Palm Cove QLD 4879
Palm Cove sits 1,723 km from Brisbane CBD in Queensland, around 19 hours 55 minutes by car. Census data records 2,450 residents with a median age of 53 and a median household income of $79,404 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population grew 19.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $365 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. The area shows high crime risk. Walkability is low.
Is Palm Cove a good suburb?
Palm Cove scores a C (35/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on safety.
Some car dependence
Walkability 33/100 · 1723.2 km · 1196 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $1.21M
High crime risk
Fire 39/100 · Crime 75/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 53 · 2,450 residents
Liveability Rating
35 / 100 · Ranked #854 in QLDEach bar is Palm Cove'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 Palm Cove?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
35 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataPalm Cove's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $455,000, roughly 13% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$455,000
Based on 74 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 34 days — median across 33 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 24 sales $395K
- 2 bed 40 sales $535K
- 3 bed 10 sales $790K
Houses
$1,205,000
Based on 66 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 40 days — median across 34 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 26 sales $1.24M
- 4 bed 32 sales $1.2M
- 5 bed 5 sales $1.46M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Palm Cove are currently listed at around $1.19 million on average. Based on 21 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.19M
21 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$495K
49 units listed in the last 6 months.
70 of the suburb's 998 dwellings (7.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Palm Cove rent for around $1,000 a week on average, based on 26 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$1,000/wk
26 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$600/wk
15 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
41 rentals advertised against an estimated 310 rented homes (13.2%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $670/wk
- 29 bonds
- +52% 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 202592 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 33% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4879.
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$1,000/week ($52,000 a year) on a $1.19 million median
$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $495,000 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 Palm Cove safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Palm Cove sits in the high band, with 46 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 84% on the prior year.
46 offences
84.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202411 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
- 126 m
- Rate
- -0.03 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -6.8 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Universities nearby
0.8% 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
Palm Cove is car-dependent on foot — at 33/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Palm Cove.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 22.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 22.4 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 11.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.0 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 Palm Cove.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 27%
- Premises covered
- 2,092
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 6 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.
Palm Cove is home to about 2,400 residents, with a median age of 53 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $79,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,450
Median Age
53
Median Household Income
$79,404/yr
Census Median Rent
$365/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.1
Median Personal Income
$41,444/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
35.4%
Total Dwellings
998
Owner-Occupier Rate
68.9%
Houses
65.8%
Rental Stress
23.9%
Mortgage Stress
26.2%
Work From Home
22.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
19 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 300 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 59.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 82.0%
- Employment Rate
- 53%
- Completed Year 12
- 49.3%
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.
92 residents (3.8%) 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.
14.7% of residents (352) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (167).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,389 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
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (15 of 1,163).
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 996 people work here; 1,163 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.9 per resident). At least 14% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
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.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 386 to 1,415 homes
- Within 2 years 57 to 120 homes
- In 2 to 5 years 69 to 170 homes
- In 10 years or more 259 to 1,120 homes
- No timeframe set 1 to 5 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (11 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 Djabugay Nation.
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, 25.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Cairns Aero, 16.3 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 13 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 122 m
- 948 m to a named beach
- 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 4879, 178 of 17,924 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.9% (522 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4879, 6,310 rooftop-solar systems totalling 49.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 9,595 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 568 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
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb, 15 across postcode 4879.
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 $455,000 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 2026-10-27 — 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 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 Bree James Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bree James LNP | 53.7% |
| 2020 | Craig Crawford ALP | 53.1% |
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 Palm Cove?
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 2,450 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 Where the British community lives in Cairns
- #1 in Cairns suburbs where the most residents moved from a capital city
- #1 in Cairns suburbs where seniors live
- #2 in Cairns suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #4 in Cairns suburbs that grew fastest, 2016-2021
- #5 in The best beachside suburbs in Cairns
- #6 in Highest-yielding Cairns suburbs (units)
- #9 in Cairns suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #9 in Cairns's most educated suburbs
- #11 in Cairns suburbs with the largest non-religious population
- #12 in Cairns suburbs with the most apartments
- #12 in Best Cairns suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
- #13 in Best Cairns suburbs to rent in
Nearby suburbs
Compare Palm Cove to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Palm Cove
Is Palm Cove a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Palm Cove is high (75/100, 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 Palm Cove?
Palm Cove has a low recorded bushfire history (39/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Palm Cove a good place to live?
Palm Cove has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (35/100), 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 Palm Cove?
Palm Cove, QLD had a population of 2,450 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Palm Cove, QLD?
The postcode for Palm Cove, QLD is 4879.
How far is Palm Cove from Brisbane?
Palm Cove is 1,723 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 1196 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Palm Cove?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Palm Cove was $79,404 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 Palm Cove?
The median advertised rent in Palm Cove is $1,000 a week for houses (26 listings) and $600 a week for units (15 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Palm Cove?
The median age of residents in Palm Cove was 53 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Palm Cove at risk of bushfire?
Palm Cove has a low recorded bushfire history (39/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
Is Palm Cove walkable?
Palm Cove scores 33/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. 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 Palm Cove?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Palm Cove (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 Palm Cove 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 Palm Cove?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Palm Cove, Cairns Aero (16.3 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 Palm Cove?
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 Palm Cove belong to?
Palm Cove sits within the Cairns local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Palm Cove?
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 Palm Cove?
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 Palm Cove in?
Palm Cove 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.