The suburbs of Redlynch Valley and Kanimbla have the highest proportion of ‘couples with children’ at 44% and 45% respectively. There are another nine suburbs in Cairns where more than a third of the population is made up of families:

• Bayview Heights
• Bentley Park
• Brinsmead
• Edmonton
• Gordonvale and surrounds
• Kewarra Beach
• Mount Sheridan
• Smithfield

The Cairns inner city and surrounds are the areas where most people are living alone or share-housing. These suburbs also have more apartments, townhouses and low-maintenance living options than the suburbs and include:

• Bungalow
• Cairns City
• Cairns North
• Parramatta Park
• Westcourt

Cairns is a multicultural city. Around one fifth of our residents born overseas. And approximately 9 per cent of Cairns residents identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Our most multicultural suburbs, where more than a quarter of residents speak a language other than English at home, include:

• Cairns City
• Cairns North
• Manoora
• Manunda
• Mooroobool
• Parramatta Park

Naturally, when you consider moving to a new town or city, one of the first decisions you need to make is whether you are going to buy or rent.

The property rental market in Cairns is extremely tight, with a vacancy rate of just 0.8% in October 2021 (source: SQM Research).

Compare this to the North Queensland average of 1.4% and you will quickly see that you need to have a plan to find a great rental.

With more people moving to the region, buying a property has also become very competitive. However, with new residential building approvals almost doubling between the 2020 and 2021 financial years (source:.idcommunity), this may be a relatively short term problem.

Whichever option suits your requirements, do not be deterred, because there are still great options for both tenants and buyers.

Heading north of Cairns, to the suburbs of Trinity Beach, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach and Palm Cove could just be your ticket to paradise. Not only do these suburbs offer idyllic beach living, but unlike Cairns City, they provide more chance of finding a rental.

The Northern Beaches, as they are collective known, have a vacancy rate of 1.5% - almost double that of Cairns itself.

If you are aiming to live south of the city, be prepared for some stiff competition as suburbs such as Mount Sheridan and Edmonton have vacancy rates as low as 0.4% and Gordonvale with a very slim 0.3% (Source: https://sqmresearch.com.au/).

According to RealEstate.com.au (October 2021) the average weekly rental can vary depending on the suburb of your choice:

• Manoora - $420 per week (House) / $310 per week (Unit)
• Edmonton - $430 per week (House) / $295 per week (Unit)
• Cairns North - $455 per week (House) / $370 per week (Unit)
• Redlynch - $510 per week (House) / $380 per week (Unit)
• Clifton Beach - $580 per week (House) / $375 per week (Unit)
• Palm Cove - $625 per week (House) / $380 per week (Unit)

Like large portions of the Australian Real Estate Market, buying a house or a unit in Cairns requires buyers to move quickly. With the number of viewings per property listing increasing, and time on the market shrinking, it is currently a sellers’ market. New housing developments are creating some additional capacity around Gordonvale and Clifton Beach.

Whilst traditionally the housing market has been relatively stagnant, Cairns house prices were up 16.3% over the past five years to June 2021 (Source Domain.com.au). Some great news is that Cairns is one of 37 regions in Queensland where it’s cheaper to buy a home than to rent one, according to affordability data.

As with the rental market, the average house and unit price in and around Cairns (based on October 2021 figures) varies:

• Manoora - $357.5k (House) / $175k (Unit)
• Edmonton - $385k (House) / $150k (Unit)
• Cairns North - $485k (House) / $265k (Unit)
• Redlynch - $529k (House) / $250k (Unit)
• Clifton Beach - $645k (House) / $265k (Unit)
• Palm Cove - $820k (House) / $346k (Unit)

Choosing the right suburb to call home in Cairns really depends on your circumstances. For those with families seeking the best performing state schools, Freshwater is often cited as the place to live, or the Edge Hill/ Whitfield area. Whereas if you are looking to make the most of the tropical lifestyle, the Northern Beaches such as Trinity Beach and Palm Cove come highly regarded (as do the beach-side state schools).

However, when it comes to sales, it’s the south-side suburbs in the front running with Mount Sheridan, Edmonton and Bentley Park registering the most sales in the 12 months to November 2020 (Source: REA Market Trends). The family friendly suburb of Redlynch came fourth with Cairns North a close sixth.

Safety and community play a large role in where people moving to Cairns want to live too. With a recent reporting from Queensland Police identifying that residents in some suburbs are 16 times more likely to have their homes broken into than residents in suburbs a few kilometres away, there are additional factors to consider. The Queensland Police regularly releases local crime reports and statistics for the Far North Queensland region.

Once you have found your new abode, if you don’t already have your own belongings in storage, shopping for furniture and appliances may be your next step.

Fortunately, Cairns has a wide range of retail options available, and there is something for everyone.

With national chains such as Harvey Norman, Amart Furniture, Freedom, Nick Scali, Early Settler and Forty Winks, alongside local furniture and homeware stores such as Samsara, Eureka Street Furniture, Koru and Style n Leather.

Swedish flat-pack extraordinaire, IKEA, doesn’t have a physical presence in Cairns, but customers can order online and have their items delivered.

When buying furniture, be mindful of the tropical climate in Far North Queensland. What may be stylish and comfortable in other parts of the country, may not suit your new home so well. With houses varying in design from Queenslanders and block homes to low rise units and townhouses, you’ll also need to find something that works well aesthetically. Keep in mind that furniture can be more susceptible to mould, particularly in the wet season in Cairns, so it is important to keep your home ventilated and the air moving to protect your belongings. This is something to be mindful of if you own antiques. Make sure you clean them regularly and depending on what they are, you may find they are better in air conditioning vs. natural breezes.

Did you know that musical instruments such as pianos need tuning more frequently in Cairns due to the humidity? If you’re a keen musician, there are certainly factors that will impact some musical instruments that you’ll need to consider. Fortunately, Cairns is a magnet for performers and there are plenty of professionals who can ensure your instruments stay in great condition.

For home appliances, you will also be greeted with plenty of options from Kmart and JB HiFi, through to the Good Guys. There is also a wealth of charity and second-hand shops where you can pick up some great bargains, not to mention garage sales and markets.