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Suburb profile ·Cairns LGA · QLD ·4878

Smithfield QLD 4878

Smithfield is in Cairns LGA, QLD, postcode 4878, with population 6,664.

The read

Livability-led

The page has enough signal to be useful, but the story is mixed rather than decisive. Use compare mode to pressure-test it against stronger nearby options, then use the calculator if it still makes the shortlist.

$685/wk
+12.3% YoY
Jun 2021 → Mar 2026 · 20 periods
Queensland RTA · suburb grain · Mar 2026
$685
$405
Jun 2021Mar 2026
Why it fits

Higher SEIFA context supports a stronger local-quality read.

Median house
$795K
House median, latest period
0.0%YoY D5 vs AU
Median rent
$685/wk
Rent-led investor candidate
12.3%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
4.5%
Moderate yield band
D10 vs AU
Population
6,664
7K local footprint
D10 vs AU
Schools
2
Matched school context
D8 vs AU
Solar
3,954
399 added 12mo · 29MW

Price history

HousesUnits

Trend & investor depth

Indicative cashflow-$232/wk (-$12,081/yr) · interest-only @ 6.1%, 80% LVR

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection.

Affordability

Buying
8.3x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Moderate
Renting
37%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Stretched

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,755/mo, while renters pay about $2,968/mo — renting runs $1,213/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$795K
Household income · yr
$96K
Median rent · wk
$685
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,755
Gross yield
4.5%

Household income

$96K household · yr+20.2% vs QLD suburb median
Personal
$42K
Family
$110K
Household
$96K

Schools

Total2
Avg ICSEA1014
Students1,760
Catholic1
Government1
  • Tropical North Learning Academy - Smithfield State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 983
  • Newman Catholic CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1046
Crime Year ending Apr 2026
11,007
11,007 per 100k
D9 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k11,007
Total incidents11,007· Year ending Apr 2026
  • Assault2,17232%
  • Break And Enter1,87128%
  • Drug Offences2,24133%
  • Fraud4246%

Full data detail

Smithfield QLD — Property Data and Demographics

Smithfield is a moderately sized suburb in Queensland within the Cairns local government area (postcode 4878). It is home to about 6,664 residents, with a mix of families and early-career residents and a median age of 34. Households earn a median income of $96K per year, with an average household size of 2.6 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, community & personal service, technicians & trades. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and accommodation & food. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

Median house prices in Smithfield sit at $795,000, little changed on a year ago. The current median weekly rent is $685. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 4.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,755.

Smithfield is served by 2 schools, including 2 secondary. The average ICSEA score is 1014, which is around the national average of 1,000. The crime rate in the Cairns LGA is higher than average at 11,007 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, Smithfield shows a gross rental yield of approximately 4.5%, rated as moderate yield. Property prices are near the state median ($795K/$1.1M). The price-to-income ratio of 8.3x is considered moderate. House prices have moved +0.0% 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.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield4.5%· Moderate Yield
Price vs State$795K/$1.1M· Near Median
Affordability8.3x· Moderate
Price Momentum+0.0%· Stable
Pop. Growth+1.0%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentQLD
Mortgage · mth$1,755
Rent · wk(Census)$420
Market rent · wk(Q1 2026)$685
Gross yield2.7%
Price / income8.3x
Sales vol (latest Q)(31 December 2025)357
Population growth · Cairns LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)179,334
5-year growth+1.2% CAGR
YoY change+1%
20012025
Development · Cairns LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)1,127
Houses524
Units604
YoY change+0%
Employment · Cairns LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)4.7%
YoY change+1.8pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 4878ATO
Negatively geared510 (5.3% of filers)
Avg rental loss$7,361/yr
Landlords (rental income)1,172
Reported capital gains754
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population6,664
Median age34
Household size2.6
HH income · wk$1,840
Personal income · wk$816
Persons / bedroom0.8
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)7/10
Education (IEO)7/10
Economic (IER)6/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)7/10
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets4
Pharmacies2
GP / clinics4
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining14
coles1
woolworths1
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Smithfield 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.

QVAS residential dwelling sales aggregated to SA2 and mapped to suburb pages

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 · 31 December 2025 · QVAS residential dwelling sales aggregated to SA2 and mapped to suburb pages
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Market rent
Queensland RTA · Q1 2026 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending Apr 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 · 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 ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Smithfield FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Smithfield in?

    Smithfield is in the Cairns Local Government Area, QLD, postcode 4878. 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 Smithfield?

    The current median house price in Smithfield, QLD is $795K, 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 Smithfield?

    The median weekly rent in Smithfield is $685/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent-led investor candidate.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Smithfield?

    Rent-led investor candidate: Gross rent yield screens at about 4.5%. 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 Smithfield a good investment?

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

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Smithfield?

    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 Smithfield 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.