Parkwood vs Southport

In Parkwood, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. In Southport, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Parkwood: a median of $1.27 million, against $1.15 million in Southport, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Parkwood tends to suit couples, while Southport suits renters and 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Parkwood has more separate houses rather than flats (90% vs 24%)
  • Southport has more schools inside the suburb (14 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Parkwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper units ($515,000 vs $726,000)
  • But Southport has cheaper houses ($1,150,000 vs $1,270,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Southport

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (60% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper rent ($410/wk vs $538/wk)
  • But Parkwood leaves renters under less rental stress (26% vs 32%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Parkwood sits closer to the CBD (70.1 km vs 73.1 km)
  • Southport is more walkable (91/100 vs 62/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Southport

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (76% vs 10%)
  • has more GPs (21 vs 3)
  • is more walkable (91/100 vs 62/100)
  • But Parkwood carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 88/100)

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

Investors

Southport

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (15.3% vs 1.6%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Parkwood Southport
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.

Parkwood Southport
Walkability 62 / 91
Parkwood — Walkability: 62/100 Southport — Walkability: 91/100
Safety 38 / 12
Parkwood — Safety: 38/100 Southport — Safety: 12/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Parkwood — Low fire risk: 100/100 Southport — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Southport has more residents (36,786 vs 8,837); Parkwood has higher household incomes ($107,328 vs $65,936).

Parkwood Southport
Population 8,837 36,786
+316% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.6% +15.3%
Median age 37
same for both
Median household income $107,328/yr
+39% vs other
 $65,936/yr
Median weekly rent $538/wk
+24% vs other
 $410/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Parkwood Southport
0-4 4.6% / 3.7%
Parkwood — 0-4: 4.6% Southport — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 11.8% / 7.7%
Parkwood — 5-14: 11.8% Southport — 5-14: 7.7%
15-19 7.2% / 5.7%
Parkwood — 15-19: 7.2% Southport — 15-19: 5.7%
20-24 10.0% / 10.6%
Parkwood — 20-24: 10.0% Southport — 20-24: 10.6%
25-34 13.3% / 19.1%
Parkwood — 25-34: 13.3% Southport — 25-34: 19.1%
35-44 12.2% / 11.9%
Parkwood — 35-44: 12.2% Southport — 35-44: 11.9%
45-54 13.6% / 11.5%
Parkwood — 45-54: 13.6% Southport — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 13.7% / 10.5%
Parkwood — 55-64: 13.7% Southport — 55-64: 10.5%
65-74 8.5% / 9.4%
Parkwood — 65-74: 8.5% Southport — 65-74: 9.4%
75-84 3.8% / 6.7%
Parkwood — 75-84: 3.8% Southport — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 1.3% / 3.1%
Parkwood — 85+: 1.3% Southport — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Parkwood 52.6% couple families
Parkwood — Couple Families: 52.6% Parkwood — Lone Person: 17.2% Parkwood — One Parent Families: 19.1% Parkwood — Group Household: 9.2% Parkwood — Other Families: 1.8%
Southport 20.1% couple families
Southport — Couple Families: 20.1% Southport — Lone Person: 47.3% Southport — One Parent Families: 16.4% Southport — Group Household: 13.8% Southport — Other Families: 2.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Parkwood 30.3% renting
Parkwood — Owned Outright: 27.9% Parkwood — Mortgage: 41.8% Parkwood — Renting: 30.3%
Southport 60.2% renting
Southport — Owned Outright: 21.2% Southport — Mortgage: 18.6% Southport — Renting: 60.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Parkwood Southport
Bachelor Degree 13.1% / 15.3%
Parkwood — Bachelor Degree: 13.1% Southport — Bachelor Degree: 15.3%
Certificate III & IV 15.3% / 12.8%
Parkwood — Certificate III & IV: 15.3% Southport — Certificate III & IV: 12.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 9.6%
Parkwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Southport — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.6%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / 5.4%
Parkwood — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% Southport — Postgraduate Degree: 5.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.8%
Parkwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Southport — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

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

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.

Parkwood Southport
New Zealand 8.3% / 5.9%
Parkwood — New Zealand: 8.3% Southport — New Zealand: 5.9%
England 3.8% / 3.8%
Parkwood — England: 3.8% Southport — England: 3.8%
China 2.6% / 3.1%
Parkwood — China: 2.6% Southport — China: 3.1%
Philippines 1.5% / 2.1%
Parkwood — Philippines: 1.5% Southport — Philippines: 2.1%
India 1.1% / 2.4%
Parkwood — India: 1.1% Southport — India: 2.4%
South Africa 1.1% / 0.7%
Parkwood — South Africa: 1.1% Southport — South Africa: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Parkwood 90.5% houses
Parkwood — Houses: 90.5% Parkwood — Flats / Apartments: 1.8% Parkwood — Townhouses: 7.7%
Southport 23.8% houses
Southport — Houses: 23.8% Southport — Flats / Apartments: 55.2% Southport — Townhouses: 20.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Parkwood Southport
Median house price $1,270,000 $1,150,000
Median unit price $515,000 $726,000
Median land price — $1,085,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 112 sales
 30 days
from 208 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.

