Mooloolaba QLD 4557
Located in Queensland, Mooloolaba sits 97 km from Brisbane CBD, around 1 hour 20 minutes by car. The suburb has 8,202 residents, a median age of 44, and a median household income of $78,312 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 6.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $400 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,762. Mooloolaba is characterised by high crime risk and high coastal erosion risk. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Mooloolaba a good suburb?
Mooloolaba scores a B (58/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on safety.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 83/100 · 97.3 km · 80 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $1.67M
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 81/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 44 · 8,202 residents
Liveability Rating
58 / 100 · Ranked #374 in QLDEach bar is Mooloolaba's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
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 Mooloolaba?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
58 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataMooloolaba's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $810,000, about 7% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$810,000
In line with its 6 neighbours (median $810,000)
Based on 257 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 26 days — median across 126 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 50 sales $660K
- 2 bed 140 sales $810K
- 3 bed 59 sales $1.2M
- 4 bed 5 sales $3.5M
Houses
$1,667,500
21% above its 6 neighbours (median $1,375,000)
Based on 121 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 37 days — median across 86 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $936K
- 3 bed 49 sales $1.41M
- 4 bed 40 sales $1.8M
- 5 bed 23 sales $2.15M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Mooloolaba are currently listed at around $1.85 million on average. Based on 14 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.85M
14 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$895K
23 units listed in the last 6 months.
37 of the suburb's 3,506 dwellings (1.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Mooloolaba rent for around $850 a week on average, based on 39 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$850/wk
6% below its 5 neighbours (median $900/wk)
39 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$710/wk
5% above its 4 neighbours (median $675/wk)
36 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
75 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,490 rented homes (5.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $960/wk
- 11 bonds
- +39% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $695/wk
- 62 bonds
- +49% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202585 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 35% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4557.
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$850/week ($44,000 a year) on a $1.85 million median
$710/week ($37,000 a year) on a $895,000 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.
Short-Stay Rentals
380 active Airbnb listings: 368 whole homes and 12 rooms. Whole homes are about 8.4% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Mooloolaba safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Mooloolaba sits in the high band, with 230 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 80% on the prior year.
230 offences
79.7% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202444 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
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
- 815 m
- Rate
- -0.13 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -2.9 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
One school serve Mooloolaba, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Mooloolaba State School leads the pack.
- • 807 students in one school (avg 807)
Primary
Universities nearby
1.7% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Mooloolaba is very walkable on foot — at 83/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 23 parks and 14 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Mooloolaba.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 110.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 95.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 74.5 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 17.6 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 Mooloolaba.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 20%
- Premises covered
- 6,174
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
Sunshine Coast: 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 20 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Mooloolaba is home to about 8,200 residents, with a median age of 44, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $78,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
8,202
Median Age
44
Median Household Income
$78,312/yr
Census Median Rent
$400/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,762/mo
Avg Household Size
2.1
Median Personal Income
$43,836/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
24.7%
Total Dwellings
3,506
Owner-Occupier Rate
57.5%
Houses
38.5%
Rental Stress
26.6%
Mortgage Stress
27.0%
Work From Home
17.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
150 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 4 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,454 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 68.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 85.3%
- Employment Rate
- 57.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 50.7%
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.
550 residents (6.7%) 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.
12.8% of residents (1,013) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (427).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 7,898 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
3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (109 of 4,098).
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.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,690 a year through Sunshine Coast based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Sunshine Coast
In the year to August 2026, 2,962 new dwellings were approved across Sunshine Coast. That mix is 1,757 houses and 1,205 units. Approvals are down 41.1% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 22 to 55 homes
- In 2 to 5 years 21 to 50 homes
- In 5 to 10 years 1 to 5 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (2 parcels), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Kabi Kabi First Nation Traditional Owners Native Title Claim Group.
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
CLEANPM2.5 averaged 5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 14 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.31 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Mountain Creek (Sunshine Coast, South East Queensland) monitoring station, 1.3 km away.
Setting
- Elevation
- 2 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 810 m
- 1.2 km to a named beach
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
1 facility within 5 km- 1.4 kmWaste Remediation and Materials Recovery ServicesTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Sulfur dioxide
EV adoption
In postcode 4557, 195 of 15,360 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.8% (425 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4557, 4,288 rooftop-solar systems totalling 26.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 8,642 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 235 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
13 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 25 across postcode 4557.
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 $810,000 this is $60,000 above 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 2026-10-27 — 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 Andrew Wallace Liberal National Party of Queensland
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Andrew Wallace | 44.0% | 56.0% | +2.6 |
| 2022 | Andrew Wallace | 41.3% | 58.7% | -4.0 |
| 2019 | Andrew Wallace | 37.3% | 62.7% | +3.5 |
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 Fiona Simpson Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fiona Simpson LNP | 60.9% |
| 2020 | Fiona Simpson LNP | 59.1% |
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 Mooloolaba?
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 8,202 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 Sunshine Coast suburbs that suit young professionals
- #3 in Sunshine Coast suburbs where 2-bedroom unit rents rose most
- #4 in Sunshine Coast suburbs where the most Spanish is spoken at home
- #4 in Sunshine Coast suburbs with the best public transport
- #5 in Sunshine Coast suburbs with the most apartments
- #5 in Most walkable suburbs in Sunshine Coast
- #6 in The best beachside suburbs in Sunshine Coast
- #6 in Best Sunshine Coast suburbs to rent in
- #6 in Sunshine Coast suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #7 in Sunshine Coast suburbs with the largest Hindu community
- #7 in Where the Indian community lives in Sunshine Coast
- #8 in Best Sunshine Coast suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
- #11 in Sunshine Coast suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #11 in Sunshine Coast suburbs with the largest Sikh community
- #12 in Highest-yielding Sunshine Coast suburbs (units)
- #15 in Sunshine Coast's most educated suburbs
- #15 in Sunshine Coast suburbs where 3-bedroom house rents rose most
Nearby suburbs
Buderim QLD 4556
Mountain Creek QLD 4557
Parrearra QLD 4575
Buddina QLD 4575
Alexandra Headland QLD 4572
Minyama QLD 4575
Compare Mooloolaba 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 Mooloolaba
Is Mooloolaba a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Mooloolaba is high (81/100, 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 Mooloolaba?
Mooloolaba has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Mooloolaba a good place to live?
Mooloolaba has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (58/100), 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 Mooloolaba?
Mooloolaba, QLD had a population of 8,202 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Mooloolaba, QLD?
The postcode for Mooloolaba, QLD is 4557.
How far is Mooloolaba from Brisbane?
Mooloolaba is 97 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 80 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Mooloolaba?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Mooloolaba was $78,312 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 Mooloolaba?
The median advertised rent in Mooloolaba is $850 a week for houses (39 listings) and $710 a week for units (36 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Mooloolaba?
The median age of residents in Mooloolaba was 44 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Mooloolaba?
There is 1 school inside the Mooloolaba boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Mooloolaba walkable?
Mooloolaba scores 83/100 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 Mooloolaba?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Mooloolaba (Mountain Creek (Sunshine Coast, South East Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.0 µg/m³. That puts Mooloolaba below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Mooloolaba?
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 Mooloolaba belong to?
Mooloolaba sits within the Sunshine Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Mooloolaba?
The average residential rates bill through Sunshine Coast is $1,690 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Mooloolaba?
Across Sunshine Coast, 2,962 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 41.1% 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 Mooloolaba in?
Mooloolaba sits within the federal Division of Fisher, currently held by Andrew Wallace (Liberal National Party of Queensland).
Search another suburb or address
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
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- 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.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
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.