Mermaid Waters vs Burleigh Waters

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Burleigh Waters, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Mermaid Waters: a median of $2.2 million, against $1.84 million in Burleigh Waters, though rent is higher in Burleigh Waters. On these figures, Burleigh Waters tends to suit 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 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (68 vs 17)
  • carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 73/100)
  • But Burleigh Waters has more separate houses rather than flats (71% vs 60%)

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

First-home buyers

Burleigh Waters

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,840,000 vs $2,200,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mermaid Waters

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($450/wk vs $500/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Mermaid Waters sits closer to the CBD (82.9 km vs 89.3 km)
  • Burleigh Waters is more walkable (60/100 vs 50/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Mermaid Waters has more units and townhouses to downsize into (40% vs 29%)
  • Burleigh Waters has more GPs (7 vs 1)

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

Investors

They split

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

  • Mermaid Waters is growing faster (8.7% vs 1.7%)
  • Burleigh Waters returns a higher gross yield on units (5.1% vs 4.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Mermaid Waters and Burleigh 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 Waters Burleigh 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 Waters Burleigh Waters
Walkability 50 / 60
Mermaid Waters — Walkability: 50/100 Burleigh Waters — Walkability: 60/100
Safety 40 / 27
Mermaid Waters — Safety: 40/100 Burleigh Waters — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 100 / 85
Mermaid Waters — Low fire risk: 100/100 Burleigh Waters — Low fire risk: 85/100

Demographics

Burleigh Waters rents higher ($500/wk vs $450/wk); Burleigh Waters skews older (42 vs 40).

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Population 13,088 14,556
+11% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.7% +1.7%
Median age 40 42
Median household income $91,832/yr
+2% vs other
 $90,220/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk $500/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
0-4 5.4% / 5.4%
Mermaid Waters — 0-4: 5.4% Burleigh Waters — 0-4: 5.4%
5-14 11.9% / 13.4%
Mermaid Waters — 5-14: 11.9% Burleigh Waters — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 5.4% / 5.4%
Mermaid Waters — 15-19: 5.4% Burleigh Waters — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 5.3% / 4.8%
Mermaid Waters — 20-24: 5.3% Burleigh Waters — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 13.7% / 10.8%
Mermaid Waters — 25-34: 13.7% Burleigh Waters — 25-34: 10.8%
35-44 14.2% / 14.0%
Mermaid Waters — 35-44: 14.2% Burleigh Waters — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 13.8% / 14.3%
Mermaid Waters — 45-54: 13.8% Burleigh Waters — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 11.2% / 11.0%
Mermaid Waters — 55-64: 11.2% Burleigh Waters — 55-64: 11.0%
65-74 10.7% / 10.4%
Mermaid Waters — 65-74: 10.7% Burleigh Waters — 65-74: 10.4%
75-84 6.2% / 7.3%
Mermaid Waters — 75-84: 6.2% Burleigh Waters — 75-84: 7.3%
85+ 2.2% / 3.2%
Mermaid Waters — 85+: 2.2% Burleigh Waters — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Waters 40.0% couple families
Mermaid Waters — Couple Families: 40.0% Mermaid Waters — Lone Person: 33.3% Mermaid Waters — One Parent Families: 16.3% Mermaid Waters — Group Household: 8.6% Mermaid Waters — Other Families: 1.7%
Burleigh Waters 45.9% couple families
Burleigh Waters — Couple Families: 45.9% Burleigh Waters — Lone Person: 30.1% Burleigh Waters — One Parent Families: 16.5% Burleigh Waters — Group Household: 6.0% Burleigh Waters — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Waters 29.6% renting
Mermaid Waters — Owned Outright: 35.4% Mermaid Waters — Mortgage: 35.0% Mermaid Waters — Renting: 29.6%
Burleigh Waters 20.7% renting
Burleigh Waters — Owned Outright: 39.5% Burleigh Waters — Mortgage: 39.9% Burleigh Waters — Renting: 20.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Certificate III & IV 14.5% / 15.5%
Mermaid Waters — Certificate III & IV: 14.5% Burleigh Waters — Certificate III & IV: 15.5%
Bachelor Degree 14.6% / 13.2%
Mermaid Waters — Bachelor Degree: 14.6% Burleigh Waters — Bachelor Degree: 13.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.3% / 9.1%
Mermaid Waters — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3% Burleigh Waters — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Postgraduate Degree 4.5% / 3.3%
Mermaid Waters — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5% Burleigh Waters — Postgraduate Degree: 3.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.8%
Mermaid Waters — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Burleigh Waters — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

