Sandiford vs Te Kowai
In both, the large majority of households own their home. In Sandiford, most households are couple families. In Te Kowai, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sandiford tends to suit families with children.
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
- Sandiford carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 50/100)
- Te Kowai has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 48%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Te Kowai
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sandiford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $225/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sandiford
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (653 min vs 663 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (958.9 km vs 966.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sandiford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 50/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Te Kowai
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.1% vs -4.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sandiford and Te Kowai 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
Te Kowai rents higher ($225/wk vs $150/wk); Te Kowai has more residents (227 vs 168).
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 168 | 227 +35% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.0% | +4.1% |
| Median age | 40 same for both | |
| Median household income | $92,248/yr | $105,456/yr +14% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $225/wk +50% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Property market
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $848,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 574 across Mackay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 65% of QLD | Higher than 78% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 33% of QLD | Higher than 58% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 41% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of QLD | Higher than 64% of QLD |
Liveability
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Te Kowai carries more crime risk (50 vs 30).
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 same for both | |
Mobility
Te Kowai sits further from the CBD (966.3 km vs 958.9 km).
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 958.9 km | 966.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 653 min | 663 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 4740 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 4740 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 (75.0%).
Setting
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 17 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.3 km | 7.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 75 premises | 0% 90 premises |
Climate
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,517 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 12.4°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,873/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mackay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Capricornia same for both | |
| Member | Michelle Landry same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sandiford | Te Kowai | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Sandiford
Te Kowai
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Sandiford
Other comparisons with Te Kowai
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.