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Suburb profile ·Cairns LGA · QLD ·4870

Cairns City QLD 4870

Cairns City is in Cairns LGA, QLD, postcode 4870, with population 3,616.

Median house $660K +20.5% YoY
Median rent $413/wk Market rent signal
Gross yield 3.3% Below investor band
Population 3,616 4K local footprint
Schools No matched school data
Decision trust

Strong evidence

Cairns City has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Property prices, Crime, Hospitals, and Population growth. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

5
Available
1
Verify
2
Missing
Development momentum

1,127 latest-year approvals in Cairns, +0.0% YoY; population +1.0% YoY (1.2% 5yr).

Open development signals
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Current status
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Source & freshness

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Prices come from release-based suburb series.

Release-based suburb price series, not a live market feed

RENT POSTURE
Rent is falling back to Census, not a market feed.

This gives you directional coverage, but it is weaker than a current rent release.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
ABS Data by Region and processed state datasets · 2024 · Release-based series
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · release-based
Available
Market rent
ABS Census 2021 · Using Census rent fallback
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Verify
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending Dec 2026 · Area-level release dataset
medium stability · mixed acquisition · mixed refresh · mixed
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · No local school matches exposed
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · annual
Missing
Hospitals
AIHW · 3 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as Census rent fallback or low-confidence hospital matching.
Evidence depth
Strong evidence

Cairns City has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Property prices, Crime, Hospitals, and Population growth. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

Next step

Use compare to test the suburb against another candidate, then validate financial assumptions in the calculator where available.

Direct
5

Property prices, Crime, Hospitals, Population growth

Verify
1

Market rent

Missing
2

Schools, Transport

Decision intelligence
Growth-momentum

Cairns City currently reads as a growth-momentum candidate.

Recent price movement shows visible market momentum. Missing evidence to verify: Schools, Transport.

Recommended next step

Compare it against a contrasting suburb before turning it into a decision.

Why it fits

Recent price movement shows visible market momentum.

What to check

No major caution is visible beyond the normal source checks.

Decisive gaps

Schools, Transport

Compare status

Compare-ready

Why people look here Intent
  • Buyers want a quick sense of price, schools, and neighbourhood scale before getting lost in data.
  • Investors want to know whether rent, yield, and affordability broadly support the suburb story.
  • Researchers want one place that ties property, demographics, transport, and services together.
Local signals Mixed
Schools: No local school matches exposed.
Crime: 10,917 per 100k at the Cairns LGA level.
Transport: No matched local transport stops.

Price history

HousesUnits

Full data detail

Cairns City QLD

Postcode 4870 · Cairns LGA

Cairns City is a smaller suburb in Queensland within the Cairns local government area (postcode 4870). With a population of 3,616, the suburb has an established demographic with a median age of 44. Households earn a median income of $85K per year, with an average household size of 1.9 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 +0.9% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. QLD also had 32 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 12 underway, and 50 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are professionals, managers, community & personal service. Employment in the area leans toward accommodation & food and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

The median house price in Cairns City is $660,000, having surged 20.5% over the past year. Units have a median price of $380,000 (+17.4% YoY). The median weekly rent is $413 (Census 2021). This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 3.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,733.

Healthcare facilities include 3 private hospitals. The crime rate in the Cairns LGA is higher than average at 10,917 incidents per 100,000 population.

From an investment perspective, Cairns City offers a gross rental yield of 3.3%, rated as moderate yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($660K/$1.1M), suggesting a potential value opportunity. The price-to-income ratio of 7.8x is considered moderate. House prices have moved +20.5% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.0% year-on-year indicates stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Investment signals
Rental Yield3.3% Moderate Yield
Price vs State$660K/$1.1M Below Median
Affordability7.8x Moderate
Price Momentum+20.5% Rising
Pop. Growth+1.0% Stable
Development+0% Steady
Income (ATO 2022-23)
Median income$40,417
Mean income$53,999
Earners11,008
YoY change-9.7%
SEIFA index (ABS) — 1 = most disadvantaged, 10 = most advantaged
Advantage5/10
Education8/10
Economic1/10
Disadvantage8/10
Latest prices (state valuers)
Median house
$660K
20.5% YoY
Median unit
$380K
17.4% YoY
Census 2021 (ABS)
Median rent /wk
$413
Population
3,616
Demographics
Median age44
Household size1.9
HH income /wk$1,627
Personal income /wk$907
Mortgage /mth$1,733
Crime (Cairns LGA)
Crime rate (per 100k)10,917
Total incidents10,917
Hospitals (3)
Cairns Haematology and Oncology Clinicprivate
Cairns Private Hospitalprivate
Ramsay Surgical Centre Cairnsprivate
Population growth (Cairns LGA)
Population (2025)179,334
5-year growth+1.2% CAGR
YoY change+1%
Development (Cairns LGA)
Approvals (2026)1,127
Houses524
Units604
YoY change+0%
Data status
Property prices
Processed price datasets · 2024
Available
Market rent
State rent dataset · No market rent source linked
Missing
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending Dec 2026 · LGA-level dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025
Missing
Hospitals
AIHW · 3 hospitals matched
Available
Transport
GTFS
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual series
Available
Available means a local dataset is present. Verify means coverage exists but location confidence is limited.
Data: 2024
Sources: ABS Census 2021 · ABS dwelling prices · State Valuers General · ATO income · ACARA schools · AIHW hospitals · GTFS · state police

Cairns City FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Cairns City in?

    Cairns City is in the Cairns Local Government Area, QLD, postcode 4870. Council-level context for Cairns LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Cairns City?

    The current median house price in Cairns City, QLD is $660K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Cairns City?

    The median weekly rent in Cairns City is $413/wk, based on ABS Census 2021 rent fallback.

  4. Is Cairns City a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Cairns City show: Moderate Yield, Below Median, Moderate. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  5. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Cairns City?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  6. How often is the Cairns City data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.