Coombabah
With a median age of 51, a full 11 years above the national figure, Coombabah reads as a settled, owner-dominated pocket of the northern Gold Coast rather than a growth frontier. The aging trajectory is concrete in the numbers: the senior share rose 7.1 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 2.9 points, and population growth sits at just 0.47% per year. Affordability is the offsetting story. The $497,000 median house price keeps household income at the 17th percentile nationally, yet 43.0% of homes are owned outright, the highest tenure band, which insulates many residents from the rent and mortgage stress flags the data also records. SEIFA places all four indices in decile 3, a below-average socioeconomic ranking that sits alongside the affordability.
Population
10,298
Median Age
51.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,092/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$497K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The $497,000 median house price is well below capital-city levels and makes Coombabah genuinely accessible for owner-occupiers, which helps explain why 43.0% of dwellings are owned outright and only 28.1% carry a mortgage. Stock favours buyers who want space: 51.3% of homes have three bedrooms and 16.1% have four or more, while just 3.6% are studios or one-bedders. Separate houses (49.3%) and semi-detached dwellings (41.7%) together account for over 90% of the market, with apartments a marginal 4.5%. The catch is mortgage-to-income at 34.8%, above the 30% stress threshold, so despite the low absolute price the modest local incomes (personal weekly $605) stretch repayments of $1,647 a month. Buyers relying on a single income should budget carefully.
For Buyers
The $497,000 median house price is well below capital-city levels and makes Coombabah genuinely accessible for owner-occupiers, which helps explain why 43.0% of dwellings are owned outright and only 28.1% carry a mortgage. Stock favours buyers who want space: 51.3% of homes have three bedrooms and 16.1% have four or more, while just 3.6% are studios or one-bedders. Separate houses (49.3%) and semi-detached dwellings (41.7%) together account for over 90% of the market, with apartments a marginal 4.5%. The catch is mortgage-to-income at 34.8%, above the 30% stress threshold, so despite the low absolute price the modest local incomes (personal weekly $605) stretch repayments of $1,647 a month. Buyers relying on a single income should budget carefully.
For Investors
Yields look reasonable on paper because the entry price is low: weekly rent of $415 against a $497,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.3%, well above the sub-2% returns common in premium metro suburbs. The renter pool is shallow though, at 28.9% of households, below the owner-outright share of 43.0%, so demand is thinner than in renter-heavy markets. A 5.0% vacancy rate is on the looser side and signals limited scarcity. Growth drivers are weak: population is forecast to rise only 0.47% annually (about 51 people), with overseas migration of 115 a year the main support and internal migration adding just 38. Rent grew 22.1% over the decade and rent-to-income stress sits at 38.0%, so further rent rises may meet affordability resistance from a low-income tenant base.
Schools in Coombabah iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Coombabah State School
Prep-6 · 730 students
Coombabah State High School
7-12 · 1113 students
Demographics
The population skews distinctly older, with a median age of 51 that runs 11 years above the national median and a senior share that climbed 7.1 points over the decade. Couples without children (38.1%) outnumber couples with children, and the average household size of 2.1 sits 0.4 below national, consistent with empty-nester and retiree households. Overseas-born residents make up 34.2%, 12.6 points above the national figure, yet ancestry is overwhelmingly Anglo-Celtic: English leads at 4,463, followed by Irish (1,135) and Scottish (1,101). Non-English languages are a small footprint, led by Mandarin (52) and Cantonese (33). University qualifications at 20.7% are 9.4 points below national, pointing to a workforce weighted toward trades, care and service roles rather than degree-led professions.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
49.3%
Houses
41.7%
Townhouse
4.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure here is owner-heavy and stable: 43.0% of dwellings are owned outright, 28.1% are mortgaged and 28.9% are rented, a profile typical of an established, aging area. The 26.3% turnover rate confirms most residents stay put. Built form is low-density, with separate houses at 49.3% and semi-detached at 41.7%, leaving apartments at just 4.5%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 51.3%. The $497,000 median house price is affordable relative to metro markets, but the data still flags both rent stress (rent-to-income 38.0%) and mortgage stress (mortgage-to-income 34.8%), each above the 30% threshold. That tension reflects local incomes rather than prices: household income sits at the 17th percentile nationally, so even modest housing costs consume a high income share for working households.
