Compare
Brisbane vs Sunshine Coast
Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 88 km apart · Brisbane profile · Sunshine Coast profile
Brisbane Sunshine Coast
Brisbane and Sunshine Coast are two major Queensland hubs with very different profiles. Brisbane is a diverse, highly walkable city where 31.8% of people were born overseas and 24.0% use another language at home. It has a more qualified workforce, with 38.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, and a higher share of high-income households, where 29.3% earn $3,000 or more a week. In contrast, Sunshine Coast is more residential, with 73.1% of homes being separate houses compared to 62.6% in Brisbane. It is also less walkable, with a score of 4.8 (somewhat walkable) compared to Brisbane's 7.4 (very walkable).
Everyday life shares many similarities across both areas, including almost identical rates of volunteering (15.7%) and the same share of children under 15 (17.4%). While the two areas are quite different in their layout and demographics, some gaps are shifting. The age difference is narrowing, as residents in Sunshine Coast are noticeably older, though the gap fell from 8 years to 7 years since 2016. Similarly, the gap in Year 12 completion has narrowed slightly to 17.7%.
Where they differ most
Demographics & Identity
- First area, 2011: 1,041,839
- First area, 2016: 1,131,155
- First area, 2021: 1,242,825
- Second area, 2016: 294,367
- Second area, 2021: 342,541
- First area, 2011: 34 yrs
- First area, 2016: 35 yrs
- First area, 2021: 36 yrs
- Second area, 2016: 43 yrs
- Second area, 2021: 43 yrs
Age structure
Marital status
Age & sex structure
Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.
- 85+ in Brisbane: 0.7% males, 1.2% females; 85+ in Sunshine Coast: 1.1% males, 1.6% females
- 80–84 in Brisbane: 0.8% males, 1.0% females; 80–84 in Sunshine Coast: 1.3% males, 1.5% females
- 75–79 in Brisbane: 1.2% males, 1.4% females; 75–79 in Sunshine Coast: 2.0% males, 2.2% females
- 70–74 in Brisbane: 1.6% males, 1.8% females; 70–74 in Sunshine Coast: 2.8% males, 3.1% females
- 65–69 in Brisbane: 1.9% males, 2.1% females; 65–69 in Sunshine Coast: 2.9% males, 3.2% females
- 60–64 in Brisbane: 2.3% males, 2.5% females; 60–64 in Sunshine Coast: 3.1% males, 3.5% females
- 55–59 in Brisbane: 2.7% males, 2.8% females; 55–59 in Sunshine Coast: 3.0% males, 3.6% females
- 50–54 in Brisbane: 3.1% males, 3.2% females; 50–54 in Sunshine Coast: 3.2% males, 3.5% females
- 45–49 in Brisbane: 3.4% males, 3.5% females; 45–49 in Sunshine Coast: 3.2% males, 3.5% females
- 40–44 in Brisbane: 3.5% males, 3.6% females; 40–44 in Sunshine Coast: 2.9% males, 3.2% females
- 35–39 in Brisbane: 4.0% males, 4.1% females; 35–39 in Sunshine Coast: 2.9% males, 3.3% females
- 30–34 in Brisbane: 4.1% males, 4.2% females; 30–34 in Sunshine Coast: 2.7% males, 3.0% females
- 25–29 in Brisbane: 4.2% males, 4.2% females; 25–29 in Sunshine Coast: 2.5% males, 2.8% females
- 20–24 in Brisbane: 3.9% males, 3.9% females; 20–24 in Sunshine Coast: 2.5% males, 2.6% females
- 15–19 in Brisbane: 3.0% males, 2.9% females; 15–19 in Sunshine Coast: 3.0% males, 2.9% females
- 10–14 in Brisbane: 3.1% males, 2.9% females; 10–14 in Sunshine Coast: 3.3% males, 3.1% females
- 5–9 in Brisbane: 3.1% males, 2.9% females; 5–9 in Sunshine Coast: 3.0% males, 2.9% females
- 0–4 in Brisbane: 2.8% males, 2.7% females; 0–4 in Sunshine Coast: 2.6% males, 2.4% females
Ancestry & Birthplace
Country of birth
Ancestry
Language
Language used at home
Religion
Religious affiliation
Education & Qualifications
Highest year of school
Highest qualification level
Field of qualification
Income
- First area, 2011: $696
- First area, 2016: $770
- First area, 2021: $947
- Second area, 2016: $615
- Second area, 2021: $755
- First area, 2011: $1,547
- First area, 2016: $1,746
- First area, 2021: $2,068
- Second area, 2016: $1,275
- Second area, 2021: $1,595
- First area, 2011: $1,873
- First area, 2016: $2,091
- First area, 2021: $2,474
- Second area, 2016: $1,491
- Second area, 2021: $1,920
Household income distribution
Personal income distribution
Health & Disability
Long-term health conditions reported
Number of long-term health conditions
Community Participation
First Nations
Family & Households
- First area, 2011: 2.6
- First area, 2016: 2.6
- First area, 2021: 2.5
- Second area, 2016: 2.5
- Second area, 2021: 2.5
Family composition
Household size
Housing & Dwellings
- First area, 2011: $350
- First area, 2016: $390
- First area, 2021: $408
- Second area, 2016: $370
- Second area, 2021: $440
- First area, 2011: $2,100
- First area, 2016: $2,000
- First area, 2021: $2,019
- Second area, 2016: $1,800
- Second area, 2021: $1,915
- First area, 2011: 1.10
- First area, 2016: 0.80
- First area, 2021: 0.80
- Second area, 2016: 0.80
- Second area, 2021: 0.80
How homes are owned or rented
Types of homes
Bedrooms per home
Weekly rent distribution
Monthly mortgage distribution
Transport & Vehicles
How people get to work
Motor vehicles per home
Migration & Movement
Jobs & Industry
Industries people work in
Occupations people work in
Economy & Advantage
Environment & Climate
Crime & Safety
Walkability
Compare Brisbane with nearby areas
Compare Sunshine Coast with nearby areas
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Brisbane vs Sunshine Coast [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA31000/brisbane/vs/LGA36720/sunshine-coast