$300 ▼ -14.3%
Lower than 75% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: $350
- 2016: $390
- 2021: $300
Median weekly rent paid by households renting their home.
Cairns · State Electorate
Housing & Dwellings in Cairns
Where and how people live — the homes, how they are held, and what they cost.
Renting is the most common way to live in Cairns, with 44.4% of households renting their homes. This is far above the national figure and reflects a housing market where fewer people own their homes outright compared to other areas. Overall, housing costs in the city are a little below the state and national figures.
$300
▼ -14.3%
- $100–$118: 6 areas
- $118–$136: 1 area
- $136–$154: 0 areas
- $154–$171: 0 areas
- $171–$189: 4 areas
- $189–$207: 6 areas
- $207–$225: 10 areas
- $225–$243: 10 areas
- $243–$261: 21 areas
- $261–$279: 6 areas
- $279–$296: 16 areas
- $296–$314: 45 areas
- $314–$332: 33 areas
- $332–$350: 16 areas
- $350–$368: 38 areas
- $368–$386: 58 areas
- $386–$404: 44 areas
- $404–$421: 30 areas
- $421–$439: 21 areas
- $439–$457: 18 areas
- $457–$475: 12 areas
- $475–$493: 12 areas
- $493–$511: 6 areas
- $511–$529: 3 areas
- $529–$546: 3 areas
- $546–$564: 2 areas
- $564–$582: 4 areas
- $582–$600: 8 areas
All state electorate areas, 2021. The marker is Cairns — lower than 75% of areas.
| Cairns | $300 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | $345 |
| Queensland | $365 |
| Australia | $375 |
Housing costs
Rents, mortgages and crowding.
Typical weekly rent is $300, which is well below the Australian figure of $375. Home loan payments are also a little below the state and national levels, with the typical monthly payment sitting at $1,517.
$1,517 ▼ -25.2%
Lower than 77% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: $2,027
- 2016: $1,900
- 2021: $1,517
Median monthly mortgage repayment for households with a mortgage.
Weekly rent distribution
View on map →In Cairns, the largest group is $200–$349 at 47%, followed by $350–$549 (32%) and Under $200 (16%).
Monthly mortgage distribution
View on map →In Cairns, the largest group is $1,000–$1,799 at 41%, followed by $1,800–$2,999 (26%) and Under $1,000 (24%).
Owning & renting
How homes are owned or rented.
Renters are far more common here than in most areas, while the share of homes owned outright is well below the national figure and has fallen since 2011. Only 27.5% of households have a mortgage.
44.4% ▲ +26.6%
Higher than 88% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 35.0%
- 2016: 34.3%
- 2021: 44.4%
Share of occupied private dwellings that are rented.
24.1% ▼ -19.3%
Lower than 79% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 29.9%
- 2016: 29.3%
- 2021: 24.1%
Share of occupied private dwellings owned outright (no mortgage).
How homes are owned or rented
View on map →In Cairns, the largest group is Rented at 44%, followed by Owned with a mortgage (28%) and Owned outright (24%).
Types of homes
Houses, townhouses, apartments and bedrooms.
Separate houses are much less common in Cairns than in the rest of the state, with only 54.3% of homes being detached. This helps explain why the city has far fewer homes with three or more bedrooms than the national average.
0.90 ▼ -18.2%
Higher than 86% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 1.10
- 2016: 0.80
- 2021: 0.90
Average number of usual residents per bedroom — a crowding measure.
54.3% ▼ -0.5%
Lower than 86% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 54.6%
- 2016: 53.2%
- 2021: 54.3%
Share of occupied private dwellings that are separate houses.
54.9% ▼ -15.8%
Lower than 89% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 65.2%
- 2016: 64.5%
- 2021: 54.9%
Share of occupied private dwellings with three or more bedrooms.
Types of homes
View on map →In Cairns, Separate house is the majority at 55%; Flat or apartment is next at 29%.
Bedrooms per home
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between 3 bedrooms (32%) and 2 bedrooms (31%), with 4 bedrooms at 18%.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Cairns
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Housing & Dwellings in Cairns [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sed/SED30014/cairns/topic/housing-dwellings