% East Toowoomba — Townhouses: 24.9% East Toowoomba — Flats / Apartments: 9.0%
South Toowoomba 69.4% houses
South Toowoomba — Houses: 69.4% South Toowoomba — Townhouses: 25.0% South Toowoomba — Flats / Apartments: 5.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Median house price $1,025,000 $765,000
Median unit price $672,000 $580,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 41 days
from 32 sales
 29 days
from 66 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.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
3 bed $890K / $764K
East Toowoomba — 3 bed: $890K (32 sales) South Toowoomba — 3 bed: $764K (82 sales)

32 vs 82 sales

4 bed $1.32M / $818K
East Toowoomba — 4 bed: $1.32M (25 sales) South Toowoomba — 4 bed: $818K (32 sales)

25 vs 32 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
2 bed $672K / $522K
East Toowoomba — 2 bed: $672K (13 sales) South Toowoomba — 2 bed: $522K (28 sales)

13 vs 28 sales

3 bed $675K / $629K
East Toowoomba — 3 bed: $675K (6 sales) South Toowoomba — 3 bed: $629K (10 sales)

6 vs 10 sales

Development activity

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
New dwellings approved 1,513
across Toowoomba
same for both
Approvals change year on year -25%
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.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Houses 3.4%
$650/wk on $999K
 3.8%
$580/wk on $799K
Units 4.3%
$535/wk on $649K
 3.6%
$450/wk on $649K

Ranking within QLD

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 54% of QLD Higher than 37% of QLD
Schools Higher than 48% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 93% of QLD Higher than 92% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 70% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of QLD Higher than 96% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 20% of QLD Higher than 39% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 44% of QLD Higher than 16% of QLD

Liveability

East Toowoomba scores higher overall (60 vs 42).

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Grade B C
Score 60/100 42/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

South Toowoomba carries more crime risk (85 vs 66).

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
66/100
 High
85/100
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 4
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Inside the suburb 6 2
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 1
USQ (Toowoomba), 1.8 km
same for both
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.2% 1.0%

Schools in East Toowoomba

  • Toowoomba East State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Fairholme College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Toowoomba Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mater Dei Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Toowoomba Anglican School Independent · Combined below peers
  • Toowoomba Anglican School - East Toowoomba Campus Independent · Combined

Schools in South Toowoomba

  • St Saviour's College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • St Saviour's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 23 5
Parks & reserves 14 9
Childcare 10 5
GPs 10 3
Pharmacies 4 0
Hospitals 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 2 1
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 10 8

Mobility

South Toowoomba sits further from the CBD (125.9 km vs 123.1 km).

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Walkability score 74/100 70/100
Distance to Brisbane 123.1 km 125.9 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 95 min 99 min
Public transport score 59/100
Bus
 74/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 16.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 42.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 4350
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 41
postcode 4350
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.

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Car (driver) 71.7% / 78.5%
East Toowoomba — Car (driver): 71.7% South Toowoomba — Car (driver): 78.5%
Worked from Home 11.8% / 7.2%
East Toowoomba — Worked from Home: 11.8% South Toowoomba — Worked from Home: 7.2%
Walked Only 8.4% / 5.4%
East Toowoomba — Walked Only: 8.4% South Toowoomba — Walked Only: 5.4%
Car (passenger) 6.5% / 7.2%
East Toowoomba — Car (passenger): 6.5% South Toowoomba — Car (passenger): 7.2%
Bicycle 1.1% / 1.3%
East Toowoomba — Bicycle: 1.1% South Toowoomba — Bicycle: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.5%).

Setting

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Elevation 633 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 624 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Connectivity score 100/100 92/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 99%
3,326 premises
 86%
3,230 premises

Climate

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Annual rainfall 643 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
PM2.5 2.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 3.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Average residential rate $1,618/yr
same for both
Council Toowoomba
same for both

Federal electorate

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Division Groom
same for both
Member Garth Hamilton
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

East Toowoomba South Toowoomba
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

East Toowoomba

Parks Professionals Townhouses

South Toowoomba

Parks River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with East Toowoomba

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Other comparisons with South Toowoomba

South Toowoomba vs Newtown South Toowoomba vs Kearneys Spring South Toowoomba vs Harristown South Toowoomba vs Rangeville South Toowoomba vs Centenary Heights South Toowoomba vs Toowoomba City
Full data on East Toowoomba Full data on South Toowoomba
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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