Ferny Glen vs Sarabah
Ferny Glen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in Sarabah. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ferny Glen, about half of households are people living alone. In Sarabah, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ferny Glen tends to suit people living alone, while Sarabah 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
Ferny Glen
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 51/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 88%)
- But Sarabah is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 55%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Sarabah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sarabah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 30%)
- has cheaper rent ($358/wk vs $475/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ferny Glen
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (77 min vs 89 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (86.1 km vs 91.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Ferny Glen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 51/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Sarabah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.6% vs 8.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ferny Glen and Sarabah 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
Ferny Glen has more residents (91 vs 68); Ferny Glen rents higher ($475/wk vs $358/wk).
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 91 +25% vs other | 68 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.3% | +23.6% |
| Median age | 49 | 52 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr | $84,448/yr +4% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $475/wk +25% vs other | $358/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
Development activity
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 524 across Scenic Rim same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +65% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 51% of QLD | Higher than 56% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of QLD | Higher than 31% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of QLD | Higher than 56% of QLD |
Liveability
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Sarabah carries more crime risk (51 vs 24).
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 72/100 | High 74/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| 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
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Sarabah sits further from the CBD (91.5 km vs 86.1 km).
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 86.1 km | 91.5 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 77 min | 89 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 4275 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 91 postcode 4275 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 (69.7%).
Setting
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 158 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 208 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 27.9 km | 32.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 30 premises |
Climate
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,682 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 19.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.91 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,689/yr same for both | |
| Council | Scenic Rim same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wright same for both | |
| Member | Scott Buchholz same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ferny Glen | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ferny Glen
Other comparisons with Sarabah
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.