Wacol vs Gailes

In both, about half of households rent and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Wacol: a median of $848,000, against $724,000 in Gailes, and rent is higher there too. Wacol is closer to the city centre: 21 km, against 26.2 km. On these figures, Wacol tends to suit young adults, while Gailes suits 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

Wacol

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (7 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Gailes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($723,750 vs $847,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Gailes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($290/wk vs $320/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Wacol

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (10% vs 4%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (21 km vs 26.2 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (25 min vs 30 min)
  • But Gailes is more walkable (61/100 vs 52/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Gailes

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (13% vs 5%)
  • is more walkable (61/100 vs 52/100)

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

Investors

Wacol

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (13.1% vs 0.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Wacol Gailes
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.

Wacol Gailes
Walkability 52 / 61
Wacol — Walkability: 52/100 Gailes — Walkability: 61/100
Safety 8 / 17
Wacol — Safety: 8/100 Gailes — Safety: 17/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Wacol — Low fire risk: 100/100 Gailes — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Wacol has more residents (4,253 vs 1,831); Wacol has higher household incomes ($71,708 vs $59,332).

Wacol Gailes
Population 4,253
+57% vs other
 1,831
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.1% +0.2%
Median age 35
same for both
Median household income $71,708/yr
+17% vs other
 $59,332/yr
Median weekly rent $320/wk
+9% vs other
 $290/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wacol Gailes
0-4 0.8% / 6.4%
Wacol — 0-4: 0.8% Gailes — 0-4: 6.4%
5-14 2.0% / 14.7%
Wacol — 5-14: 2.0% Gailes — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 4.6% / 6.6%
Wacol — 15-19: 4.6% Gailes — 15-19: 6.6%
20-24 9.5% / 7.0%
Wacol — 20-24: 9.5% Gailes — 20-24: 7.0%
25-34 31.2% / 14.8%
Wacol — 25-34: 31.2% Gailes — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 27.1% / 12.7%
Wacol — 35-44: 27.1% Gailes — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 13.7% / 13.8%
Wacol — 45-54: 13.7% Gailes — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 6.4% / 11.4%
Wacol — 55-64: 6.4% Gailes — 55-64: 11.4%
65-74 3.0% / 8.0%
Wacol — 65-74: 3.0% Gailes — 65-74: 8.0%
75-84 1.5% / 3.8%
Wacol — 75-84: 1.5% Gailes — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ 0.4% / 0.9%
Wacol — 85+: 0.4% Gailes — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wacol 31.6% lone person
Wacol — Lone Person: 31.6% Wacol — Couple Families: 27.7% Wacol — One Parent Families: 26.8% Wacol — Group Household: 10.8% Wacol — Other Families: 3.0%
Gailes 34.2% lone person
Gailes — Lone Person: 34.2% Gailes — Couple Families: 30.0% Gailes — One Parent Families: 27.9% Gailes — Group Household: 5.5% Gailes — Other Families: 2.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wacol 47.1% renting
Wacol — Owned Outright: 29.3% Wacol — Mortgage: 23.6% Wacol — Renting: 47.1%
Gailes 46.2% renting
Gailes — Owned Outright: 22.2% Gailes — Mortgage: 31.6% Gailes — Renting: 46.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Wacol Gailes
New Zealand 5.1% / 6.0%
Wacol — New Zealand: 5.1% Gailes — New Zealand: 6.0%
England 1.9% / 2.9%
Wacol — England: 1.9% Gailes — England: 2.9%
Vietnam 0.9% / 2.1%
Wacol — Vietnam: 0.9% Gailes — Vietnam: 2.1%
Philippines 0.8% / 1.0%
Wacol — Philippines: 0.8% Gailes — Philippines: 1.0%
Fiji 0.4% / 0.8%
Wacol — Fiji: 0.4% Gailes — Fiji: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).

