Reedy Creek vs Varsity Lakes

In both, most households own their home. In Reedy Creek, most homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Reedy Creek: a median of $1.63 million, against $1.31 million in Varsity Lakes, though rent is higher in Varsity Lakes. On these figures, Reedy Creek tends to suit families with children and couples, while Varsity Lakes suits people living alone and 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

Reedy Creek

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (70% vs 43%)
  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 59/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 58%)
  • But Varsity Lakes has more parks and reserves (39 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Varsity Lakes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,310,000 vs $1,630,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Reedy Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper rent ($450/wk vs $490/wk)
  • But Varsity Lakes has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 18%)

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

Commuting to the city

Varsity Lakes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (69/100 vs 36/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Varsity Lakes

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 2)
  • is more walkable (69/100 vs 36/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (57% vs 30%)
  • But Reedy Creek carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 59/100)

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

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

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
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.

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Walkability 36 / 69
Reedy Creek — Walkability: 36/100 Varsity Lakes — Walkability: 69/100
Safety 61 / 41
Reedy Creek — Safety: 61/100 Varsity Lakes — Safety: 41/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Reedy Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100 Varsity Lakes — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Varsity Lakes has more residents (16,493 vs 7,412); Reedy Creek has higher household incomes ($115,908 vs $85,592).

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Population 7,412 16,493
+123% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.3% +9.8%
Median age 37 36
Median household income $115,908/yr
+26% vs other
 $85,592/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk $490/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
0-4 5.7% / 5.3%
Reedy Creek — 0-4: 5.7% Varsity Lakes — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 17.3% / 13.0%
Reedy Creek — 5-14: 17.3% Varsity Lakes — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 8.3% / 6.2%
Reedy Creek — 15-19: 8.3% Varsity Lakes — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 5.6% / 7.7%
Reedy Creek — 20-24: 5.6% Varsity Lakes — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 9.2% / 15.9%
Reedy Creek — 25-34: 9.2% Varsity Lakes — 25-34: 15.9%
35-44 15.3% / 15.0%
Reedy Creek — 35-44: 15.3% Varsity Lakes — 35-44: 15.0%
45-54 16.8% / 13.7%
Reedy Creek — 45-54: 16.8% Varsity Lakes — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 9.5% / 9.2%
Reedy Creek — 55-64: 9.5% Varsity Lakes — 55-64: 9.2%
65-74 7.8% / 7.6%
Reedy Creek — 65-74: 7.8% Varsity Lakes — 65-74: 7.6%
75-84 3.7% / 4.5%
Reedy Creek — 75-84: 3.7% Varsity Lakes — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 0.8% / 1.8%
Reedy Creek — 85+: 0.8% Varsity Lakes — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Reedy Creek 62.3% couple families
Reedy Creek — Couple Families: 62.3% Reedy Creek — Lone Person: 16.1% Reedy Creek — One Parent Families: 17.9% Reedy Creek — Group Household: 2.7% Reedy Creek — Other Families: 0.9%
Varsity Lakes 38.4% couple families
Varsity Lakes — Couple Families: 38.4% Varsity Lakes — Lone Person: 31.3% Varsity Lakes — One Parent Families: 20.1% Varsity Lakes — Group Household: 8.3% Varsity Lakes — Other Families: 1.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Reedy Creek 18.4% renting
Reedy Creek — Owned Outright: 24.3% Reedy Creek — Mortgage: 57.3% Reedy Creek — Renting: 18.4%
Varsity Lakes 44.3% renting
Varsity Lakes — Owned Outright: 21.4% Varsity Lakes — Mortgage: 34.3% Varsity Lakes — Renting: 44.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Bachelor Degree 13.2% / 15.0%
Reedy Creek — Bachelor Degree: 13.2% Varsity Lakes — Bachelor Degree: 15.0%
Certificate III & IV 14.0% / 13.9%
Reedy Creek — Certificate III & IV: 14.0% Varsity Lakes — Certificate III & IV: 13.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.9% / 9.0%
Reedy Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9% Varsity Lakes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Postgraduate Degree 4.1% / 5.0%
Reedy Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 4.1% Varsity Lakes — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 1.7%
Reedy Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Varsity Lakes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

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.

