QLD · Cairns Council

Cairns City, QLD, 4870

Current weather

20.7°CClear sky

85% humidity · 8.1 km/h wind · 25.6° / 17.9° today · 0 mm rain

Desirability index

96/100

#12 among Coastal & beach suburbs

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Cairns City is a smaller suburban community in the Cairns area, home to around 3,616 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 9,575 offences in Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-50%), roughly 2648.0 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $485, 3 school and preschool sites in the area, and a higher concentration of local shops, services, and recreation amenities. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.

Population

Population
3,616
Median age
44
Median household income / week
$1,627
Dwelling vacancy
35.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
477 of 1,340
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
37.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
130 / 50 / 696

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$485

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Data sources & freshness

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Dec 2026)
9,575
Against the person
2,460
Against property
4,467
Rate per 1,000 residents
2,648
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1 residents
State safety percentile
64.9th (lower crime is better)
Year-on-year change
-49.6%

Most common offence types

  • Assault1144
  • Drug Offences1424
  • Good Order Offences1179
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2334
  • Unlawful Entry884

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Dec 2026; Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
1,058
  • St Augustine's CollegeSecondary
  • St Monica's CollegeSecondary
  • The BUSY SchoolSecondary

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

433 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • BottlemartAlcohol
  • BWSAlcohol
  • CellarbrationsAlcohol
  • First Choice LiquorAlcohol

    86-98 Sheridan Street

  • Kennedy's Betta Home LivingAppliance
  • ANZATM
  • ATM
  • atmxATM
  • NABATM
  • SuncorpATM

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Anzac ParkPark
  • CCLT ParklandPark
  • Fogarty ParkPark
  • Munro Martin ParkPark
  • Rotary ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
19
Emergency department
On site
  • Breast Screen Queenslandbreast_screening
  • Cairns Dental Aesthetic Centreclinic
  • Cairns GP Super ClinicGrafton Streetclinic
  • Cairns Oral & Maxillofacial SurgeryLake Streetclinic
  • Cairns Private Hospitalhospital
  • Cairns Private hospitalhospital
  • Chemist Warehousepharmacy
  • Chiropratic WorksSheridan Streetalternative
  • Coral Sea ENTclinic
  • Diabetes And Health Solutionscentre

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

22 state heritage places

  • 99 Grafton StState heritage place
  • Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd (former)State heritage place
  • Barrier Reef HotelState heritage place
  • Bishop's HouseState heritage place
  • Bolands CentreState heritage place
  • Cairns City Council ChambersState heritage place
  • Cairns Court House ComplexState heritage place
  • Cairns Customs House (former)State heritage place
  • Cairns Masonic TempleState heritage place
  • Cairns School of Arts (former)State heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
6
Parks (OSM)
6

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover featuresOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score
96.0/100
Cohort rank
#12 among Coastal & beach suburbs

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • 99 Grafton StheritageState heritage place
  • Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd (former)heritageState heritage place
  • Barrier Reef HotelheritageState heritage place
  • Bishop's HouseheritageState heritage place
  • Bolands CentreheritageState heritage place
  • Cairns City Council ChambersheritageState heritage place
  • Cairns Court House ComplexheritageState heritage place
  • Cairns Customs House (former)heritageState heritage place
  • Cairns Masonic TempleheritageState heritage place
  • Cairns School of Arts (former)heritageState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · Updated on site

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Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.