Moffat Beach vs Shelly Beach
In both, 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 $1.62 million in Moffat Beach, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Moffat Beach 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Moffat Beach has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)
- Shelly Beach carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 66/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Moffat Beach has cheaper houses ($1,622,500 vs $2,462,500)
- Shelly Beach leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 30%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Moffat Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $450/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Moffat Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (79/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Moffat Beach is more walkable (79/100 vs 47/100)
- Shelly Beach carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 66/100)
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
Moffat 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
Moffat Beach has more residents (2,691 vs 925); Shelly Beach has higher household incomes ($105,352 vs $85,228).
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,691 +66% vs other | 925 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.4% | +8.3% |
| Median age | 47 | 48 |
| Median household income | $85,228/yr | $105,352/yr +24% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk | $450/wk +12% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).
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 (5.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,622,500 | $2,462,500 |
| Median unit price | $1,075,000 | — |
| Median land price | $1,120,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 29 days from 11 sales | 64 days from 8 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.
19 vs 8 sales
20 vs 13 sales
6 vs 12 sales
Development activity
| Moffat 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
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.2% $900/wk on $1.45M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 59% of QLD | Higher than 78% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 95% 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 89% of QLD | Higher than 92% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 15% of QLD | — |
Liveability
Moffat Beach is more walkable (79 vs 47); Shelly Beach scores higher overall (76 vs 68).
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A same for both | |
| Score | 68/100 | 76/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Moffat Beach carries more crime risk (66 vs 37).
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 66/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 17/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Moffat 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 | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UniSC Sunshine Coast, 9.6 km | None |
Schools in Moffat 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
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 9 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 79/100 | 47/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 92 km | 92.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 79 min | 82 min |
| Public transport score | 78/100 Bus | 54/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 43.2 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 (68.2%).
Setting
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 16 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 22 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 599 m 1.2 km to a named beach | 281 m 334 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 77/100 | 82/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 49% 1,761 premises | 64% 477 premises |
Climate
| Moffat 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)
| Moffat 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
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,690/yr same for both | |
| Council | Sunshine Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Moffat 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
| Moffat Beach | Shelly Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Shelly Beach
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Moffat 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.