Airlie Beach
With a vacancy rate of 29.9%, Airlie Beach carries one of the highest dwelling vacancy figures in Queensland, and that number explains much about the suburb. A population of just 1,312 across 3.05 km2 supports an economy where 32.1% of workers are in hospitality, the dominant local industry by a wide margin. More than half of residents rent (50.7%), apartments make up 43.6% of the dwelling stock, and the overseas-born share of 36.8% sits 15.2 percentage points above the national average. Household income lands at the 49.8th percentile nationally, right at the median, masking the lopsided dependence on a single tourism-driven sector.
Population
1,312
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,562/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$502K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The estimated median house price is $502,000, derived from observed rents in 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,925, which produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.5%, below the 30% stress threshold. Despite that headline affordability, the dwelling mix creates practical constraints: only 31.2% of the stock is separate houses, while 43.6% are apartments. Two-bedroom dwellings dominate at 42.5%, with three-bedroom homes at 24.9% and four-plus bedroom at 15.8%. Outright owners account for 31.0% of households compared to 18.2% carrying a mortgage, suggesting significant investor-held or unoccupied stock rather than owner-occupier depth. The 29.9% vacancy rate is high by any state or national standard, which means buyers enter a market with thin occupancy foundations.
For Buyers
The estimated median house price is $502,000, derived from observed rents in 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,925, which produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.5%, below the 30% stress threshold. Despite that headline affordability, the dwelling mix creates practical constraints: only 31.2% of the stock is separate houses, while 43.6% are apartments. Two-bedroom dwellings dominate at 42.5%, with three-bedroom homes at 24.9% and four-plus bedroom at 15.8%. Outright owners account for 31.0% of households compared to 18.2% carrying a mortgage, suggesting significant investor-held or unoccupied stock rather than owner-occupier depth. The 29.9% vacancy rate is high by any state or national standard, which means buyers enter a market with thin occupancy foundations.
For Investors
A 50.7% renter share provides a large tenant base, and weekly rents of $380 reflect the tourism and hospitality economy rather than a professional rental market. Against the $502,000 median, that rent implies a gross yield near 3.9%, above typical coastal resort benchmarks. The 29.9% vacancy rate, however, is the central risk: it is more than double what most investors would consider healthy, signalling seasonal volatility and structural oversupply relative to the resident population of 1,312. The high overseas-born share of 36.8% suggests a transient workforce component that can reduce tenancy stability. No development applications were recorded in the past 12 months, so new supply pressure is not the driver of current vacancy. The investment case depends on tourism demand holding, not demographic growth.
Demographics
The median age of 41 matches the national figure, an unusual alignment for a coastal resort suburb. The overseas-born share of 36.8% is 15.2 percentage points above the national average, pointing to a workforce drawn internationally to the hospitality sector. Ancestry is led by English (515 residents), Irish (157) and Scottish (134), with a significant not-stated group of 200. Average household size of 1.8 is 0.7 below the national figure, consistent with a large share of couples without children (59.8% of families) and the 43.6% apartment proportion. University qualifications reach 28.1%, which is 2.0 percentage points below the national figure. The turnover rate is 55.9%, meaning more than half of residents did not live at the same address five years earlier, a high churn rate compared to settled residential suburbs.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
31.2%
Houses
13.1%
Townhouse
43.6%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure data reveals more investor and absentee ownership than occupier depth: 31.0% own outright, 18.2% carry a mortgage, and 50.7% rent, a renter-majority structure uncommon outside inner-city or resort markets. Apartments at 43.6% outnumber separate houses at 31.2%, with semi-detached at 13.1%. Two-bedroom dwellings are the modal type at 42.5%, driven by the studio and one-bedroom segment at 16.9%, which is notably high compared to suburban norms. The 29.9% vacancy rate is the defining housing characteristic, higher than any typical residential or investment suburb in Queensland. Rent-to-income at 24.3% stays below the 30% stress threshold, so current tenants are not under pressure, but the oversupply implied by vacancy depresses long-term rent growth.
