Compare
Main Beach vs Surfers Paradise - South
Statistical Area 2 (SA2) comparison ≈ 5.7 km apart · Main Beach profile · Surfers Paradise - South profile
Main Beach Surfers Paradise - South
Surfers Paradise - South and Main Beach are neighbouring areas that offer very different lifestyles. Residents are far older in Main Beach, where the typical age is 57 and 34.7% are seniors, compared to a typical age of 39 in Surfers Paradise - South. This contrast is reflected in housing and wealth; homes are far more likely to be owned outright in Main Beach (46.4%), while renting is far higher in Surfers Paradise - South (51.2%). Surfers Paradise - South is also much more international, with 39.1% of people born overseas and 25.4% using a language other than English at home, compared to 26.0% and 8.8% in Main Beach.
Both areas share a similar core population structure, including almost identical shares of First Nations people (1.0%) and people in de facto relationships. They also have very similar household sizes, with about two people per home in each. While they share these basics, the gap in wealth and age remains a defining feature, with Main Beach seeing a far higher share of households earning $3,000 or more a week (25.1%) than Surfers Paradise - South (13.8%).
Where they differ most
Demographics & Identity
- First area, 2011: 3,496
- First area, 2016: 3,883
- First area, 2021: 3,998
- Second area, 2021: 14,210
- First area, 2011: 47 yrs
- First area, 2016: 51 yrs
- First area, 2021: 57 yrs
- Second area, 2021: 39 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 Main Beach: 1.2% males, 1.2% females; 85+ in Surfers Paradise - South: 0.8% males, 0.8% females
- 80–84 in Main Beach: 2.5% males, 2.0% females; 80–84 in Surfers Paradise - South: 0.9% males, 1.1% females
- 75–79 in Main Beach: 4.2% males, 3.7% females; 75–79 in Surfers Paradise - South: 2.0% males, 1.9% females
- 70–74 in Main Beach: 5.4% males, 4.6% females; 70–74 in Surfers Paradise - South: 3.0% males, 2.9% females
- 65–69 in Main Beach: 4.6% males, 5.0% females; 65–69 in Surfers Paradise - South: 2.9% males, 3.0% females
- 60–64 in Main Beach: 5.3% males, 5.1% females; 60–64 in Surfers Paradise - South: 3.4% males, 2.9% females
- 55–59 in Main Beach: 3.7% males, 4.8% females; 55–59 in Surfers Paradise - South: 2.9% males, 3.0% females
- 50–54 in Main Beach: 3.5% males, 4.4% females; 50–54 in Surfers Paradise - South: 3.2% males, 3.1% females
- 45–49 in Main Beach: 2.5% males, 2.6% females; 45–49 in Surfers Paradise - South: 3.1% males, 2.7% females
- 40–44 in Main Beach: 2.2% males, 1.9% females; 40–44 in Surfers Paradise - South: 3.2% males, 2.6% females
- 35–39 in Main Beach: 2.2% males, 2.5% females; 35–39 in Surfers Paradise - South: 4.2% males, 3.6% females
- 30–34 in Main Beach: 2.0% males, 2.7% females; 30–34 in Surfers Paradise - South: 5.4% males, 5.0% females
- 25–29 in Main Beach: 2.9% males, 3.1% females; 25–29 in Surfers Paradise - South: 6.4% males, 5.7% females
- 20–24 in Main Beach: 2.5% males, 2.7% females; 20–24 in Surfers Paradise - South: 3.9% males, 4.3% females
- 15–19 in Main Beach: 1.5% males, 1.5% females; 15–19 in Surfers Paradise - South: 1.5% males, 1.6% females
- 10–14 in Main Beach: 0.9% males, 1.1% females; 10–14 in Surfers Paradise - South: 1.5% males, 1.4% females
- 5–9 in Main Beach: 1.3% males, 0.6% females; 5–9 in Surfers Paradise - South: 1.4% males, 1.3% females
- 0–4 in Main Beach: 1.0% males, 0.8% females; 0–4 in Surfers Paradise - South: 1.7% males, 1.6% 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: $803
- First area, 2016: $869
- First area, 2021: $938
- Second area, 2021: $777
- First area, 2011: $1,357
- First area, 2016: $1,534
- First area, 2021: $1,682
- Second area, 2021: $1,360
- First area, 2011: $1,746
- First area, 2016: $2,027
- First area, 2021: $2,269
- Second area, 2021: $1,730
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: 1.8
- First area, 2016: 1.9
- First area, 2021: 1.9
- Second area, 2021: 2.0
Family composition
Household size
Housing & Dwellings
- First area, 2011: $430
- First area, 2016: $443
- First area, 2021: $500
- Second area, 2021: $400
- First area, 2011: $2,400
- First area, 2016: $2,000
- First area, 2021: $2,091
- Second area, 2021: $1,600
- First area, 2011: 1.10
- First area, 2016: 0.90
- First area, 2021: 0.90
- Second area, 2021: 1.00
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
Walkability
Compare Main Beach with nearby areas
Compare Surfers Paradise - South with nearby areas
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Main Beach vs Surfers Paradise - South [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sa2/309101269/main-beach/vs/309101562/surfers-paradise-south