Mermaid Beach vs Mermaid Waters

Mermaid Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 40 in Mermaid Waters. In Mermaid Beach, about half of households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. In Mermaid Waters, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Mermaid Beach: a median of $3.41 million, against $2.2 million in Mermaid Waters. On these figures, Mermaid Beach tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Mermaid Waters suits 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

Mermaid Waters

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (68 vs 6)
  • has more childcare (7 vs 1)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (60% vs 19%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Mermaid Beach leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)
  • Mermaid Waters has cheaper houses ($2,200,000 vs $3,410,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mermaid Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (48% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Mermaid Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (67/100 vs 50/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Mermaid Beach

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (81% vs 40%)
  • is more walkable (67/100 vs 50/100)
  • But Mermaid Waters has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 14%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

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

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
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.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Walkability 67 / 50
Mermaid Beach — Walkability: 67/100 Mermaid Waters — Walkability: 50/100
Safety 33 / 40
Mermaid Beach — Safety: 33/100 Mermaid Waters — Safety: 40/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Mermaid Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mermaid Waters — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mermaid Waters has more residents (13,088 vs 7,329); Mermaid Waters skews older (40 vs 35).

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Population 7,329 13,088
+79% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.2% +8.7%
Median age 35 40
Median household income $98,540/yr
+7% vs other
 $91,832/yr
Median weekly rent $460/wk
+2% vs other
 $450/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
0-4 3.7% / 5.4%
Mermaid Beach — 0-4: 3.7% Mermaid Waters — 0-4: 5.4%
5-14 6.7% / 11.9%
Mermaid Beach — 5-14: 6.7% Mermaid Waters — 5-14: 11.9%
15-19 3.7% / 5.4%
Mermaid Beach — 15-19: 3.7% Mermaid Waters — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 8.7% / 5.3%
Mermaid Beach — 20-24: 8.7% Mermaid Waters — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 25.6% / 13.7%
Mermaid Beach — 25-34: 25.6% Mermaid Waters — 25-34: 13.7%
35-44 13.7% / 14.2%
Mermaid Beach — 35-44: 13.7% Mermaid Waters — 35-44: 14.2%
45-54 12.3% / 13.8%
Mermaid Beach — 45-54: 12.3% Mermaid Waters — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 11.7% / 11.2%
Mermaid Beach — 55-64: 11.7% Mermaid Waters — 55-64: 11.2%
65-74 8.1% / 10.7%
Mermaid Beach — 65-74: 8.1% Mermaid Waters — 65-74: 10.7%
75-84 4.0% / 6.2%
Mermaid Beach — 75-84: 4.0% Mermaid Waters — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 1.7% / 2.2%
Mermaid Beach — 85+: 1.7% Mermaid Waters — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Beach 45.6% lone person
Mermaid Beach — Lone Person: 45.6% Mermaid Beach — Couple Families: 23.4% Mermaid Beach — One Parent Families: 13.1% Mermaid Beach — Group Household: 16.5% Mermaid Beach — Other Families: 1.5%
Mermaid Waters 33.3% lone person
Mermaid Waters — Lone Person: 33.3% Mermaid Waters — Couple Families: 40.0% Mermaid Waters — One Parent Families: 16.3% Mermaid Waters — Group Household: 8.6% Mermaid Waters — Other Families: 1.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Beach 47.8% renting
Mermaid Beach — Owned Outright: 24.6% Mermaid Beach — Mortgage: 27.6% Mermaid Beach — Renting: 47.8%
Mermaid Waters 29.6% renting
Mermaid Waters — Owned Outright: 35.4% Mermaid Waters — Mortgage: 35.0% Mermaid Waters — Renting: 29.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Bachelor Degree 21.3% / 14.6%
Mermaid Beach — Bachelor Degree: 21.3% Mermaid Waters — Bachelor Degree: 14.6%
Certificate III & IV 13.8% / 14.5%
Mermaid Beach — Certificate III & IV: 13.8% Mermaid Waters — Certificate III & IV: 14.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 9.3%
Mermaid Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Mermaid Waters — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3%
Postgraduate Degree 5.3% / 4.5%
Mermaid Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3% Mermaid Waters — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 1.5%
Mermaid Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Mermaid Waters — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).

