QLD · Gold Coast Council
Coolangatta, 4225
Current weather
17.3°CClear sky
91% humidity · 11.4 km/h wind · 21.6° / 13.7° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Café precinct
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Cycling
Suburb profile
Coolangatta is a coastal mid-sized suburb where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Coastal living here comes with genuine distance from the capital, a self-contained pace with the sea at its heart. Salt air and open horizons give the suburb a relaxed, outdoor feel year-round.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with a healthy mix of renters and owner-occupiers. Food and coffee are a real part of local identity, with plenty of places to meet and linger. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker safety and housing affordability against similar coastal suburbs, even with parks and green space and local dining and lifestyle amenities holding up better.
Population
- Population
- 6,491
- Median age
- 50
- Median household income / week
- $1,331
- Dwelling vacancy
- 29.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 1,205 of 4,145
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,805
- Employment rate
- 52%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 231 / 214 / 2,263
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $850
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 651
- Against the person
- 103
- Against property
- 374
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 100.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 63 residents
- State safety percentile
- 91.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +30%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences156
- Good Order Offences79
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)252
- Unlawful Entry78
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle46
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 1,018
- Coolangatta State SchoolPrimary
- The Village School Gold CoastPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
12 public transport stops in this suburb
- Coolangatta Central
- Coolangatta Central
- Griffith St at Coolangatta East
- Griffith St at Coolangatta East
- Marine Pde at Kirra Beach
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
285 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Coolangatta Sands Hotel BottleshopAlcohol
- Liquor Legends KirraAlcohol
- TimezoneAmusement Arcade
- ANZATM
- ATM
- BOQATM
- Eagle Bitcoin ATMATM
72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta
- NABATM
- Coolangatta Pie ShopBakery
- Kirra Beach BakeryBakery
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
35 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Apex Park (Snapper Rocks)Park
- Gilltrap ParkPark
- Goodwin ParkPark
- John Orbansen ParkPark
- Park or reserveNature reserve
- Point Danger LookoutPark
- Queen Elizabeth ParkPark
- R.T. Peak Memorial ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- + spacealternative
- Chemist Warehousepharmacy
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Twin Towns Kindergartenkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 16
- Parks (OSM)
- 15
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 45.6/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 39% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2530th in Australia
- State rank
- 586th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #31 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #72 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 5ive Element Fitnessamenitiesfitness_centre
- 7-Elevenamenitiesconvenience
- ANZamenitiesatm
- ANZamenitiesbank
- ATMamenitiesatm
- Abaa Car Rentalsamenitiescar_rental
- BOQamenitiesatm
- BOQamenities24-28 Griffith Street, Coolangattabank
- Baskin-Robbinsamenitiesice_cream
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Gold Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.