Mortgage / mo
$1,925
Rent / wk
$380
HH Size
1.8
Personal Income / wk
$932
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
29.9%
Unoccupied
186
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
28.5%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
59.8%
Couples, no children
497
Total families
Economy & Employment
Hospitality is the economy at 32.1% of employed residents (150 workers), a concentration far above what most suburbs show. Healthcare comes second at 9.8% and Transport at 9.2%, with Construction at 6.6% and Professional/Tech at 5.6%. By occupation, Community and Personal service workers lead with 143, followed closely by Managers at 139 and Professionals at 103. The unemployment rate of 8.1% is elevated compared to national averages, which reflects seasonal and casual employment patterns in tourism-dependent towns. The participation rate of 58.6% is below average, and 255 residents are not in the labour force, a figure that is proportionally large for a population of 1,312. Personal weekly income of $932 places households at the 49.8th percentile nationally, sitting right at the median despite the resort location.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.4%
Part-time
30.5%
Participation
58.6%
Employed
665
Occupations
Top Industries
University
28.1%
Postgraduate
5.2%
Born Overseas
36.8%
Dwellings
420
Transport to Work
Active transport is unusually high: 29.0% of residents walked or cycled to work, compared to the national average far below that figure. Only 1.7% used public transport, and 62.8% drove, a below-average car dependency for regional Queensland. No schools are recorded within the Airlie Beach boundaries, so families rely on institutions in nearby towns, a practical limitation given the small resident base. Crime data is not available for this suburb. The need-for-assistance rate of 2.5% (28 residents) is low, and volunteering runs at 14.9%. Household income sits at the 49.8th percentile nationally, right at the median, and housing stress indicators are within acceptable bands, with rent-to-income at 24.3% and mortgage-to-income at 28.5%. The suburb suits residents who prioritise proximity to the Whitsundays over urban amenity.
Drive
62.8%
Public Transport
1.7%
Walk / Cycle
29.0%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Airlie Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Airlie Beach a good suburb to live in?
Airlie Beach suits people drawn to a resort lifestyle with direct access to the Whitsundays. The population is 1,312, household income is at the 49.8th percentile nationally, and rent-to-income at 24.3% stays below the 30% stress mark. The main trade-offs are a 29.9% vacancy rate, an 8.1% unemployment rate, and no schools within the suburb boundary.
What is the median house price in Airlie Beach?
The estimated median house price is $502,000, derived from observed rents in 2025. Weekly rent averages $380 and monthly mortgage repayments run around $1,925, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.5%, below the typical 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Airlie Beach?
No schools are recorded within the Airlie Beach suburb boundary in this dataset. Families with school-age children rely on educational facilities in neighbouring towns. The suburb population is small at 1,312 residents, with university qualifications at 28.1%, which is 2.0 points below the national figure.
Is Airlie Beach safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Airlie Beach in this dataset. As indirect indicators, the need-for-assistance rate is low at 2.5% (28 residents), and the volunteering rate of 14.9% suggests some community cohesion. The high 55.9% five-year turnover rate reflects the transient nature of a tourism-dependent town rather than a disadvantage signal.
Is Airlie Beach good for property investment?
The 50.7% renter share and weekly rent of $380 against a $502,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.9%, above average for coastal Queensland. The key risk is the 29.9% vacancy rate, which is high by any state standard and signals seasonal oversupply. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, so new supply is not the driver.
How is Airlie Beach's population changing?
No formal population forecast is available for Airlie Beach. The five-year turnover rate of 55.9% indicates high resident churn. The overseas-born share of 36.8% is 15.2 points above the national figure, reflecting ongoing reliance on migrant hospitality workers. The current resident population is 1,312 across 3.05 km2.
What languages are spoken in Airlie Beach?
About 36.8% of residents were born overseas, which is 15.2 percentage points above the national average. No specific non-English languages were recorded at reportable levels in the current dataset, though the high overseas-born share and hospitality-sector workforce suggest a multilingual community drawn from international tourism and work-visa pathways.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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