Smithfield vs Kewarra Beach

Smithfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 43 in Kewarra Beach. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families.

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

  • Smithfield has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Kewarra Beach carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 81/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Smithfield has cheaper units ($468,000 vs $620,000)
  • Kewarra Beach has cheaper land ($550,000 vs $875,000)

Weighs house prices, unit 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

Smithfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (1713.8 km vs 1717.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Kewarra Beach

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 81/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 12%)
  • But Smithfield has more GPs (4 vs 1)

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

Investors

Smithfield

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (25.7% vs 8.5%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.8% vs 5.3%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Smithfield and Kewarra 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.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
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.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Walkability 59 / 64
Smithfield — Walkability: 59/100 Kewarra Beach — Walkability: 64/100
Safety 19 / 66
Smithfield — Safety: 19/100 Kewarra Beach — Safety: 66/100
Low fire risk 76 / 63
Smithfield — Low fire risk: 76/100 Kewarra Beach — Low fire risk: 63/100

Demographics

Kewarra Beach skews older (43 vs 34).

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Population 6,664
+8% vs other
 6,133
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +25.7% +8.5%
Median age 34 43
Median household income $95,680/yr
+5% vs other
 $90,896/yr
Median weekly rent $420/wk $425/wk
+1% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
0-4 6.5% / 5.3%
Smithfield — 0-4: 6.5% Kewarra Beach — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 13.1% / 12.9%
Smithfield — 5-14: 13.1% Kewarra Beach — 5-14: 12.9%
15-19 8.0% / 5.3%
Smithfield — 15-19: 8.0% Kewarra Beach — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 7.9% / 3.6%
Smithfield — 20-24: 7.9% Kewarra Beach — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 14.8% / 10.7%
Smithfield — 25-34: 14.8% Kewarra Beach — 25-34: 10.7%
35-44 14.8% / 14.0%
Smithfield — 35-44: 14.8% Kewarra Beach — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 13.1% / 15.2%
Smithfield — 45-54: 13.1% Kewarra Beach — 45-54: 15.2%
55-64 10.1% / 15.0%
Smithfield — 55-64: 10.1% Kewarra Beach — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 7.3% / 11.3%
Smithfield — 65-74: 7.3% Kewarra Beach — 65-74: 11.3%
75-84 3.5% / 5.3%
Smithfield — 75-84: 3.5% Kewarra Beach — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 1.0% / 1.6%
Smithfield — 85+: 1.0% Kewarra Beach — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Smithfield 46.2% couple families
Smithfield — Couple Families: 46.2% Smithfield — Lone Person: 26.8% Smithfield — One Parent Families: 17.2% Smithfield — Group Household: 8.0% Smithfield — Other Families: 1.8%
Kewarra Beach 45.0% couple families
Kewarra Beach — Couple Families: 45.0% Kewarra Beach — Lone Person: 29.2% Kewarra Beach — One Parent Families: 18.1% Kewarra Beach — Group Household: 6.3% Kewarra Beach — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Smithfield 33.0% renting
Smithfield — Owned Outright: 23.5% Smithfield — Mortgage: 43.5% Smithfield — Renting: 33.0%
Kewarra Beach 24.1% renting
Kewarra Beach — Owned Outright: 32.2% Kewarra Beach — Mortgage: 43.7% Kewarra Beach — Renting: 24.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Certificate III & IV 16.4% / 18.0%
Smithfield — Certificate III & IV: 16.4% Kewarra Beach — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Bachelor Degree 12.2% / 11.7%
Smithfield — Bachelor Degree: 12.2% Kewarra Beach — Bachelor Degree: 11.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 9.7%
Smithfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Kewarra Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.6% / 3.6%
Smithfield — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6% Kewarra Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.5%
Smithfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Kewarra Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

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.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
England 4.4% / 9.0%
Smithfield — England: 4.4% Kewarra Beach — England: 9.0%
New Zealand 2.6% / 3.4%
Smithfield — New Zealand: 2.6% Kewarra Beach — New Zealand: 3.4%
India 2.2% / —
Smithfield — India: 2.2% Kewarra Beach — India: not among its largest
Germany 0.7% / 1.4%
Smithfield — Germany: 0.7% Kewarra Beach — Germany: 1.4%
Philippines 1.1% / 0.7%
Smithfield — Philippines: 1.1% Kewarra Beach — Philippines: 0.7%
Japan 0.8% / 0.8%
Smithfield — Japan: 0.8% Kewarra Beach — Japan: 0.8%
China 1.1% / —
Smithfield — China: 1.1% Kewarra Beach — China: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.8%
Smithfield — Scotland: not among its largest Kewarra Beach — Scotland: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Smithfield 91.0% houses
Smithfield — Houses: 91.0% Smithfield — Flats / Apartments: 6.3% Smithfield — Townhouses: 2.7%
Kewarra Beach 92.1% houses
Kewarra Beach — Houses: 92.1% Kewarra Beach — Flats / Apartments: 5.4% Kewarra Beach — Townhouses: 2.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Median house price $815,000 $870,000
Median unit price $468,000 $620,000
Median land price $875,000 $550,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 92 sales
 33 days
from 112 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.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
2 bed $620K / $698K
Smithfield — 2 bed: $620K (5 sales) Kewarra Beach — 2 bed: $698K (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

