ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Meridan Plains is a coastal suburb in Queensland, Australia, with a population of approximately 4,589, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 79 km from the Brisbane CBD, Meridan Plains is a coastal area in Queensland. The median household income is $79,508 per year.
Meridan Plains has a solid income profile that supports reliable occupancy rates. The coastal setting provides a lifestyle factor that underpins property values.
Official Australia Post postcode for Meridan Plains. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Meridan Plains on My School →Estimated 2 parks and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
4,589 residents places Meridan Plains squarely in the middle of the Queensland suburb size distribution (state median 5,474), with market depth comparable to most QLD localities. Household income of $79,508/year is 12% below the Queensland median of $90,298, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Median weekly rent of $460 equates to $1,993/month — about 108% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,850/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Meridan Plains is 79 km from Brisbane, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
Coastal markets benefit from lifestyle appeal but require a buffer for higher insurance and occasional weather-driven vacancies. Local rents consume roughly 30% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Meridan Plains stacks up against the median of all Queensland suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Meridan Plains sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Meridan Plains | QLD median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,589 | 5,474 | -16% |
| Median household income | $79,508/yr | $90,298/yr | -12% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $460 | $385 | +19% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,850 | $1,733 | +7% |
| Distance to CBD | 79 km | 62 km | +27% |
| Separate houses | 68% | 77% | -9pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Meridan Plains — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Moderate buy-and-hold potential: Meridan Plains's 4,589-person market and $79,508 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.
Strong rental coverage: $460/week (~$1,993/month) covers 108% of the $1,850/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 68% houses in a 4,589-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Meridan Plains property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Meridan Plains are modest for 2026 — incomes 12% below the QLD median of $90,298 and a population of 4,589 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~108% of the typical mortgage ($1,993/month rent vs $1,850/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 53/100 places Meridan Plains in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.
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Meridan Plains scores 53/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 4,589, median household income of $79,508/year and median weekly rent of $460. 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.
The main demand drivers in Meridan Plains are a median household income of $79,508/year, a dwelling mix that is 68% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 2 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.
Meridan Plains has a usual resident population of approximately 4,589, 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.
Meridan Plains sits 79 km straight-line from the Brisbane CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $460 in Meridan Plains, equating to approximately $23,920/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.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Meridan Plains is $1,850, or approximately $22,200/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.
A median weekly rent of $460 works out to $1,993/month, covering 108% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,850/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $143/month, so on these numbers Meridan Plains leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (4,589 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,850 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.
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.