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Suburb profile ·Gold Coast LGA · QLD ·4221

Palm Beach QLD 4221

Palm Beach is in Gold Coast LGA, QLD, postcode 4221, with population 16,349.

The read

Growth-momentum

There are enough stretched or weaker signals here that you should assume trade-offs rather than a clean story. Use compare mode to see whether the downside is price, local quality, or weaker momentum before treating it as a target suburb.

$920/wk
Rising
+8.2% YoY
Jun 2021 → Mar 2026 · 20 periods
Queensland RTA · suburb grain · Mar 2026
$920
$560
Jun 2021Mar 2026
Why it fits

Population scale is large enough to avoid reading this as a tiny locality only. Recent price movement shows visible market momentum. Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

Premium pricing raises the bar for yield, affordability, and downside checks. Gross yield looks low for an income-first use case.

Read full evidence → Compare suburb Run calculator
Median house
$1.7M
House median, latest period
↑13.8%YoY D9 vs AU
Median rent
$920/wk
Income-stretched rent market
↑8.2%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
2.8%
Low yield band
D9 vs AU
Population
16,349
16K local footprint
D10 vs AU
Schools
2
Matched school context
D8 vs AU
Drive to city
70 min
92.1 km to Brisbane CBD · free-flow
Solar
6,197
359 added 12mo · 36MW

Price history

House and unit medians · ABS + state datasets

Trend & investor depth

Derived from this suburb's own price, rent and income history
Indicative cashflow-$991/wk (-$51,544/yr) · interest-only @ 6.4%, 80% LVR
Rent stabilitystable — rents vary ±6.3% around trend
Value vs advantage+66% vs suburbs of similar SEIFA advantage (decile 7)

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection. Turnover divides recorded sales by an estimated household count (population over average household size).

Investment grade

Composite · growth · yield · stability
Bgrade · 66/100 · top 34% of 3,604AU suburbs
Peer distributionstronger than 66% of AU suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth80
Rental yield48
Stability25
Volatility-14.3ppCycle-2.0Affordability-1.5

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer · stability drivers signed (+ = steadier)

Relative grade across Australian suburbs, combining qp's capital-growth (multi-year CAGR + cycle timing), rental-yield, and stability (price volatility + cycle + affordability) metrics via a three-pillar property-scoring method with an imbalance penalty. Within-Australia relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Investor profile

Who invests in Palm Beach

Owner-occupied 62%Rented 38%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared6.3%
1,224 of 2,979 landlords
Avg rental loss$8,492/yr
Landlords (rental income)2,979
Reported capital gains1,884
The read

Mixed owner-renter market

61% of homes here are owner-occupied and 37% rented, with 6% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

A balanced 61% owner-occupier / 37% renter mix.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Mortgage affordability

RBA rate · ABS Census 2021 household income
112%
of household income to service a new loan
25.4 yrs
to save a 20% deposit
Severe
housing-stress band
Rent vs buyRenting cheaper

New-loan repayment $8,366/mo vs median rent $3,987/mo (+110% · +$1011/wk)

If rates move

At 4.2%: $6,680/mo (-1,686) · at 6.2% (current): $8,366/mo · at 8.2%: $10,214/mo (+1,848)

Assumes a 20% deposit and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan at the current RBA new owner-occupier variable rate, against median weekly household income (ABS Census 2021). Stress bands follow the 30% / 45%-of-income thresholds used in ANZ-CoreLogic and AIHW reporting. Rent vs buy compares that repayment with the suburb's median advertised rent; it excludes rates, insurance, maintenance and deposit opportunity cost.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Similar-priced suburbs in other council areas that rate higher on a metric.

