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Suburb Insights · QLD 4221

Palm Beach, QLD 4221 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Palm Beach is a coastal suburb in Queensland, Australia, with a population of approximately 16,349, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 84 km from the Brisbane CBD, Palm Beach is a coastal area in Queensland. The median household income is $89,492 per year.

Investment Score

57 / 100 Moderate

Palm Beach has a solid income profile that supports reliable occupancy rates. Coastal lifestyle appeal adds a premium that supports long-term demand.

Location

Brisbane
Palm Beach
Queensland · 4221
84 km from Brisbane CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
4221

Official Australia Post postcode for Palm Beach. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

Australia Post Postcode Finder →
Population
16,349

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$445/wk

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

Median household income
$89,492/yr

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

Distance to CBD
84 km

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

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
4

Estimated 4 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
7

Estimated 7 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$2,093/mo

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

Home type
35% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Palm Beach

Who Palm Beach Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersPrices sit above the Queensland median — stretch goal.
💼ProfessionalsLonger commute to the CBD.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Access to several schools nearby (around 4).
  • Local parks and reserves (around 7) add to liveability.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Median mortgage sits above the Queensland state median — entry costs are stretched.
  • Long distance to the CBD (84 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.

Investment Insight

With 16,349 residents, Palm Beach is one of Queensland's more populous suburbs — roughly 3.0× the state median of 5,474 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. At $89,492/year, household income in Palm Beach is within 1% of the Queensland median ($90,298), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Median weekly rent of $445 equates to $1,928/month — about 92% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,093/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Palm Beach is 84 km from Brisbane, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 35% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 77% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.

Investment Tip

Coastal markets benefit from lifestyle appeal but require a buffer for higher insurance and occasional weather-driven vacancies. Local rents consume roughly 26% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Palm Beach vs Queensland Median

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

MetricPalm BeachQLD medianΔ vs state
Population16,3495,474+199%
Median household income$89,492/yr$90,298/yr-1%
Median rent (weekly)$445$385+16%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,093$1,733+21%
Distance to CBD84 km62 km+35%
Separate houses35%77%-42pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 16,349 and household income close to the QLD median ($89,492 vs $90,298) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $445/week (~$1,928/month) covers 92% of the $2,093/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $165/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

Only 35% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 77% QLD median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Palm Beach property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Palm Beach

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Moderate Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Moderate

Property values in Palm Beach should track the wider Queensland market through 2026, with the $89,492/year median household income (close to the $90,298 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~92% of the typical mortgage ($1,928/month rent vs $2,093/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 57/100 places Palm Beach 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Palm Beach a good suburb for investment?

Palm Beach scores 57/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 16,349, median household income of $89,492/year and median weekly rent of $445. 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 Palm Beach?

The main demand drivers in Palm Beach are a median household income of $89,492/year, a dwelling mix that is 35% separate houses, roughly 4 schools and 7 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 Palm Beach?

Palm Beach has a usual resident population of approximately 16,349, compared with a Queensland suburb median of 5,474 — placing it in the upper 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 Palm Beach from the Brisbane CBD?

Palm Beach sits 84 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.

What is the median rent in Palm Beach?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $445 in Palm Beach, equating to approximately $23,140/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 Palm Beach?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Palm Beach is $2,093, or approximately $25,116/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 Palm Beach cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $445 works out to $1,928/month, covering 92% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,093/month. That leaves a $165/month shortfall (around $1,980/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 Palm Beach?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,093 median mortgage, a unit-heavy dwelling mix (35% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, 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 Palm Beach 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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