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Suburb Insights · QLD 4520

Highvale, QLD 4520 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Highvale is a regional centre in Queensland, Australia, with a population of approximately 1,979, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 24 km from the Brisbane CBD, Highvale is a regional area in Queensland. The median household income is $163,436 per year.

Investment Score

63 / 100 Good

Above-average earnings in Highvale support sustained property values. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.

Location

Brisbane
Highvale
Queensland · 4520
24 km from Brisbane CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
4520

Official Australia Post postcode for Highvale. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
1,979

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$425/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$163,436/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
24 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$2,600/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
93% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Investment Insight

Highvale is a smaller community of 1,979 — about 36% of the Queensland suburb median (5,474) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Median household income of $163,436/year runs 81% above the Queensland suburb median of $90,298, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. Rent of $425/week (71% coverage of the $2,600/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $758/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. 24 km from Brisbane places Highvale in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs. Separate houses make up 93% of dwellings — 16 percentage points above the Queensland median of 77% — pointing to a family-oriented, land-rich market where value is concentrated in the underlying block.

Highvale vs Queensland Median

How Highvale stacks up against the median of all Queensland suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Highvale sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricHighvaleQLD medianΔ vs state
Population1,9795,474-64%
Median household income$163,436/yr$90,298/yr+81%
Median rent (weekly)$425$385+10%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,600$1,733+50%
Distance to CBD24 km62 km-61%
Separate houses93%77%+16pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Highvale — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Strong buy-and-hold fundamentals: household incomes run 81% above the Queensland suburb median ($163,436 vs $90,298), and the 24 km CBD distance keeps this suburb in the primary demand zone. In Queensland, suburbs with this profile have historically clustered in the upper tercile of 10-year capital growth.

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Rental Yield

Moderate rental coverage: rent of $425/week covers 71% of a $2,600/month mortgage, leaving a $758/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.

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Renovation / Flip

With 93% houses in a 1,979-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Highvale property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Highvale

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Strong Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Moderate

Highvale enters 2026 with a demographic tailwind — household incomes 81% above the Queensland suburb median of $90,298 and a population of 1,979 give it the depth and purchasing power to outperform the wider QLD market over the next 12–18 months. Rental coverage runs at ~71% of the typical mortgage ($1,842/month rent vs $2,600/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 63/100 places Highvale in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Highvale a good suburb for investment?

Highvale scores 63/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 1,979, median household income of $163,436/year and median weekly rent of $425. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.

What drives property demand in Highvale?

The main demand drivers in Highvale are proximity to Brisbane (24 km), an above-state-median household income of $163,436/year, a dwelling mix that is 93% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.

What is the population of Highvale?

Highvale has a usual resident population of approximately 1,979, compared with a Queensland suburb median of 5,474 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.

How far is Highvale from the Brisbane CBD?

Highvale sits 24 km straight-line from the Brisbane CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.

What is the median rent in Highvale?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $425 in Highvale, equating to approximately $22,100/year in gross rental income (state median $385/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Highvale?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Highvale is $2,600, or approximately $31,200/year (vs $1,733/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.

Is Highvale cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $425 works out to $1,842/month, covering 71% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,600/month. That leaves a $758/month shortfall (around $9,096/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.

What are the main risks of investing in Highvale?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (1,979 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,600 median mortgage, the broader Queensland market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.

How we built this Highvale profile

Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.

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