Higher yield

similar price · cross-LGA

Stronger 5-yr growth

similar price · cross-LGA

More affordable

lower price-to-income

Alternatives are similar-priced suburbs (0.7–1.4x this suburb's median) in other council areas that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Affordability

Buying & renting · ABS Census + state data
Buying
19.1x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Stretched
Renting
53%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
High stress

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $2,093/mo, while renters pay about $3,987/mo — renting runs $1,894/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$1.71M
Household income · yr
$89K
Median rent · wk
$920
Owner mortgage · mo
$2,093
Gross yield
2.8%

Household income

ABS Census · ATO
$89K household · yr+12.4% vs QLD suburb median
Personal
$45K
Family
$115K
Household
$89K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)fewer than 13% could service the median house
Under $300
208
$300-649
892
$650-999
762
$1,000-1,499
927
$1,500-1,999
717
$2,000-2,999
1,210
$3,000-3,999
658
$4,000+
809

Serviceability line: a household needs about $6,436/wk to hold a new loan on the median house at 30% of income (20% deposit, 30-year P&I, current RBA rate).

At the median asking rent, about 77% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $3,067/wk income).

Median taxable income trend (ATO, 2018-19 – 2022-23)$46K → $58K

Housing stock and tenure

ABS Census 2021
Tenure (6,644 households)3.8% social housing
Owned outright
29%
Owned with mortgage
32%
Rented
37%
Dwelling structure14.7% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
41%
Townhouse / semi
20%
Flat / apartment
38%

Getting to work: 74% drive, 2% public transport, 3% walk or cycle, 17% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Schools

ACARA 2025
Total2
Avg ICSEA1040
Students3,713
Government2
  • Palm Beach State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1059
  • Palm Beach-Currumbin State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1022

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
86/ 100 livability index

Top 14% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 86% of Australian suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access94
Public transport (44 stops)80
Schools & hospitals56

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within Australian suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Crime Year ending May 2026
5,725
5,725 per 100k
D7 vs AU

Crime

lga
Rate · per 100k5,725
Total incidents5,725· Year ending May 2026
  • Assault78623%
  • Break And Enter52316%
  • Drug Offences1,73251%
  • Fraud32910%

Development screen

Could a secondary dwelling be worth investigating?

Some supporting context
secondary dwelling / granny flat screening context High broad constraint context

Policy position

Official source access limited

The official state policy page could not be reliably re-verified automatically in the latest review. Treat this screen as preliminary and confirm the current planning and building requirements with the state source and local council.

Rental use: State rental-law changes allow secondary dwellings to be rented more broadly, but implementation depends on an approved lawful dwelling and local planning/building requirements.

Open official policy source

Separate houses

34.9%

Suburb share of occupied private dwellings recorded as separate houses.

44.4 pp below the state median

State median 79.3% · 838 valid suburbs

Residential-zone context

61.2%

Broad suburb sampling only; the property zoning and overlays can differ.

9.2 pp above the state median

State median 52.0% · 443 valid suburbs

Rental households

37.0%

Demand context only; it does not establish permission to rent a secondary dwelling.

7.3 pp above the state median

State median 29.7% · 838 valid suburbs

Mapped hazards

Not staged

No broad-area layer staged for this suburb. No broad-area layer staged for this suburb.

Approval pathway

Four checks, each with a different evidence threshold.

This is an investigation sequence, not a guarantee that every step applies or that approval will be granted.

  1. 01 Verify current source

    State policy position

    The current secondary dwelling / granny flat position needs direct confirmation before relying on this screen.

  2. 02 Property dependent

    Planning pathway

    Confirm zoning, lot controls, overlays, setbacks, site coverage and whether planning approval is required.

  3. 03 Design dependent

    Building approval

    Confirm the building approval route after the design, site classifications, services and construction requirements are known.

  4. 04 Check separately

    Intended use

    Confirm long-term rental, short-stay or family-use rules separately from permission to construct the dwelling.

Property due diligence

Turn the suburb screen into a property checklist.

Every check starts unconfirmed. Progress stays in this browser and suburb evidence never clears an address-level requirement.

0evidence acquired
0evidence missing
0reviews due
0consultant questions

Active record: Palm Beach unnamed property

0/14checked
0issues found

Site controls

Lot area and dimensions

Confirm title dimensions, usable site area and any minimum lot threshold.

Status for Lot area and dimensions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Setbacks and site coverage

Test setbacks, private open space, landscaping and maximum site coverage against a concept plan.

