Illinbah vs Sarabah
Illinbah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 52 in Sarabah. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Illinbah, most households are couple families. In Sarabah, about half of households are couple families.
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
Illinbah
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 51/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 88%)
- is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 73%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sarabah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($358/wk vs $470/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 28%)
- But Illinbah has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 20%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Illinbah carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 51/100)
- Sarabah has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 15%)
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 -0.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Illinbah 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
Illinbah has more residents (128 vs 68); Illinbah rents higher ($470/wk vs $358/wk).
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 128 +47% vs other | 68 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.8% | +23.6% |
| Median age | 41 | 52 |
| Median household income | $86,632/yr +3% vs other | $84,448/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $470/wk +24% 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 (14.8%).
Development activity
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 524 across Scenic Rim same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +65% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 60% of QLD | Higher than 56% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% 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 32% of QLD | Higher than 56% of QLD |
Liveability
| Illinbah | 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 11).
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 70/100 | High 74/100 |
| Crime | Low 11/100 | 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
| Illinbah | 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
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 93.1 km +2% vs other | 91.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 86 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 (64.7%).
Setting
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 324 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 208 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 29.7 km | 32.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 25/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 60 premises | 0% 30 premises |
Climate
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,556 mm | 1,682 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.7°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 10.8°C | — |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Illinbah | 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
| Illinbah | Sarabah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,689/yr same for both | |
| Council | Scenic Rim same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Illinbah | 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
| Illinbah | 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 Illinbah
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.