Parkwood Southport
3 bed $975K / $1.08M
Parkwood — 3 bed: $975K (47 sales) Southport — 3 bed: $1.08M (187 sales)

47 vs 187 sales

4 bed $1.29M / $1.4M
Parkwood — 4 bed: $1.29M (111 sales) Southport — 4 bed: $1.4M (96 sales)

111 vs 96 sales

5 bed $1.45M / $1.6M
Parkwood — 5 bed: $1.45M (21 sales) Southport — 5 bed: $1.6M (23 sales)

21 vs 23 sales

6 bed $2.01M / $1.68M
Parkwood — 6 bed: $2.01M (8 sales) Southport — 6 bed: $1.68M (7 sales)

8 vs 7 sales

Development activity

Parkwood Southport
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.

Parkwood Southport
Houses 3.9%
$1,000/wk on $1.35M
 4.0%
$900/wk on $1.17M
Units — 4.9%
$750/wk on $800K

Ranking within QLD

Parkwood Southport
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 79% of QLD Higher than 31% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 47% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 90% of QLD Higher than 99% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 90% of QLD Higher than 93% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of QLD Higher than 85% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 45% of QLD Higher than 55% of QLD
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 71% of QLD

Liveability

Southport is more walkable (91 vs 62); Parkwood scores higher overall (66 vs 50).

Parkwood Southport
Grade B
same for both
Score 66/100 50/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Southport carries more crime risk (88 vs 62).

Parkwood Southport
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
62/100
 High
88/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
69/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Parkwood Southport
Inside the suburb 0 14
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 5
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
Gold Coast, 4.2 km
 1
Gold Coast, 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.7% 4.9%

Schools in Parkwood

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Southport

  • Southport State High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • The Southport School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Aquinas College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Guardian Angels' Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Musgrave Hill State School Government · Primary at peers
  • Southport State School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Parkwood Southport
Supermarkets 1 9
Cafes & restaurants 2 101
Parks & reserves 7 62
Childcare 4 21
GPs 3 21
Pharmacies 2 16
Hospitals 0 3
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 7
Fuel stations 4 12
EV chargers 0 2
Beaches 0 1
Waterways 6 16

Mobility

Southport sits further from the CBD (73.1 km vs 70.1 km).

Parkwood Southport
Walkability score 62/100 91/100
Distance to Brisbane 70.1 km 73.1 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 56 min 57 min
Public transport score 79/100
Tram · Bus
 80/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 77.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 497.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 4214
 1.9%
postcode 4215
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 4214
 21
postcode 4215

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.

Parkwood Southport
Car (driver) 75.0% / 66.5%
Parkwood — Car (driver): 75.0% Southport — Car (driver): 66.5%
Worked from Home 12.9% / 11.9%
Parkwood — Worked from Home: 12.9% Southport — Worked from Home: 11.9%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 5.4%
Parkwood — Car (passenger): 5.4% Southport — Car (passenger): 5.4%
Walked Only 1.7% / 6.9%
Parkwood — Walked Only: 1.7% Southport — Walked Only: 6.9%
Tram / Light Rail 2.1% / 4.0%
Parkwood — Tram / Light Rail: 2.1% Southport — Tram / Light Rail: 4.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.0%).

Setting

Parkwood Southport
Elevation 23 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.5 km
4.6 km to a named beach
 1.7 km
1.7 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Parkwood Southport
Connectivity score 90/100 75/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 55%
3,137 premises
 16%
22,827 premises

Climate

Parkwood Southport
Annual rainfall 1,351 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 12.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Parkwood Southport
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ 4.9 µg/m³
PM10 19.3 µg/m³ 14.3 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.91 pphm 0.43 pphm

Council rates

Parkwood Southport
Average residential rate $1,298/yr
same for both
Council Gold Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Parkwood Southport
Division Fadden Moncrieff
Member Cameron Caldwell Angie Bell
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Parkwood Southport
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Parkwood

Large Blocks Regional Centre Trams Transport Hub

Southport

Apartments Coastal Parks Regional Centre Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Parkwood

Parkwood vs Arundel Parkwood vs Molendinar

Other comparisons with Southport

Southport vs Surfers Paradise Southport vs Labrador Southport vs Ashmore Southport vs Arundel Southport vs Molendinar Southport vs Bundall
Full data on Parkwood Full data on Southport
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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