Muirlea vs Pine Mountain
Pine Mountain is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 55 in Muirlea. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Muirlea, about half of households are couple families. In Pine Mountain, most households are couple families. Muirlea is closer to the city centre: 43.1 km, against 48.9 km. On these figures, Muirlea tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Pine Mountain suits couples.
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
Pine Mountain
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 92/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 60%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Pine Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 27%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Pine Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 28%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Muirlea
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (43.1 km vs 48.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Muirlea has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 11%)
- Pine Mountain carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 92/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pine Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.7% vs -8.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Muirlea and Pine Mountain 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
Pine Mountain has more residents (1,695 vs 174); Pine Mountain has higher household incomes ($135,408 vs $76,648).
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 174 | 1,695 +874% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.4% | +1.7% |
| Median age | 55 | 42 |
| Median household income | $76,648/yr | $135,408/yr +77% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $408/wk +2% vs other | $400/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
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 (24.1%).
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 (3.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,300,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $1,200,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 28 days from 4 sales |
Development activity
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,476 across Ipswich same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 47% of QLD | Higher than 94% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of QLD same for both | |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 86% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 68% of QLD | Higher than 74% of QLD |
Liveability
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | A |
| Score | — | 70/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Muirlea carries more crime risk (92 vs 32).
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 92/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | Low 14/100 | High 70/100 |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 4 |
| Waterways | 11 | 18 |
Mobility
Pine Mountain sits further from the CBD (48.9 km vs 43.1 km).
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 43.1 km | 48.9 km +13% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 45 min | 46 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 4306 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 (78.8%).
Setting
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 57 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 59 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 41.3 km | 41.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 42/100 | 63/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 14% 85 premises | 45% 550 premises |
Climate
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | — same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 20.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.64 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,713/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ipswich same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Blair same for both | |
| Member | Shayne Neumann same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Muirlea | Pine Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Muirlea
Other comparisons with Pine Mountain
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.