Kings Beach vs Shelly Beach
Shelly Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 53 in Kings Beach. In Kings Beach, about half of households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Shelly Beach, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Shelly Beach: a median of $2.46 million, against $1.65 million in Kings Beach, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Kings Beach tends to suit renters, people living alone, and older residents.
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
Shelly Beach
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (82% vs 6%)
- is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 27%)
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 59/100)
- But Kings Beach has more parks and reserves (6 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Kings Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,650,000 vs $2,462,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Kings Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (47% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $450/wk)
- But Shelly Beach leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 29%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kings Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (76/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kings Beach
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (94% vs 18%)
- is more walkable (76/100 vs 47/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 21%)
- But Shelly Beach carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 59/100)
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
Kings Beach and Shelly Beach 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
Kings Beach has more residents (3,042 vs 925); Shelly Beach has higher household incomes ($105,352 vs $65,832).
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,042 +70% vs other | 925 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.1% | +8.3% |
| Median age | 53 | 48 |
| Median household income | $65,832/yr | $105,352/yr +60% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $370/wk | $450/wk +22% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
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 (4.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,650,000 | $2,462,500 |
| Median unit price | $865,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 38 days from 8 sales | 64 days from 8 sales |
Development activity
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2,962 across Sunshine Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -41% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — same for both | |
| Units | 4.4% $720/wk on $859K | — |
Ranking within QLD
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 31% of QLD | Higher than 78% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 94% of QLD | Higher than 86% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of QLD | Higher than 81% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of QLD | Higher than 92% of QLD |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 47% of QLD | — |
Liveability
Kings Beach is more walkable (76 vs 47); Shelly Beach scores higher overall (76 vs 62).
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | A |
| Score | 62/100 | 76/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Kings Beach carries more crime risk (59 vs 37).
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 59/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 55/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Kings Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Shelly Beach
- Our Lady of the Rosary School Catholic · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 7 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 76/100 | 47/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 92.5 km | 92.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 80 min | 82 min |
| Public transport score | 71/100 Bus | 54/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 23.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 11.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 4551 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 4551 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
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 22 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 202 m 316 m to a named beach | 281 m 334 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 | 82/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 12% 2,995 premises | 64% 477 premises |
Climate
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,052 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 14.7°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.31 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,690/yr same for both | |
| Council | Sunshine Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Fisher same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Wallace same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kings Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Kings Beach
Shelly Beach
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Kings Beach
Other comparisons with Shelly Beach
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.