Palm Grove vs Preston
Preston is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 52 in Palm Grove. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Preston, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Palm Grove tends to suit people living alone.
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
Palm Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Preston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 35%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Preston
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
- But Palm Grove has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 10%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Preston
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (749 min vs 762 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1099 km vs 1107.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Palm Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Preston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.9% vs -1.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Palm Grove and Preston 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
Preston has more residents (346 vs 86); Preston has higher household incomes ($93,756 vs $48,256).
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 86 | 346 +302% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.1% | +16.9% |
| Median age | 52 | 47 |
| Median household income | $48,256/yr | $93,756/yr +94% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +20% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.9%).
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 (25.4%).
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 (10.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $825,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 190 across Whitsunday same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +70% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 11% of QLD | Higher than 67% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 61% of QLD | Higher than 15% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 32% of QLD | Higher than 31% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 25% of QLD | Higher than 38% of QLD |
Liveability
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Preston carries more crime risk (87 vs 25).
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | High 87/100 |
| 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
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 4 |
Mobility
Palm Grove sits further from the CBD (1107.3 km vs 1099 km).
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1107.3 km | 1099 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 762 min | 749 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4800 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 4800 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 (82.3%).
Setting
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 18 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.1 km | 5.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 39 premises | 0% 129 premises |
Climate
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,502 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 11.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,412/yr same for both | |
| Council | Whitsunday same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Palm Grove | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Palm Grove
Other comparisons with Preston
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.