Suburb brief · Cairns City QLD 4870
The thesis below links every claim to maintained evidence. Open a line item to inspect the underlying record without leaving the brief.
43/100
82%
5.3%
Updated May 2026
Thesis
Cairns City QLD 4870 is summarised from maintained observations only. The call weighs market pressure, local profile, dwelling mix and risk without filling gaps from weaker substitutes.
Vacancy is 0.7%, inside the tight-rental threshold.
Vacancy rate · Updated May 2026Renter share is 48.6%, showing the depth of the tenant pool.
Renter share · Updated May 2026Median household income is $1,627/wk.
Household income (median) · Updated May 2026Census median rent was $413/wk at the last Census.
Median rent (Census) · Updated May 20260 mapped local places sit within 1km.
Local places within 1km · Updated May 2026Gross yield is 5.3%, above the 4.0% income floor.
Gross yield · unit · Updated May 2026Apartments make up 80.6% of dwellings, so strata quality and competing supply matter more here.
Flats / apartments · Updated May 2026Cyclone exposure scores 70/100, so insurance and building resilience need extra attention.
Cyclone risk · Updated May 2026Overall fit is 43/100.
Overall fit · Updated May 2026Market snapshot
$480k
What this means: Use this as the local unit-price benchmark before judging an apartment or townhouse. Compare the exact property against recent nearby sales.
$841k
What this means: Use this as the local house-price benchmark. A property well above this needs a clear land, condition, school-zone or scarcity reason.
Recent news & DA activity
No recent news or DA activity in the monitoring window. This panel follows the same monthly maintenance cadence as the rest of the report.
Nearby pockets worth watching
Drill-down suburb report · 170 metrics across 3 research stages
The summary above gives the read first. Open a stage below only when you want the supporting numbers and how each signal is calculated.
QLD · 4870
Overall fit
43
out of 100
This report shows 170 maintained signals. Updated May 2026.
propautopilot · Cairns City · QLD · 4870
Updated May 2026 · Not financial advice. General information only.
Compass
Your read on Cairns City
Cairns City doesn't clear the overall-fit bar right now — worth understanding why before ruling in or out. 170 of 170 signals maintained.
Before you inspect
A first suburb-level screen for hazards, safety, and community signals that could change whether this area stays on your shortlist. Verify the exact address before making an offer.
4 checks
Stage 1 · Strategy
12 signals grouped into 1 profile plus 1 standalone card: 12 maintained.Numbers that set your price band, cash-flow expectations, and portfolio shape.
Stage 2 · Suburbs
143 signals grouped into 19 profiles plus 2 standalone cards: 143 maintained.The signals the Scout weighs when narrowing your shortlist.
Stage 3 · Property
15 signals grouped into 2 profiles: 15 maintained.The numbers that tell you which streets and property profiles fit your criteria.
Editorial brief
Cairns City QLD 4870 is summarised from maintained observations only. The call weighs market pressure, local profile, dwelling mix and risk without filling gaps from weaker substitutes.
The drill-down carries 170 populated metrics across 3 research stages, with thin or missing fields left explicit.
Last reviewed May 2026. Use this as the suburb screen, then confirm street, building and listing-specific facts before acting.
Other suburbs in 4870
Same-postcode suburbs often share buyer demand, rental context and local amenities, while school zones and council boundaries can still differ. Compare each brief before locking your shortlist.
Frequently asked
Cairns City is a suburb in QLD (postcode 4870) , sitting roughly 696 km from the Brisbane CBD.
The median house price in Cairns City QLD 4870 is $841k based on the most recent twelve-month sales record. Unit and apartment medians track separately and may sit materially below the house figure depending on the dwelling mix in the suburb.
Gross rental yield on houses in Cairns City QLD 4870 sits at 4.5% based on current rents against the prevailing median sale price. That is above the income-investor threshold most buyers use as a screening floor.
The vacancy rate in Cairns City QLD 4870 is 0.7% on the most recent observation. Anything under 1.5% is a tight rental market with rapid re-letting and limited tenant choice.
Cairns City QLD 4870 scores in the lower range for investor fit on the maintained Compass scorecard (43/100). The score weighs price growth, rental yield, vacancy, supply pressure, demographic momentum and risk overlays together, so a single suburb can sit high overall and still be the wrong fit for a specific brief — confirm against your buyer profile before acting.
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$493
What this means: Use this to sense holding comfort and tenant depth. It still needs expenses, vacancy and lending costs before it becomes a cashflow view.
0.7%
TightWhat this means: Lower vacancy usually means tighter rental demand. Very low numbers can move quickly, so use this with rent trend and stock-on-market.
Livability