Mortgage / mo
$1,647
Rent / wk
$415
HH Size
2.1
Personal Income / wk
$605
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.0%
Unoccupied
244
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
38.0% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
34.8% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
38.1%
Couples, no children
7,406
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant employer at 21.1% of workers (544 people), reflecting the suburb's older resident base and demand for care services, followed by Construction at 11.3% (292) and Education at 10.2% (264). Occupations lean toward Professionals (620), Community and Personal Service workers (588) and Clerical and Administrative staff (572), a service-and-care mix rather than a knowledge-economy cluster. The unemployment rate of 6.5% is above the national average, and the participation rate of 44.3% is low, consistent with a large retiree population (4,015 not in the labour force). SEIFA confirms the picture: all four indices fall in decile 3, a below-average socioeconomic ranking. Real income grew only 5.8% over the decade, well below the gains seen in gentrifying areas.
Unemployment
4.4%
Labour Force
5,041
Unemployed
222
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.2%
Part-time
33.3%
Participation
44.3%
Employed
3,675
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.7%
Postgraduate
4.7%
Born Overseas
34.2%
Dwellings
4,585
Transport to Work
Coombabah is built around the car: 90.4% of residents drive to work, well above typical metro shares, while public transport (1.5%) and walking or cycling (2.2%) are minimal, so a vehicle is close to essential. The trade-off is space and affordability, with separate houses at 49.3% and a median price of $497,000 below capital-city levels. SEIFA places all four indices in decile 3, a below-average ranking nationally, and 9.7% of residents (940 people) report needing assistance with core activities, higher than younger suburbs and consistent with the median age of 51. The owner-outright share of 43.0% points to a stable, long-tenured community, though the absence of local schools in the dataset means families typically rely on facilities in neighbouring suburbs.
Drive
90.4%
Public Transport
1.5%
Walk / Cycle
2.2%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.47%/yr
(+51 people/yr)
EstablishedCoombabah is a slow-growth, established suburb. Population is projected to rise just 0.47% per year, around 51 people annually, taking the count from 10,815 in 2025 to a medium forecast of 11,077 by 2031. The 10-year change was a modest 5.4%, and there was no COVID dip, underlining steadiness rather than momentum. Overseas migration (115 a year) is the primary driver, with net internal migration adding only 38. The clearest dynamic is aging: the senior share rose 7.1 points while both the young share (down 2.7) and working-age share (down 2.9) contracted. The gentrification score of 22 marks early signs at most, and real income growth of 5.8% over the decade is well below the pace of suburbs in active transition.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+115
Net Internal / yr
+38
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Coombabah compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coombabah a good suburb to live in?
Coombabah suits older owner-occupiers and downsizers who value affordability and space. The $497,000 median house price is well below metro levels and 43.0% of homes are owned outright. The trade-offs are heavy car dependence (90.4% drive) and a below-average SEIFA ranking, with all four indices in decile 3.
What is the median house price in Coombabah?
The median house price is $497,000, estimated from rental data in 2025. Weekly rent is $415 and average monthly mortgage repayments are $1,647. That price sits well below capital-city medians, which helps explain the high 43.0% rate of outright home ownership.
What schools are in Coombabah?
The current dataset lists no schools within Coombabah itself, so the 0 recorded means families typically use facilities in neighbouring suburbs. Education employs 10.2% of local workers (264 people), but schooling for the suburb's children is generally accessed in adjacent areas of the northern Gold Coast.
Is Coombabah safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Coombabah in this dataset. As context, it is an established, owner-dominated suburb where 43.0% of homes are owned outright and the median age is 51, a profile usually associated with stable, low-turnover residential areas, with a turnover rate of just 26.3%.
Is Coombabah good for property investment?
Entry yields are reasonable: $415 weekly rent on a $497,000 median is a gross yield near 4.3%, above premium metro returns. But the renter pool is thin at 28.9%, vacancy is loose at 5.0%, and population growth is just 0.47% a year, limiting capital-growth prospects.
How is Coombabah's population changing?
Population growth is slow at 0.47% per year, about 51 people, rising from 10,815 in 2025 toward 11,077 by 2031. The suburb is aging: the senior share rose 7.1 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 2.9 points. Overseas migration of 115 a year is the main driver.
What languages are spoken in Coombabah?
Overseas-born residents make up 34.2%, which is 12.6 points above the national figure, but ancestry is heavily Anglo-Celtic with English leading at 4,463. Non-English languages are a small footprint, led by Mandarin (52 speakers), Cantonese (33) and Korean (27).
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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