Babinda is a small community in Queensland within the Cairns local government area (postcode 4861). It is home to about 1,287 residents, with an older-leaning population and a median age of 48. Households earn a median income of $54K per year, with an average household size of 2.3 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.0% year-on-year at the LGA level. QLD employment has moved +1.5% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. QLD also had 35 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 16 underway, and 30 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are community & personal service, labourers, professionals. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and education. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.
The median house price in Babinda is $423,000, having surged by 11.9% over the past year. The median weekly rent is $230 (Census 2021). This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 2.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,108.
Babinda is served by 2 schools, including 1 primary, 1 combined. The average ICSEA score is 916, which is below the national average of 1,000. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Cairns LGA is higher than average at 11,033 incidents per 100,000 population.
On the investment side, Babinda shows a gross rental yield of approximately 2.8%, rated as low yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($423K/$1.1M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 7.8x is considered moderate. House prices have moved +11.9% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.0% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.