3 bed $740K / $780K
Smithfield — 3 bed: $740K (64 sales) Kewarra Beach — 3 bed: $780K (73 sales)

64 vs 73 sales

4 bed $840K / $925K
Smithfield — 4 bed: $840K (109 sales) Kewarra Beach — 4 bed: $925K (97 sales)

109 vs 97 sales

5 bed $960K / $1.03M
Smithfield — 5 bed: $960K (17 sales) Kewarra Beach — 5 bed: $1.03M (18 sales)

17 vs 18 sales

Development activity

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
New dwellings approved 767
across Cairns
same for both
Approvals change year on year -81%
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.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Houses 4.7%
$765/wk on $838K
 4.4%
$745/wk on $880K
Units 6.8%
$650/wk on $500K
 5.3%
$710/wk on $700K

Ranking within QLD

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 69% of QLD —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of QLD Higher than 90% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 76% of QLD Higher than 81% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 88% of QLD Higher than 80% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 85% of QLD Higher than 73% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 95% of QLD Higher than 78% of QLD

Liveability

Kewarra Beach scores higher overall (53 vs 41).

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Grade C B
Score 41/100 53/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
same for both

Risk profile

Smithfield carries more crime risk (81 vs 34); Kewarra Beach carries more bushfire risk (37 vs 24).

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Bushfire Low
24/100
 Low
37/100
Crime High
81/100
 Low
34/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
47/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Inside the suburb 2
same for both
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
James Cook University - Cairns, 0.0 km
 1
James Cook University - Cairns, 4.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.1% 0.8%

Schools in Smithfield

  • Newman Catholic College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Tropical North Learning Academy - Smithfield State High School Government · Secondary at peers

Schools in Kewarra Beach

  • Northern Beaches Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary
  • Trinity Anglican School - Marlin Coast Campus Independent · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Supermarkets 4 1
Cafes & restaurants 5 1
Parks & reserves 10
same for both
Childcare 4 3
GPs 4 1
Pharmacies 4 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 0
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 20 7

Mobility

Kewarra Beach sits further from the CBD (1717.3 km vs 1713.8 km).

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Walkability score 59/100 64/100
Distance to Brisbane 1713.8 km 1717.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 1188 min 1190 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 73/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 61.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 24.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 4878
 1.0%
postcode 4879
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 64
postcode 4878
 66
postcode 4879

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.

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Car (driver) 74.4% / 74.3%
Smithfield — Car (driver): 74.4% Kewarra Beach — Car (driver): 74.3%
Worked from Home 15.3% / 17.4%
Smithfield — Worked from Home: 15.3% Kewarra Beach — Worked from Home: 17.4%
Car (passenger) 5.5% / 5.6%
Smithfield — Car (passenger): 5.5% Kewarra Beach — Car (passenger): 5.6%
Walked Only 2.1% / 1.0%
Smithfield — Walked Only: 2.1% Kewarra Beach — Walked Only: 1.0%
Bus 1.5% / 1.3%
Smithfield — Bus: 1.5% Kewarra Beach — Bus: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.4%).

Setting

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km
4.6 km to a named beach
 1.3 km
2.4 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Connectivity score 76/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
2,904 premises
 48%
2,737 premises

Climate

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Annual rainfall 2,121 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 18.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Average residential rate $1,354/yr
same for both
Council Cairns
same for both

Federal electorate

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Division Leichhardt
same for both
Member Matt Smith
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Smithfield Kewarra Beach
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Smithfield

Large Blocks

Kewarra Beach

Coastal Large Blocks Parks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Smithfield

Smithfield vs Trinity Beach Smithfield vs Trinity Park Smithfield vs Yorkeys Knob Smithfield vs Caravonica Smithfield vs Barron

Other comparisons with Kewarra Beach

Kewarra Beach vs Trinity Beach Kewarra Beach vs Clifton Beach Kewarra Beach vs Coral Sea
Full data on Smithfield Full data on Kewarra Beach
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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