Nerang vs Molendinar

Molendinar is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 40 in Nerang. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Molendinar, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Molendinar: a median of $1.2 million, against $1.03 million in Nerang, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Nerang tends to suit people living alone, while Molendinar 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

Nerang

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (13 vs 2)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (32 vs 14)
  • But Molendinar has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 61%)

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

First-home buyers

Nerang

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($701,053 vs $830,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,029,000 vs $1,200,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Nerang

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $450/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Molendinar

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (43/100 vs 17/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (54 min vs 59 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (69.8 km vs 74.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Nerang

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (7 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (39% vs 16%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 13%)
  • But Molendinar is more walkable (43/100 vs 17/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Nerang Molendinar
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.

Nerang Molendinar
Walkability 17 / 43
Nerang — Walkability: 17/100 Molendinar — Walkability: 43/100
Safety 25 / 20
Nerang — Safety: 25/100 Molendinar — Safety: 20/100
Low fire risk 45 / 100
Nerang — Low fire risk: 45/100 Molendinar — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Nerang has more residents (17,048 vs 6,450); Molendinar has higher household incomes ($91,884 vs $73,996).

Nerang Molendinar
Population 17,048
+62% vs other
 6,450
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.1% +1.2%
Median age 40 37
Median household income $73,996/yr $91,884/yr
+24% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk $450/wk
+15% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Nerang Molendinar
0-4 5.3% / 5.5%
Nerang — 0-4: 5.3% Molendinar — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 11.9% / 13.3%
Nerang — 5-14: 11.9% Molendinar — 5-14: 13.3%
15-19 5.7% / 7.5%
Nerang — 15-19: 5.7% Molendinar — 15-19: 7.5%
20-24 5.8% / 7.3%
Nerang — 20-24: 5.8% Molendinar — 20-24: 7.3%
25-34 13.4% / 12.5%
Nerang — 25-34: 13.4% Molendinar — 25-34: 12.5%
35-44 13.0% / 14.1%
Nerang — 35-44: 13.0% Molendinar — 35-44: 14.1%
45-54 13.1% / 15.3%
Nerang — 45-54: 13.1% Molendinar — 45-54: 15.3%
55-64 12.0% / 11.8%
Nerang — 55-64: 12.0% Molendinar — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 10.4% / 8.2%
Nerang — 65-74: 10.4% Molendinar — 65-74: 8.2%
75-84 6.7% / 3.8%
Nerang — 75-84: 6.7% Molendinar — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ 2.9% / 0.9%
Nerang — 85+: 2.9% Molendinar — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Nerang 35.0% couple families
Nerang — Couple Families: 35.0% Nerang — Lone Person: 36.8% Nerang — One Parent Families: 20.5% Nerang — Group Household: 6.0% Nerang — Other Families: 1.7%
Molendinar 50.6% couple families
Molendinar — Couple Families: 50.6% Molendinar — Lone Person: 19.1% Molendinar — One Parent Families: 21.0% Molendinar — Group Household: 8.3% Molendinar — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Nerang 33.2% renting
Nerang — Owned Outright: 25.9% Nerang — Mortgage: 40.9% Nerang — Renting: 33.2%
Molendinar 35.5% renting
Molendinar — Owned Outright: 23.1% Molendinar — Mortgage: 41.4% Molendinar — Renting: 35.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Nerang Molendinar
Certificate III & IV 18.9% / 14.8%
Nerang — Certificate III & IV: 18.9% Molendinar — Certificate III & IV: 14.8%
Bachelor Degree 8.4% / 12.5%
Nerang — Bachelor Degree: 8.4% Molendinar — Bachelor Degree: 12.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 8.4%
Nerang — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Molendinar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.3% / 4.0%
Nerang — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3% Molendinar — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.6%
Nerang — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Molendinar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Nerang Molendinar
New Zealand 7.6% / 6.8%
Nerang — New Zealand: 7.6% Molendinar — New Zealand: 6.8%
England 4.4% / 3.2%
Nerang — England: 4.4% Molendinar — England: 3.2%
China — / 4.6%
Nerang — China: not among its largest Molendinar — China: 4.6%
India 1.8% / 2.0%
Nerang — India: 1.8% Molendinar — India: 2.0%
Philippines 0.9% / 1.8%
Nerang — Philippines: 0.9% Molendinar — Philippines: 1.8%
South Africa 0.7% / 1.0%
Nerang — South Africa: 0.7% Molendinar — South Africa: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Nerang 61.4% houses
Nerang — Houses: 61.4% Nerang — Townhouses: 23.1% Nerang — Flats / Apartments: 15.6%
Molendinar 84.3% houses
Molendinar — Houses: 84.3% Molendinar — Townhouses: 15.4% Molendinar — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Nerang Molendinar
Median house price $1,029,000 $1,200,000
Median unit price $701,053 $830,000
Median land price $1,415,000 $1,575,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 159 sales
 38 days
from 25 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.

