What it costs to live in Queensland’s top locations for wellbeing

Some of south-east Queensland’s most coveted coastal pockets have been named the state’s highest-ranked areas for wellbeing, with easy access to a beachfront stroll, nature at the back door and tight-knit communities.

Noosa, Redland, the Gold Coast and even Brisbane itself achieved the highest Queensland scores in the 2023 Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index by SGS Economics and Planning, with experts saying the subtropical climate plays a key role in health and wellness.

Each area in the report was tracked based on its economy; income and wealth; employment; knowledge and skills; housing; health; equality; community and work-life balance; and environment. While the report didn’t encompass affordable house prices, the housing indicator did assess rental affordability, homelessness and overcrowding. The income and wealth indicator considers house prices as a proxy for household wealth, as higher wealth contributes to wellbeing.

And higher wealth is typically what you’ll need to purchase a home in a top wellbeing LGA, with separate figures from Domain showing the median house price in the Noosa Shire was $1.25 million in the March quarter, with $1,805,000 needed to get into the suburb of Noosa Heads.

The Gold Coast’s citywide house median is $1,048,500, while Brisbane City Council’s median price is $1.11 million.

In Redland, which includes coastal hotspots Cleveland, Redland Bay, Victoria Point and Wellington Point, prices are typically lower – the median house price across Redland City Council is $830,000.

Noosa has one of the highest levels of wellbeing in Queensland.

SGS Economics and Planning senior associate Michelle Tjondro said the wellbeing index focuses on objective factors such as access to healthcare, jobs and education.

It does not measure liveability, which includes subjective factors such as how many people in your peer network live nearby.

Even though many people’s wealth is stored in their housing, Tjondro emphasised that the report does not conclude that high house prices equals higher wellbeing.

“It’s certainly not a good thing that it’s very hard for many people to get into the housing market,” she said.

“The messaging that we want to avoid is that it costs more to live in higher wellbeing areas.”

Instead, the report offers a prompt to consider how to make high wellbeing areas more affordable, such as through improved housing supply, transport connections and investment in infrastructure. And on the flip side, how to raise the wellbeing of more affordable areas, such as through policies that reduce the gender pay gap and reduce barriers to workforce participation in communities that have more migrants.

For long-time Redland Bay resident Steve Worrad, it’s the tight-knit community, wealth of waterfront walks and the fact that he’s just a short walk from the local pub, where neighbours still meet up every couple of months for a chinwag, that makes his beloved suburb so liveable.

He and his wife moved up from the Byron Bay region 23 years ago and have bought and sold a handful of homes in the area, raising their children (who now have their own children) in the coastal pocket.

“It’s just a really lovely place to live and there are plenty of walkways and parks, and it’s well looked after. We only have to walk a thousand steps and we’re at the Redland Bay Hotel, and 1200 to 1400 steps and we’re at the golf course,” Worrad said.

“We bought our first house here for $210,000 and it was sold about three years ago for $920,000. Prices have gone up a lot here … but it’s still a good community and there are still street Christmas parties and community events where everyone brings a plate.

“My wife and I sometimes walk along the water and say we’re very blessed to live in such a beautiful place.”

Denise Quick, of Raine and Horne Redland Bay, said buyers craving a lifestyle where the beach and bush are a stone’s throw away had fuelled demand in the region.

“Here, you don’t have to sacrifice too much either because you’ve got the facilities. There are restaurants, bars, golf clubs and great schools, but then you can be in the bush in minutes or out on the islands,” she said.

“But this area is still 100 per cent underrated because for a long time, it was perceived to be outside the city fringe area. Now, with more people working from home and the commute getting easier, people are finding that they can get a greater balance.

“The last few buyers that bought here said they always loved the area, but they were now drawn to it because it’s more laid-back and it’s still a welcoming community while having new schools and housing estates where kids can still play in the cul-de-sac.

“It’s also welcoming and inclusive, and at the moment buyer demand is outstripping supply … and I see this trajectory continuing.”

In Noosa, Adrian Reed of Reed & Co agency said the natural environment was a key factor in Noosa’s high-ranking wellbeing, as well as the town itself – custodians ensured the charm and natural assets continued to be championed.

“I think a lot of people move here for wellbeing, and we have an ageing population that is more and more obsessed with longevity,” he said.

“And the amenities and services here are aligned to that. On the Sunshine Coast, it’s that combination of the natural assets, the infrastructure and service alignment for a longer and better life that has put us at the top of the list.”

Ray White Burleigh Group founder Larry Malan said those ingredients fuelled high rates of wellbeing on the Gold Coast too, with pockets such as Burleigh particularly renowned for their liveability.

“Here, there are so many nice little things that are subtle but that add to that wellbeing. Burleigh has that village feel and the beach is north-facing, and it’s got that esplanade that goes a long way to why it’s so popular,” he said.

“But it’s a feeling, it’s not a thing, and it’s a bit like falling in love.”

Malan said a swelling cohort of late-to-middle-aged buyers were splashing major cash to get that feeling, with rising house prices across the Gold Coast testament to the demand. The Surfers Paradise house median is now $2.65 million; in Burleigh Waters it’s $1.375 million. Across the Gold Coast, Domain data shows almost half of all suburbs now have a median house price above the seven-figure mark.

“Unfortunately, entry-level homes on the waterfront here now start at $1.5 million,” Malan said.

“But buyers are paying a premium to be back out in nature just 10 minutes from the city. The Gold Coast is just small enough to escape the rat race and that adds to wellness here.

“When you walk along the waterfront here you can also see just how many people are in good shape compared to say, Sydney and Melbourne, and that’s because of the sunshine and the lifestyle.”

With Elizabeth Redman