Question 1

Is Coolum Beach a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Coolum Beach sits on the Sunshine Coast beneath Mount Coolum’s volcanic dome and surrounding bushland, with the beach central to local life. Surfers and families use the sand, rock platforms and walking tracks, while a compact town centre of casual cafes, boutiques and everyday services sits close to residential streets. Housing ranges from beachfront apartments and weatherboard cottages to family homes on quieter blocks, so the suburb suits people after an outdoor, beach-focused lifestyle with ready car access to larger Sunshine Coast centres and the coastal hinterland.

About 9,152 people live in Coolum Beach; the median age is 45 and the median household income is $1,600 a week. The community is weighted towards couple families and roughly seven in ten dwellings are owner-occupied while renters make up 30.0%. Recent council-led upgrades have refreshed parks and the streetscape, stabilised cliffs and repaired pathways at First Bay, and completed renovations to the surf life saving club, bringing improved local recreational facilities.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Coolum Beach?

Accepted Answer

On these figures, renting in Coolum Beach would take a large share of a typical local household's income at the last Census. A house rent of $920 a week is about 57.5% of a $1,600 weekly household income, and a unit rent of $715 a week is about 44.7% of that income. If you are renting rather than buying, those rent shares are the most directly relevant measure.

Buying sits well above local incomes at the last Census. The median house price of $1,665,000 is about 20.0 times a typical local annual household income at the last Census, and the median unit price of $1,050,000 is about 12.6 times annual household income. On the figures, purchase costs are markedly higher than what a typical local household earned at the last Census.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Question 3

Is Coolum Beach a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

House values in Coolum Beach rose 12.9% over the past year, a strong gain in capital value, while house rents increased 11.5% over the same period, also a strong rise in rental income. Unit values rose 7.0% and unit rents rose 5.1%, both solid increases. Overall, houses outperformed units on both capital growth and rent growth during the year.

For someone weighing Coolum Beach as an investment, the figures show both price growth and higher rents over the past year, with the house side the stronger performer. Whether that makes it the right investment for you depends on your objectives and circumstances.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$1.67M	$1.05M
Change in value Past 12 months	12.9%	7.0%
Sold Past 3 months	27	15
Median days on market Past 12 months	27	24
Average rent Past 12 months	$920	$715
Change in rent Past 12 months	11.5%	5.1%

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