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 Waters Burleigh Waters
New Zealand 5.8% / 5.9%
Mermaid Waters — New Zealand: 5.8% Burleigh Waters — New Zealand: 5.9%
England 4.7% / 5.0%
Mermaid Waters — England: 4.7% Burleigh Waters — England: 5.0%
Brazil 1.6% / 1.0%
Mermaid Waters — Brazil: 1.6% Burleigh Waters — Brazil: 1.0%
China 1.8% / —
Mermaid Waters — China: 1.8% Burleigh Waters — China: not among its largest
South Africa 0.8% / 1.0%
Mermaid Waters — South Africa: 0.8% Burleigh Waters — South Africa: 1.0%
Japan 0.9% / 0.7%
Mermaid Waters — Japan: 0.9% Burleigh Waters — Japan: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mermaid Waters 59.5% houses
Mermaid Waters — Houses: 59.5% Mermaid Waters — Townhouses: 31.9% Mermaid Waters — Flats / Apartments: 8.6%
Burleigh Waters 71.1% houses
Burleigh Waters — Houses: 71.1% Burleigh Waters — Townhouses: 26.3% Burleigh Waters — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Median house price $2,200,000 $1,840,000
Median unit price $913,000 $900,000
Median land price $3,045,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 145 sales
 29 days
from 202 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 Waters Burleigh Waters
2 bed $902K / $845K
Mermaid Waters — 2 bed: $902K (96 sales) Burleigh Waters — 2 bed: $845K (30 sales)

96 vs 30 sales

3 bed $1.01M / $1.06M
Mermaid Waters — 3 bed: $1.01M (19 sales) Burleigh Waters — 3 bed: $1.06M (13 sales)

19 vs 13 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 Waters Burleigh Waters
2 bed $880K / $1.04M
Mermaid Waters — 2 bed: $880K (7 sales) Burleigh Waters — 2 bed: $1.04M (20 sales)

7 vs 20 sales

3 bed $1.8M / $1.48M
Mermaid Waters — 3 bed: $1.8M (59 sales) Burleigh Waters — 3 bed: $1.48M (126 sales)

59 vs 126 sales

4 bed $2.38M / $2M
Mermaid Waters — 4 bed: $2.38M (104 sales) Burleigh Waters — 4 bed: $2M (155 sales)

104 vs 155 sales

5 bed $2.65M / $2.27M
Mermaid Waters — 5 bed: $2.65M (30 sales) Burleigh Waters — 5 bed: $2.27M (32 sales)

30 vs 32 sales

Development activity

Mermaid Waters Burleigh 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 Waters Burleigh Waters
Houses 3.6%
$1,200/wk on $1.75M
 3.9%
$1,200/wk on $1.58M
Units 4.6%
$850/wk on $960K
 5.1%
$860/wk on $879K

Ranking within QLD

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 65% of QLD Higher than 63% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 96% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 87% of QLD Higher than 89% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 92% of QLD Higher than 90% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 88% of QLD Higher than 84% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 27% of QLD Higher than 51% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 56% of QLD Higher than 74% of QLD

Liveability

Burleigh Waters is more walkable (60 vs 50).

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Grade A B
Score 67/100 64/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
same for both

Risk profile

Burleigh Waters carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0); Burleigh Waters carries more crime risk (73 vs 60).

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
15/100
Crime Moderate
60/100
 High
73/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 2
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Gold Coast campus, 3.6 km
 1
Gold Coast campus, 4.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.8% 1.6%

Schools in Mermaid Waters

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

Schools in Burleigh Waters

  • Caningeraba State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Marymount College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Marymount Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Supermarkets 4 6
Cafes & restaurants 2 22
Parks & reserves 68 17
Childcare 7 5
GPs 1 7
Pharmacies 1 5
Banks & Bank@Post 4 7
Fuel stations 1 2
Waterways 3 11

Mobility

Burleigh Waters sits further from the CBD (89.3 km vs 82.9 km).

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Walkability score 50/100 60/100
Distance to Brisbane 82.9 km 89.3 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 67 min 68 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 120.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 94.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 4218
 1.4%
postcode 4220
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 32
postcode 4218
 45
postcode 4220

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 Waters Burleigh Waters
Car (driver) 71.3% / 73.0%
Mermaid Waters — Car (driver): 71.3% Burleigh Waters — Car (driver): 73.0%
Worked from Home 18.0% / 17.6%
Mermaid Waters — Worked from Home: 18.0% Burleigh Waters — Worked from Home: 17.6%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 4.1%
Mermaid Waters — Car (passenger): 4.8% Burleigh Waters — Car (passenger): 4.1%
Walked Only 2.1% / 2.1%
Mermaid Waters — Walked Only: 2.1% Burleigh Waters — Walked Only: 2.1%
Bicycle 1.3% / 1.5%
Mermaid Waters — Bicycle: 1.3% Burleigh Waters — Bicycle: 1.5%
Bus 1.3% / 0.9%
Mermaid Waters — Bus: 1.3% Burleigh Waters — Bus: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.0%).

Setting

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Elevation -14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.8 km
1.8 km to a named beach
 1.9 km
1.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Connectivity score 77/100 74/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 8%
6,060 premises
 12%
6,513 premises

Climate

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Annual rainfall 1,351 mm 1,637 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.9°C 28.6°C
Winter min (Jul) 12.5°C 10.5°C

Air quality (annual mean)

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

Federal electorate

Mermaid Waters Burleigh Waters
Division Moncrieff McPherson
Member Angie Bell Leon Rebello
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Mermaid Waters

Coastal Luxury Parks Regional Centre River Townhouses

Burleigh Waters

Coastal Parks Premium Regional Centre River Townhouses

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Other comparisons with Burleigh Waters

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Full data on Mermaid Waters Full data on Burleigh 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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