Cairns City QLD 4870
Located in Queensland, Cairns City sits 1,699 km from Brisbane CBD, around 19 hours 30 minutes by car. The suburb has 3,616 residents, a median age of 44, and a median household income of $84,604 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 32.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $413 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Cairns City is characterised by high crime risk and high coastal erosion risk. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Cairns City a good suburb?
Cairns City scores a B (53/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools, transit, and community, weaker on safety.
Above the state average
3 schools · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 78/100 · 1699.1 km · 1172 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $640K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 99/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 44 · 3,616 residents
Liveability Rating
53 / 100 · Ranked #457 in QLDEach bar is Cairns City's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
Flood data for Queensland covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.
How do you rate the liveability in Cairns City?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
53 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataCairns City's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $640,000, about 9% above where it sat a year earlier.
$640,000
Based on 105 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 46 days — median across 54 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 29 sales $365K
- 2 bed 51 sales $640K
- 3 bed 23 sales $1.15M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsUnits in Cairns City are currently listed at around $594,000 on average. Based on 44 units listed in the past six months.
$594K
44 units listed in the last 6 months.
44 of the suburb's 864 dwellings (5.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsRental listing coverage for houses in Cairns City is too thin to publish a meaningful median — only 1 listed.
$675/wk
21 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
22 rentals advertised against an estimated 438 rented homes (5.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 2-bed units
- $615/wk
- 19 bonds
- +11% since 2023
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2023 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025118 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 25% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4870.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$675/week ($35,000 a year) on a $594,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Cairns City safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Cairns City sits in the high band, with 1,515 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 15% on the prior year. The longer-run trend has eased steadily across the available years.
1,515 offences
15.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202463 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 63 m
- Rate
- -0.07 m/yr
- Net Movement
- —
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Three schools serve Cairns City, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. St Monica's College leads the pack.
- • 697 students in one school (avg 697)
- • Sectors: 2 Independent, 1 Catholic
- • Largest: St Monica's College (697 students)
Secondary
Combined
Walkability
Cairns City is very walkable on foot — at 78/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 5 supermarkets, 5 parks and 108 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Cairns City.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 158.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 126.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 91.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 17.8 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Cairns City.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 78%
- Premises covered
- 4,557
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Cairns: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 5 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Cairns City is home to about 3,600 residents, with a median age of 44, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $85,000 a year, with unemployment at 8.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,616
Median Age
44
Median Household Income
$84,604/yr
Census Median Rent
$413/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
1.9
Median Personal Income
$47,164/yr
Unemployment Rate
8.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
55.2%
Total Dwellings
864
Owner-Occupier Rate
49.3%
Houses
2.4%
Rental Stress
25.4%
Mortgage Stress
24.6%
Work From Home
17.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
16 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 20 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 420 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 35.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 45.5%
- Employment Rate
- 37.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 38.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
331 residents (9.2%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
6.0% of residents (211) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (70).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,545 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (22 of 1,285).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 13,744 people work here; 1,285 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 10.7 jobs for every working resident. At least 91% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,354 a year through Cairns based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Cairns
In the year to August 2026, 767 new dwellings were approved across Cairns. That mix is 681 houses and 86 units. Approvals are down 81.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Gimuy Walubara Yidinji People.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. A native title claim over this area is registered with the Federal Court.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 5.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 2 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 18.6 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 4.
From the Woree (Cairns, Far North Queensland) monitoring station, 5.9 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Cairns Aero, 6.2 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 9 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 53 m
- Near high-voltage lines
- 1.5% of addresses
- 87 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 2,121 mm
- 120 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 31.9°C
- 4 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 18.1°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
10 facilities within 5 km- 1.2 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Cyclohexane
- 1.2 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Xylenes (individual or mixed isomers) · Cyclohexane
- 1.2 kmIndustrial and Agricultural Chemical Product WholesalingTop reported: Fluoride compounds
- 1.5 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Toluene (methylbenzene)
- 1.9 km
EV adoption
In postcode 4870, 450 of 60,353 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.3% (2,614 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4870, 13,795 rooftop-solar systems totalling 116.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 30,421 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1,132 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$30,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
$30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, with no end date. IT DID NOT REVERT TO $15,000: the tier was due to end 30 June 2026 and the 2026-27 Queensland Budget (23 June 2026) continued it for contracts signed from 1 July 2026. This file carried a "due to revert" note until 2026-09-18 — it was never true, and a note predicting a change is not the same as a change. Cap is "less than $750,000" including land and contract variations — less than, not up to. New homes only: "There are no home owner grants for established homes."
Mortgage repayments
3 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 51 across postcode 4870.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Queensland Revenue Office
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $30,000 — see what qualifies with Queensland Revenue Office.
At $640,000 this is under the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $30,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Matt Smith Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Matt Smith | 56.1% | 43.9% | +9.5 |
| 2022 | Warren Entsch | 46.6% | 53.4% | -0.7 |
| 2019 | Warren Entsch | 45.8% | 54.2% | +0.2 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Michael Healy Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland)
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Michael Healy ALP | 52.5% |
| 2020 | Michael Healy ALP | 55.6% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Cairns City?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 3,616 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #1 in Cairns suburbs with the most apartments
- #1 in The best beachside suburbs in Cairns
- #1 in Best Cairns suburbs for good private high schools
- #1 in Cairns suburbs that grew fastest, 2016-2021
- #1 in Cairns suburbs that suit young professionals
- #2 in Cairns suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #2 in Cairns suburbs where the most Spanish is spoken at home
- #3 in Cairns suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #4 in Cairns suburbs with the best NBN connectivity
- #5 in Most walkable suburbs in Cairns
- #6 in Cairns suburbs with the best public transport
- #7 in The most liveable suburbs in Cairns
- #8 in Where the Indian community lives in Cairns
- #8 in Sportiest Cairns suburbs
- #9 in Cairns suburbs with the largest Hindu community
- #9 in Cairns suburbs where seniors live
- #10 in Highest-yielding Cairns suburbs (units)
- #10 in Cairns suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #11 in Best Cairns suburbs to rent in
- #11 in Best Cairns suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
- #12 in Where the British community lives in Cairns
- #12 in Cairns suburbs where the most residents moved from a capital city
Nearby suburbs
Compare Cairns City to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Cairns City
Is Cairns City a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cairns City is high (99/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Cairns City?
Cairns City has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Cairns City a good place to live?
Cairns City has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (53/100), ranked against other QLD suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Cairns City?
Cairns City, QLD had a population of 3,616 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cairns City, QLD?
The postcode for Cairns City, QLD is 4870.
How far is Cairns City from Brisbane?
Cairns City is 1,699 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 1172 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cairns City?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cairns City was $84,604 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Cairns City?
The median advertised rent in Cairns City is $675 a week for units (21 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Cairns City?
The median age of residents in Cairns City was 44 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Cairns City?
There are 3 schools inside the Cairns City boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Cairns City walkable?
Cairns City scores 78/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Cairns City?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Cairns City (Woree (Cairns, Far North Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 18.6 µg/m³. That puts Cairns City below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Cairns City?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cairns City, Cairns Aero (6.2 km away), summer days average 31.9°C, winter nights 18.1°C, 2,121 mm of rain a year over 120 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cairns City?
First-home buyers in QLD may be eligible for $30,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by Queensland Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Cairns City belong to?
Cairns City sits within the Cairns local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cairns City?
The average residential rates bill through Cairns is $1,354 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cairns City?
Across Cairns, 767 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 81.0% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Cairns City in?
Cairns City sits within the federal Division of Leichhardt, currently held by Matt Smith (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2025–26
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2020–2024
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.