North Arm vs Eerwah Vale
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Eerwah Vale: a median of $1.81 million, against $1.28 million in North Arm, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, North Arm 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
North Arm
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
North Arm
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,280,750 vs $1,810,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
North Arm
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
North Arm
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (93 min vs 105 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (116.8 km vs 124.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
North Arm and Eerwah Vale 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
North Arm has higher household incomes ($94,432 vs $81,796); Eerwah Vale rents higher ($400/wk vs $350/wk).
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 734 +9% vs other | 671 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.7% | +8.1% |
| Median age | 44 | 46 |
| Median household income | $94,432/yr +13% vs other | $81,796/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $400/wk +14% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).
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 (20.4%).
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 (7.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,280,750 | $1,810,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 51 days from 3 sales | — |
Development activity
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2,962 across Sunshine Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -41% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 68% of QLD | Higher than 53% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of QLD | Higher than 57% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 80% of QLD | Higher than 91% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of QLD | Higher than 46% of QLD |
Liveability
North Arm scores higher overall (56 vs 40).
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | C |
| Score | 56/100 | 40/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Eerwah Vale carries more bushfire risk (55 vs 0).
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here 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 same for both | |
Schools
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in North Arm
- North Arm State School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Eerwah Vale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 23 | 0 |
Mobility
Eerwah Vale sits further from the CBD (124.3 km vs 116.8 km).
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 7/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 116.8 km | 124.3 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 93 min | 105 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 4561 | 1.7% postcode 4562 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 99 postcode 4561 | 95 postcode 4562 |
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 (79.5%).
Setting
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 15 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 102 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 13.5 km | 18.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 311 premises | 0% 269 premises |
Climate
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,045 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.7°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 12.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,690/yr same for both | |
| Council | Sunshine Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Fairfax same for both | |
| Member | Ted O'Brien same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| North Arm | Eerwah Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 North Arm
Other comparisons with Eerwah Vale
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.