Qualifications

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

Wacol Gailes
Certificate III & IV 8.2% / 14.2%
Wacol — Certificate III & IV: 8.2% Gailes — Certificate III & IV: 14.2%
Bachelor Degree 7.9% / 5.2%
Wacol — Bachelor Degree: 7.9% Gailes — Bachelor Degree: 5.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 1.0% / 5.6%
Wacol — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 1.0% Gailes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6%
Postgraduate Degree 0.4% / 1.9%
Wacol — Postgraduate Degree: 0.4% Gailes — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.2% / 1.1%
Wacol — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.2% Gailes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wacol 82.4% houses
Wacol — Houses: 82.4% Wacol — Townhouses: 17.0% Wacol — Flats / Apartments: 0.7%
Gailes 86.7% houses
Gailes — Houses: 86.7% Gailes — Townhouses: 12.9% Gailes — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Wacol Gailes
Median house price $847,500 $723,750
Median unit price $650,000 $625,000
Median land price $1,615,625 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 3 sales
 32 days
from 10 sales

Development activity

Wacol Gailes
New dwellings approved 9,382
across Brisbane
 3,476
across Ipswich
Approvals change year on year +9% -7%

Ranking within QLD

Wacol Gailes
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 41% of QLD Higher than 24% of QLD
Schools Higher than 44% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 88% of QLD Higher than 89% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 87% of QLD Higher than 93% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of QLD Higher than 99% of QLD

Liveability

Gailes is more walkable (61 vs 52); Gailes scores higher overall (37 vs 32).

Wacol Gailes
Grade D C
Score 32/100 37/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Wacol Gailes
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 High
83/100
Flood — Not mapped
no mapped data here
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 22
within 5 km
 20
within 5 km

Schools

Wacol Gailes
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Wacol

  • Carole Park State School Government · Primary below peers
  • Brisbane Youth Education and Training Centre Government · Combined · Special school
  • Wacol Youth Remand Education Support Hub Government · Combined · Special school
  • West Moreton Education and Training Centre Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Gailes

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

Amenities in the suburb

Wacol Gailes
Parks & reserves 7 2
Childcare 2 0
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 8 0

Mobility

Gailes sits further from the CBD (26.2 km vs 21 km).

Wacol Gailes
Walkability score 52/100 61/100
Distance to Brisbane 21 km 26.2 km
+25% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 25 min 30 min
Public transport score 81/100
Rail · Bus
 34/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 44.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 6.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 4 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 4076
 1.9%
postcode 4300
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 68
postcode 4076
 74
postcode 4300

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.

Wacol Gailes
Car (driver) 65.7% / 75.6%
Wacol — Car (driver): 65.7% Gailes — Car (driver): 75.6%
Worked from Home 12.6% / 9.8%
Wacol — Worked from Home: 12.6% Gailes — Worked from Home: 9.8%
Car (passenger) 7.2% / 8.9%
Wacol — Car (passenger): 7.2% Gailes — Car (passenger): 8.9%
Train 10.1% / 4.4%
Wacol — Train: 10.1% Gailes — Train: 4.4%
Walked Only 3.2% / —
Wacol — Walked Only: 3.2% Gailes — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bicycle 1.1% / 0.7%
Wacol — Bicycle: 1.1% Gailes — Bicycle: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.6%).

Setting

Wacol Gailes
Elevation 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 26.3 km 28.7 km

NBN connectivity

Wacol Gailes
Connectivity score 93/100 100/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 85%
993 premises
 100%
756 premises

Climate

Wacol Gailes
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Wacol Gailes
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.99 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Wacol Gailes
Average residential rate $1,519/yr $1,713/yr
Council Brisbane Ipswich

Federal electorate

Wacol Gailes
Division Oxley
same for both
Member Milton Dick
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wacol Gailes
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wacol

Middle-Ring Multicultural Trains Transport Hub

Gailes

Large Blocks Middle-Ring Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wacol

Wacol vs Forest Lake Wacol vs Goodna Wacol vs Richlands Wacol vs Moggill Wacol vs Riverhills Wacol vs Darra

Other comparisons with Gailes

Gailes vs Goodna Gailes vs Camira Gailes vs Ellen Grove
Full data on Wacol Full data on Gailes
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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