Cairns North
Two facts define this 2.76 km2 pocket of tropical Far North Queensland: 80.7% of dwellings are apartments and 65.3% of residents rent, far above the typical Australian suburb. Both connect to a 22.1% vacancy rate, one of the highest you will find, which keeps the median house price at an affordable $401,000. The median age of 37 sits 3.0 years below the national figure, and 39.7% of residents were born overseas, 18.1 points above national, giving the area a young, transient, internationally mixed profile. Turnover runs at 47.4%, meaning nearly half the population had moved in the prior five years.
Population
5,334
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,402/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
4
Median House
$401K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At $401,000 the median house price is well below most metropolitan markets, but the stock barely suits buyers chasing a standalone home. Only 14.4% of dwellings are separate houses while 80.7% are apartments, so a true house purchase competes for scarce supply. Two-bedroom dwellings dominate at 55.0% and one-bedroom or studio units make up another 19.0%, leaving 4-plus bedroom family homes at just 5.4%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household income sitting only in the 40.3rd percentile nationally. The affordability is real, but it reflects an apartment-heavy market built more for renters and investors than for owner-occupier families.
For Buyers
At $401,000 the median house price is well below most metropolitan markets, but the stock barely suits buyers chasing a standalone home. Only 14.4% of dwellings are separate houses while 80.7% are apartments, so a true house purchase competes for scarce supply. Two-bedroom dwellings dominate at 55.0% and one-bedroom or studio units make up another 19.0%, leaving 4-plus bedroom family homes at just 5.4%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household income sitting only in the 40.3rd percentile nationally. The affordability is real, but it reflects an apartment-heavy market built more for renters and investors than for owner-occupier families.
For Investors
A 65.3% renter share gives landlords a deep tenant pool, the clearest reason to look here, yet the headline numbers demand caution. Weekly rent of $340 against the $401,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.4%, healthy by capital-city standards and helped by the low entry price. The catch is a 22.1% vacancy rate, signalling genuine oversupply in the apartment segment that makes up 80.7% of dwellings. Development activity is thin at 3 applications in 12 months, all material change of use for short-term accommodation rather than new builds, which points to owners pivoting stock toward tourist letting. The investment case rests on yield and tourism demand more than capital growth, with the high vacancy a standing risk to occupancy.
Development Activity
Total DAs
4
Last 12 Months
4
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Cairns North iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Mother of Good Counsel School
Prep-6 · 354 students
Cairns State High School
7-12 · 1636 students
Demographics
The median age of 37 runs 3.0 years below the national figure, and the average household size of 1.9 sits 0.6 below national, consistent with a population skewed toward singles and couples rather than families. Overseas-born residents reach 39.7%, which is 18.1 points above national, an unusually international mix for a regional centre. University qualifications at 33.3% run 3.2 points above national. Ancestry leans Anglo, led by English (1,372), Irish (552) and Scottish (410), while the top non-English languages are Punjabi (61 speakers), Mandarin (50) and Malayalam (36). Couples without children account for 36.4% of families, the largest household type, reinforcing the young, mobile profile shown by the 47.4% turnover rate.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
14.4%
Houses
4.4%
Townhouse
80.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is heavily weighted to renters: 65.3% rent, while only 16.5% own outright and 18.3% carry a mortgage. That renter majority is far above the national norm and explains why the market behaves like an investor and tenant market rather than an owner-occupier one. The stock is 80.7% apartments and just 14.4% separate houses, with 4.4% semi-detached, which keeps the limited detached housing scarce. Two-bedroom dwellings make up 55.0% and one-bedroom 19.0%, leaving only 5.4% with four or more bedrooms. At a $401,000 median, the price-to-income picture stays manageable, with mortgage-to-income at 21.4% and rent-to-income at 24.3%, both below the 30% stress line. The 22.1% vacancy rate, however, marks real surplus supply in the apartment segment.
Mortgage / mo
$1,300
Rent / wk
$340
HH Size
1.9
Personal Income / wk
$873
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
22.1%
Unoccupied
584
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.4%
Couples, no children
2,377
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce leans on health and tourism rather than knowledge industries. Healthcare leads decisively at 29.2% (560 workers), Hospitality follows at 15.3% (293), then Public Admin at 9.1%, Education at 7.5% and Retail at 6.3%, a mix that reflects Cairns North's role as a hospital precinct and gateway to a tourism economy. By occupation, Professionals (707) and Community and Personal Service workers (475) are the two largest groups, the latter tied to the hospitality base. Unemployment is elevated at 7.8%, above the national rate, and participation is low at 56.1%, partly because 1,069 residents are not in the labour force. The full-time employment rate of 61.5% and the seasonal tilt of tourism work help explain the softer labour numbers compared with capital-city suburbs.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.5%
Part-time
30.7%
Participation
56.1%
Employed
2,443
Occupations
Top Industries
University
33.3%
Postgraduate
8.5%
Born Overseas
39.7%
Dwellings
2,032
Transport to Work
Daily life here is walkable and central by regional standards: 19.9% of residents walk or cycle to work, well above what most suburbs record, while 67.9% drive and only 3.2% use public transport, reflecting limited regional transit. The compact 2.76 km2 size and 1,929 per km2 density keep services and the Cairns CBD within easy reach. Volunteering runs at 15.5% and 5.0% of residents (223 people) need daily assistance, a modest figure for an area with a younger median age of 37. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families with children rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the dense, apartment-dominated, renter-majority setting.
Drive
67.9%
Public Transport
3.2%
Walk / Cycle
19.9%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Cairns North compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairns North a good suburb to live in?
Cairns North suits renters and singles more than families. It is affordable with a $401,000 median house price, walkable with 19.9% walking or cycling to work, and young at a median age of 37, three years below national. The trade-offs are an 80.7% apartment stock and a 22.1% vacancy rate.
What is the median house price in Cairns North?
The median house price is $401,000, well below most metropolitan markets. Weekly rent averages $340 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,300, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even at the 40.3rd income percentile.
What schools are in Cairns North?
No schools are recorded inside the Cairns North boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is educated, with university qualifications at 33.3%, which is 3.2 points above the national figure.
Is Cairns North safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Cairns North in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, only 5.0% of its residents (223 people) need daily assistance and volunteering runs at 15.5%, both consistent with an engaged community despite a high 47.4% resident turnover rate.
Is Cairns North good for property investment?
Rent of $340 a week against a $401,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.4%, strong compared with capital cities and helped by the low entry price. The risk is a 22.1% vacancy rate signalling apartment oversupply, with 80.7% of dwellings being units in a 65.3% renter market.
How is Cairns North's population changing?
The population is 5,334 across a dense 2.76 km2 area, but it is highly transient: the 47.4% turnover rate shows nearly half of residents had moved within five years. The average household size of 1.9 sits 0.6 below national, and couples without children make up 36.4% of families.
What languages are spoken in Cairns North?
About 39.7% of residents were born overseas, 18.1 points above the national figure. English is the dominant language, with Punjabi (61 speakers), Mandarin (50), Malayalam (36) and Japanese (25) the most common non-English languages, reflecting an internationally mixed resident base.
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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