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.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
New Zealand 5.8% / 5.8%
Mermaid Beach — New Zealand: 5.8% Mermaid Waters — New Zealand: 5.8%
England 3.8% / 4.7%
Mermaid Beach — England: 3.8% Mermaid Waters — England: 4.7%
Brazil 2.4% / 1.6%
Mermaid Beach — Brazil: 2.4% Mermaid Waters — Brazil: 1.6%
South Africa 1.4% / 0.8%
Mermaid Beach — South Africa: 1.4% Mermaid Waters — South Africa: 0.8%
Japan 1.0% / 0.9%
Mermaid Beach — Japan: 1.0% Mermaid Waters — Japan: 0.9%
China — / 1.8%
Mermaid Beach — China: not among its largest Mermaid Waters — China: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Beach 18.9% houses
Mermaid Beach — Houses: 18.9% Mermaid Beach — Flats / Apartments: 62.2% Mermaid Beach — Townhouses: 18.9%
Mermaid Waters 59.5% houses
Mermaid Waters — Houses: 59.5% Mermaid Waters — Flats / Apartments: 8.6% Mermaid Waters — Townhouses: 31.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Median house price $3,410,000 $2,200,000
Median unit price $980,000 $913,000
Median land price — $3,045,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 51 sales
 26 days
from 145 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.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
2 bed $975K / $902K
Mermaid Beach — 2 bed: $975K (131 sales) Mermaid Waters — 2 bed: $902K (96 sales)

131 vs 96 sales

3 bed $1.69M / $1.01M
Mermaid Beach — 3 bed: $1.69M (30 sales) Mermaid Waters — 3 bed: $1.01M (19 sales)

30 vs 19 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.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
2 bed $2.76M / $880K
Mermaid Beach — 2 bed: $2.76M (9 sales) Mermaid Waters — 2 bed: $880K (7 sales)

9 vs 7 sales

3 bed $2.95M / $1.8M
Mermaid Beach — 3 bed: $2.95M (23 sales) Mermaid Waters — 3 bed: $1.8M (59 sales)

23 vs 59 sales

4 bed $3.75M / $2.38M
Mermaid Beach — 4 bed: $3.75M (23 sales) Mermaid Waters — 4 bed: $2.38M (104 sales)

23 vs 104 sales

5 bed $4.47M / $2.65M
Mermaid Beach — 5 bed: $4.47M (10 sales) Mermaid Waters — 5 bed: $2.65M (30 sales)

10 vs 30 sales

Development activity

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
New dwellings approved 7,196
across Gold Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year -35%
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.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Houses 3.9%
$1,350/wk on $1.79M
 3.6%
$1,200/wk on $1.75M
Units 4.5%
$898/wk on $1.05M
 4.6%
$850/wk on $960K

Ranking within QLD

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 73% of QLD Higher than 65% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 91% of QLD Higher than 87% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 92% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of QLD Higher than 88% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 50% of QLD Higher than 27% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 51% of QLD Higher than 56% of QLD

Liveability

Mermaid Beach is more walkable (67 vs 50).

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Grade A
same for both
Score 69/100 67/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
67/100
 Moderate
60/100
Flood —
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Gold Coast campus, 5.0 km
 2
Gold Coast campus, 3.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.5% 1.8%

Schools in Mermaid Beach

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Mermaid Waters

  • Merrimac State High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Miami State School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Supermarkets 2 4
Cafes & restaurants 34 2
Parks & reserves 6 68
Childcare 1 7
GPs 3 1
Pharmacies 3 1
Banks & Bank@Post 2 4
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Walkability score 67/100 50/100
Distance to Brisbane 84.2 km
+2% vs other
 82.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 69 min 67 min
Public transport score 82/100
Tram · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 55.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 120.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 4218
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 32
postcode 4218
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.

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Car (driver) 68.0% / 71.3%
Mermaid Beach — Car (driver): 68.0% Mermaid Waters — Car (driver): 71.3%
Worked from Home 19.4% / 18.0%
Mermaid Beach — Worked from Home: 19.4% Mermaid Waters — Worked from Home: 18.0%
Car (passenger) 2.6% / 4.8%
Mermaid Beach — Car (passenger): 2.6% Mermaid Waters — Car (passenger): 4.8%
Walked Only 4.2% / 2.1%
Mermaid Beach — Walked Only: 4.2% Mermaid Waters — Walked Only: 2.1%
Bicycle 2.2% / 1.3%
Mermaid Beach — Bicycle: 2.2% Mermaid Waters — Bicycle: 1.3%
Bus 2.0% / 1.3%
Mermaid Beach — Bus: 2.0% Mermaid Waters — Bus: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.3%).

Setting

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 -14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 343 m
363 m to a named beach
 1.8 km
1.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Connectivity score 77/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
5,473 premises
 8%
6,060 premises

Climate

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Annual rainfall 1,351 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 12.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.43 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Average residential rate $1,298/yr
same for both
Council Gold Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Division Moncrieff
same for both
Member Angie Bell
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mermaid Beach Mermaid Waters
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mermaid Beach

Apartments Beach Beachfront Coastal Parks Premium Urban

Mermaid Waters

Coastal Luxury Parks Regional Centre River Townhouses

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with Mermaid Waters

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Full data on Mermaid Beach Full data on Mermaid Waters
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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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