Status for Setbacks and site coverage
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Slope and ground conditions

Check survey levels, soil classification, retaining needs and likely earthworks.

Status for Slope and ground conditions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title and planning

Zoning and overlays

Obtain current property-level zoning, overlays and applicable planning controls.

Status for Zoning and overlays
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title, easements and covenants

Review the title for easements, covenants, restrictions and common property.

Status for Title, easements and covenants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Services and access

Sewer and stormwater

Locate assets and connection points, then confirm capacity, clearances and discharge requirements.

Status for Sewer and stormwater
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Power, water and metering

Confirm service routes, upgrade needs and whether separate metering is permitted or practical.

Status for Power, water and metering
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Vehicle access and parking

Test driveway width, gradients, turning, parking and emergency access requirements.

Status for Vehicle access and parking
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Construction constraints

Bushfire exposure

Order an address-level bushfire assessment and determine any BAL construction response.

Status for Bushfire exposure
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Flood and overland flow

Obtain property flood information and check floor levels, flow paths and drainage constraints.

Status for Flood and overland flow
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Wind, corrosion and termite

Confirm site classifications that affect structural design, materials and durability.

Status for Wind, corrosion and termite
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Approval and use

Planning approval pathway

Confirm exemption, complying pathway or permit requirements with the responsible authority.

Status for Planning approval pathway
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Building approval and consultants

Identify required survey, design, engineering, energy, certification and inspection evidence.

Status for Building approval and consultants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Rental and intended use

Confirm occupation, rental, short-stay and family-use rules plus insurance and tax implications.

Status for Rental and intended use
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Palm Beach, QLD 4221 · Local browser record

Investigation aid only. Confirm current planning, building, title, service and hazard requirements with qualified professionals and responsible authorities.

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

Code baseline only

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

No local compliance layer is staged.

This is missing evidence, not evidence that the property has no constraints.

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Planning zones

QLD council planning schemes (QPP)
Dominant zone Low density residential
Residential 23% Public / Open space 15%
Residential density: Low

Land-use mix estimated by point-sampling the suburb against Queensland council planning-scheme zone polygons (CC BY 4.0). This is a suburb-level snapshot of planning zones, not a parcel-level zoning certificate or development advice. Check the relevant planning scheme for an individual property.

Population outlook

ABS projection · Palm Beach SA2 area · 2022 base
16,860 people · 202219,652 by 2032 (+16.6%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Palm Beach SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Palm Beach QLD — Property Data and Demographics

Located in Queensland within the Gold Coast local government area, Palm Beach is a well-established suburb (postcode 4221). With a population of 16,349, the suburb has an established family demographic with a median age of 39. Households earn a median income of $89K per year, with an average household size of 2.3 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.8% 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 professionals, technicians & trades, managers. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and construction. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

Palm Beach has a median house price of $1.7 million, which has jumped by 13.8% year-on-year. Units have a median price of $968,000 (+10.3% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $920. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 2.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $2,093.

