Sarina Beach vs Grasstree Beach
Sarina Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Grasstree Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sarina Beach, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sarina Beach tends to suit families with children, while Grasstree Beach suits 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
Grasstree Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Sarina Beach has cheaper land ($285,000 vs $550,000)
- Grasstree Beach leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sarina Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (641 min vs 647 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (940.4 km vs 945.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Sarina Beach has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 20%)
- Grasstree Beach carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Sarina Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.9% vs -3.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sarina Beach and Grasstree Beach 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
Grasstree Beach has higher household incomes ($106,600 vs $88,504); Grasstree Beach skews older (49 vs 46).
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 661 | 717 +8% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.9% | -3.8% |
| Median age | 46 | 49 |
| Median household income | $88,504/yr | $106,600/yr +20% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +3% vs other | $290/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).
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 (23.3%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $695,000 | $685,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $285,000 | $550,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 105 days from 6 sales | 29 days from 9 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.
11 vs 16 sales
17 vs 12 sales
Development activity
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 574 across Mackay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 62% of QLD | Higher than 79% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 12% of QLD | Higher than 65% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 5% of QLD | Higher than 42% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of QLD | Higher than 66% of QLD |
Liveability
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 49/100 | 50/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Sarina Beach carries more crime risk (47 vs 32).
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 68/100 | High 85/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 5 |
Mobility
Grasstree Beach sits further from the CBD (945.2 km vs 940.4 km).
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 940.4 km | 945.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 641 min | 647 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 4737 | 0.3% postcode 4740 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 4737 | 56 postcode 4740 |
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 (84.4%).
Setting
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 93 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 463 m 2.1 km to a named beach | 1.7 km 2.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 319 premises | 0% 398 premises |
Climate
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,873/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mackay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Capricornia same for both | |
| Member | Michelle Landry same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sarina Beach | Grasstree Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Sarina Beach
Other comparisons with Grasstree Beach
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.