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
New Zealand 5.9% / 6.2%
Reedy Creek — New Zealand: 5.9% Varsity Lakes — New Zealand: 6.2%
England 5.7% / 4.2%
Reedy Creek — England: 5.7% Varsity Lakes — England: 4.2%
South Africa 2.8% / 1.5%
Reedy Creek — South Africa: 2.8% Varsity Lakes — South Africa: 1.5%
China 1.0% / 3.1%
Reedy Creek — China: 1.0% Varsity Lakes — China: 3.1%
India 1.1% / 1.0%
Reedy Creek — India: 1.1% Varsity Lakes — India: 1.0%
Brazil — / 1.9%
Reedy Creek — Brazil: not among its largest Varsity Lakes — Brazil: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Reedy Creek 69.9% houses
Reedy Creek — Houses: 69.9% Reedy Creek — Townhouses: 29.7% Reedy Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Varsity Lakes 42.6% houses
Varsity Lakes — Houses: 42.6% Varsity Lakes — Townhouses: 33.1% Varsity Lakes — Flats / Apartments: 24.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Median house price $1,630,000 $1,310,000
Median unit price $785,000 $820,000
Median land price $1,500,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 33 days
from 77 sales
 22 days
from 121 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.

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
3 bed $1.24M / $1.19M
Reedy Creek — 3 bed: $1.24M (26 sales) Varsity Lakes — 3 bed: $1.19M (113 sales)

26 vs 113 sales

4 bed $1.6M / $1.43M
Reedy Creek — 4 bed: $1.6M (70 sales) Varsity Lakes — 4 bed: $1.43M (94 sales)

70 vs 94 sales

5 bed $1.9M / $1.73M
Reedy Creek — 5 bed: $1.9M (39 sales) Varsity Lakes — 5 bed: $1.73M (13 sales)

39 vs 13 sales

Development activity

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
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.

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Houses 4.5%
$1,200/wk on $1.4M
 4.6%
$950/wk on $1.08M
Units — 4.6%
$795/wk on $899K

Ranking within QLD

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 86% of QLD Higher than 59% of QLD
Schools Higher than 17% of QLD Higher than 43% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 83% of QLD Higher than 92% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 91% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of QLD Higher than 80% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 75% of QLD Higher than 79% of QLD
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 56% of QLD

Liveability

Varsity Lakes is more walkable (69 vs 36); Reedy Creek scores higher overall (61 vs 55).

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Grade B
same for both
Score 61/100 55/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Varsity Lakes carries more crime risk (59 vs 39).

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
39/100
 Moderate
59/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Inside the suburb 3 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 3 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Gold Coast campus, 4.6 km
 1
Gold Coast campus, 2.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 3.6%

Schools in Reedy Creek

  • Gold Coast Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Hillcrest Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
  • King's Christian College Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Varsity Lakes

  • Varsity College Government · Combined at peers
  • Arcadia College - Varsity Lakes Temporary Facility Independent · Secondary
  • Mastery Schools Australia - Varsity Lakes Campus Independent · Combined
  • Mastery Schools Australia - Varsity Lakes Secondary Temporary Facility Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Supermarkets 1 3
Cafes & restaurants 3 14
Parks & reserves 2 39
Childcare 8 6
GPs 2 6
Pharmacies 1 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 10 23

Mobility

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Walkability score 36/100 69/100
Distance to Brisbane 86.7 km 86 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 64 min 67 min
Public transport score 72/100
Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 27.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 142.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 4227
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 4227
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.

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Car (driver) 75.0% / 72.7%
Reedy Creek — Car (driver): 75.0% Varsity Lakes — Car (driver): 72.7%
Worked from Home 17.5% / 16.3%
Reedy Creek — Worked from Home: 17.5% Varsity Lakes — Worked from Home: 16.3%
Car (passenger) 5.0% / 5.1%
Reedy Creek — Car (passenger): 5.0% Varsity Lakes — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Walked Only 0.6% / 2.3%
Reedy Creek — Walked Only: 0.6% Varsity Lakes — Walked Only: 2.3%
Bus 0.6% / 1.5%
Reedy Creek — Bus: 0.6% Varsity Lakes — Bus: 1.5%
Train 0.8% / 1.0%
Reedy Creek — Train: 0.8% Varsity Lakes — Train: 1.0%

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

Setting

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Elevation 46 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.3 km 3.9 km
3.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Connectivity score 66/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 38%
2,146 premises
 30%
6,705 premises

Climate

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Annual rainfall 1,637 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.43 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Average residential rate $1,298/yr
same for both
Council Gold Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Division McPherson
same for both
Member Leon Rebello
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Reedy Creek Varsity Lakes
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Reedy Creek

Family Premium River Townhouses

Varsity Lakes

Parks Regional Centre River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Reedy Creek

Reedy Creek vs Robina Reedy Creek vs Mudgeeraba Reedy Creek vs Burleigh Heads Reedy Creek vs Bonogin Reedy Creek vs Tallebudgera Valley

Other comparisons with Varsity Lakes

Varsity Lakes vs Robina Varsity Lakes vs Mudgeeraba Varsity Lakes vs Burleigh Waters Varsity Lakes vs Burleigh Heads
Full data on Reedy Creek Full data on Varsity Lakes
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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