Palm Beach is served by 2 schools, including 1 primary, 1 secondary. The average ICSEA score is 1040, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 2 rail stations, 42 bus stops. The crime rate in the Gold Coast LGA is moderate at 5,725 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, The gross rental yield works out to roughly 2.8%, which reads as low yield. Property prices are above the state median ($1.7M/$1.1M), placing it in the premium segment. The price-to-income ratio of 19.1x is considered stretched. House prices have moved +13.8% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.8% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield2.8%↓ Low Yield
Price vs State$1.7M/$1.1M↓ Above Median
Affordability19.1x↓ Stretched
Price Momentum+13.8%↑ Rising
Pop. Growth+1.8%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentQLD
Mortgage · mth$2,093
Rent · wk(Census)$445
Market rent · wk(Q1 2026)$920
Gross yield1.4%
Price / income19.1x
Population growth · Gold Coast LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)691,230
5-year growth+2% CAGR
YoY change+1.8%
20012025
Development · Gold Coast LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)6,433
Houses 16%Units 84%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Gold Coast LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)3.4%
YoY change-0.1pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 4221ATO
Negatively geared6.3%
1,224 of filers
Avg rental loss$8,492/yr
Landlords (rental income)2,979
Reported capital gains1,884
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population16,349
Median age39
Household size2.3
HH income · wk$1,721
Personal income · wk$873
Persons / bedroom0.9
IncomeATO 22-23
Median income$57,922
Mean income$79,806
Earners12,418
YoY change+6.7%
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)7/10
Education (IEO)8/10
Economic (IER)4/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)8/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,228 → $1,721
Change+40.1%
vs QLD median+22.1 pp
Median rent+30.9%
gentrifyingvs QLD 2016–21
Top occupationsCensus
Professionals2,177Technicians & Trades1,261Managers1,232Community & Personal Service1,122Clerical & Administrative967
Top industriesCensus
Healthcare1,352Construction1,142Retail Trade817Education816Accommodation & Food731
Top ancestryCensus
English7,223Australian5,725Irish2,224Scottish2,021German897
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies4
GP / clinics4
Fuel stations2
Cafes & dining52
coles1
TransportGTFS
Rail stations2
Bus stops42
Gold Coast Hwy at Palm Beach Police Station
Hospitals · Gold Coast LGAAIHW
Public2
Private14
Gold Coast University Hospitalpublic
Robina Hospitalpublic
Currumbin Clinicprivate
Gold Coast Private Hospitalprivate
Icon Cancer Centre Southportprivate
John Flynn Private Hospitalprivate
+10 more in Gold Coast LGA
Aged care · Gold Coast LGAGEN
Facilities63
Residential places5,356
Ozcare Ozanam Villa - Burleigh167 places
Bupa Tugun166 places
TriCare Cypress Gardens Aged Care Residence166 places
Blue Care Labrador Aged Care Facility161 places
Infinite Care Ashmore157 places
Estia Health Mudgeeraba155 places
+57 more in Gold Coast LGA
Childcare · Gold Coast LGAACECQA
Services330
Approved places30,612
Exceeding NQS41
PCYC Caningeraba Fun Squad240 places
Harmony Early Education Hope Island230 places
Currumbin Kids Club200 places
Marymount OSHC195 places
Robina State School Outside School Hours Care195 places
Cubby Care Early Learning - Coomera190 places
+324 more in Gold Coast LGA
Nearby in Gold Coast LGA12
Burleigh Waters$1.6M · 14,556Mermaid Waters$1.8M · 13,088Mudgeeraba$1.3M · 14,578Varsity Lakes$1.1M · 16,493Runaway Bay$1.7M · 9,308Burleigh Heads$2.0M · 10,572Helensvale$1.1M · 18,949Pacific Pines$950K · 16,664Hope Island$1.1M · 14,522Carrara$1.1M · 13,138Elanora$1.2M · 12,539Benowa$1.8M · 9,889
Tax calculatorsaustax.tools
Stamp Duty CalculatorQLD ↗Land Tax CalculatorQLD ↗Capital Gains Tax↗Depreciation Calculator↗Investment Property Tax↗
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Palm Beach has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

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.

Direct state price coverage is used where present; missing house or unit anchors fall back to annual ABS SA2 matches

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

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
QGSO Housing Profiles / ABS Data by Region · 2024 · Direct state price coverage is used where present; missing house or unit anchors fall back to annual ABS SA2 matches
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Verify
Market rent
Queensland RTA · Q1 2026 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending May 2026 · Area-level release dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 2 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
GTFS feeds · 44 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
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 ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Palm Beach FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Palm Beach in?

    Palm Beach is in the Gold Coast Local Government Area, QLD, postcode 4221. Council-level context for Gold Coast LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Palm Beach?

    The current median house price in Palm Beach, QLD is $1.7M, 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 Palm Beach?

    The median weekly rent in Palm Beach is $920/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Palm Beach?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 83% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Palm Beach a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Palm Beach show: Low Yield, Above Median, Stretched. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Palm Beach?

    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.

  7. How often is the Palm Beach 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.