Nerang Molendinar
3 bed $954K / $942K
Nerang — 3 bed: $954K (140 sales) Molendinar — 3 bed: $942K (23 sales)

140 vs 23 sales

4 bed $1.11M / $1.24M
Nerang — 4 bed: $1.11M (79 sales) Molendinar — 4 bed: $1.24M (24 sales)

79 vs 24 sales

5 bed $1.59M / $1.36M
Nerang — 5 bed: $1.59M (28 sales) Molendinar — 5 bed: $1.36M (8 sales)

28 vs 8 sales

Development activity

Nerang Molendinar
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.

Nerang Molendinar
Houses 4.6%
$850/wk on $970K
 4.2%
$1,050/wk on $1.3M
Units 4.8%
$725/wk on $790K
 —

Ranking within QLD

Nerang Molendinar
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 44% of QLD Higher than 65% of QLD
Schools Higher than 13% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 77% of QLD Higher than 85% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 84% of QLD Higher than 90% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of QLD Higher than 85% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 79% of QLD Higher than 64% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 64% of QLD —

Liveability

Molendinar is more walkable (43 vs 17); Molendinar scores higher overall (51 vs 27).

Nerang Molendinar
Grade D B
Score 27/100 51/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Nerang carries more bushfire risk (55 vs 0).

Nerang Molendinar
Bushfire Moderate
55/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
75/100
 High
80/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Nerang Molendinar
Inside the suburb 4 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 3 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Gold Coast, 8.8 km
 1
Gold Coast, 4.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.2% 2.9%

Schools in Nerang

  • Nerang State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Nerang State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Brigid's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Mastery Schools Australia Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Molendinar

  • Trinity Lutheran College Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Nerang Molendinar
Supermarkets 4 3
Cafes & restaurants 9 1
Parks & reserves 32 14
Childcare 13 2
GPs 7 1
Pharmacies 7 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 5 3
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 13 3

Mobility

Nerang sits further from the CBD (74.1 km vs 69.8 km).

Nerang Molendinar
Walkability score 17/100 43/100
Distance to Brisbane 74.1 km
+6% vs other
 69.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 59 min 54 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 138.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 43.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 4211
 1.5%
postcode 4214
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 4211
 69
postcode 4214

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.

Nerang Molendinar
Car (driver) 80.1% / 77.2%
Nerang — Car (driver): 80.1% Molendinar — Car (driver): 77.2%
Worked from Home 11.6% / 11.4%
Nerang — Worked from Home: 11.6% Molendinar — Worked from Home: 11.4%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 7.7%
Nerang — Car (passenger): 4.4% Molendinar — Car (passenger): 7.7%
Walked Only 1.3% / 1.0%
Nerang — Walked Only: 1.3% Molendinar — Walked Only: 1.0%
Train 1.2% / 0.9%
Nerang — Train: 1.2% Molendinar — Train: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.1%).

Setting

Nerang Molendinar
Elevation 45 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.0 km 5.3 km

NBN connectivity

Nerang Molendinar
Connectivity score 71/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
8,658 premises
 24%
3,613 premises

Climate

Nerang Molendinar
Annual rainfall 1,556 mm 1,351 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C 28.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 10.8°C 12.5°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Nerang Molendinar
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 19.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.91 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Nerang Molendinar
Average residential rate $1,298/yr
same for both
Council Gold Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Nerang Molendinar
Division Wright Moncrieff
Member Scott Buchholz Angie Bell
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Nerang Molendinar
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Nerang

Parks Regional Centre River Townhouses

Molendinar

Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Nerang

Nerang vs Pacific Pines Nerang vs Carrara Nerang vs Ashmore Nerang vs Maudsland Nerang vs Highland Park Nerang vs Gilston

Other comparisons with Molendinar

Molendinar vs Southport Molendinar vs Ashmore Molendinar vs Arundel Molendinar vs Parkwood Molendinar vs Gaven
Full data on Nerang Full data on Molendinar
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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