With summer just around the corner, these bargain beachside suburbs offer buyers coastal living for less.
Owning a house by the beach is the ultimate Aussie dream, but with property prices still close to record highs and interest rates rising, simply getting into the property market can be a big challenge, let alone finding an affordable coastal property.
But new realestate.com.au data has uncovered dozens of coastal suburbs around Australia where a typical house costs less than the price of a city apartment.
The median value of a unit across the combined capital cities is $735,000, according to the latest realestate.com.au Home Price Report, but scores of coastal suburbs have house prices cheaper than that.
There were 74 beachside suburbs scattered along the Australian coastline with median house prices below $735,000, offering the chance of coastal living for less than what most buyers in a capital city would need to pay for an apartment.
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The data shows that there are plenty of options for homebuyers who are considering ditching apartment life in the city for a home by the beach – a move that would represent a big change of pace considering most suburbs on the list were small seaside towns.
The data suggests beachside real estate remains a hot commodity, with most of the 74 suburbs recording strong price growth in the past 12 months and only 11 registering price declines.
Beachside suburbs in Queensland under $735,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12-month change (%) |
| Balgal Beach | QLD | Townsville | $572,500 | 4.1% |
| Bowen | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $570,000 | 5.9% |
| Boyne Island | QLD | Central Queensland | $670,000 | 11.7% |
| Bucasia | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $710,000 | 9.2% |
| Cardwell | QLD | Cairns | $542,000 | 46.5% |
| Cooktown | QLD | Queensland – Outback | $465,000 | 10.7% |
| East Mackay | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $700,000 | 8.5% |
| Eimeo | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $715,000 | 9.2% |
| Emu Park | QLD | Central Queensland | $729,000 | 6.4% |
| Forrest Beach | QLD | Townsville | $495,000 | 17.9% |
| Hay Point | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $700,000 | 17.6% |
| Scarness | QLD | Wide Bay | $730,000 | 8.2% |
| Slade Point | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $635,000 | 6.2% |
| South Mackay | QLD | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $660,000 | 14.8% |
| South Townsville | QLD | Townsville | $680,000 | 11.1% |
| Wonga Beach | QLD | Cairns | $587,500 | 17.5% |
| Zilzie | QLD | Central Queensland | $705,500 | 8.5% |
About a quarter of Australia’s most affordable beach suburbs were found in Queensland, which may come as a surprise given the state’s strong price growth in recent years.
The data shows Queensland’s almost 7000km of coastline is dotted with affordable towns and suburbs, where houses have much lower prices than what people would pay to live by the beach in one of the capitals.
But buyers would need to venture far from popular and pricey parts of the state such as the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, where typical house prices are well above $1 million.
Suburbs of Mackay and Townsville, as well as smaller towns further north, offered some of the nation’s cheapest beachside buying, with most of Queensland’s affordable coastal suburbs found north of the Tropic of Capricorn.
This four-bedroom house near the beach at Bowen in north Queensland recently sold for $690,000. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Emu Park near Rockhampton has a median house price of $729,000, while Slade Point ($635,000) and Bucasia ($710,000) near Mackay were other affordable Central Queensland options.
Real estate agent Claudia Regan of Regan Real Estate said Emu Park had been a popular holiday town for a long time, and was among Queensland’s most tightly-held suburbs.
“We are still very much an affordable market and you get that lifestyle without the price tag,” she said.
“We’re seeing a lot of young families come to the area, and also a lot of downsizers from Rockhampton and even out west.“
Beachside suburbs in Victoria under $735,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12-month change (%) |
| Cape Woolamai | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $730,000 | 2.8% |
| Capel Sound | VIC | Mornington Peninsula | $727,500 | -5.5% |
| Clifton Springs | VIC | Geelong | $715,000 | 9.6% |
| Corinella | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $710,000 | 1.6% |
| Coronet Bay | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $620,000 | 19.2% |
| Cowes | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $710,000 | -0.7% |
| Curlewis | VIC | Geelong | $720,000 | 10.8% |
| Dennington | VIC | Warrnambool and South West | $665,000 | 8.1% |
| Foster | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $602,500 | 2.1% |
| Grantville | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $649,500 | 7.8% |
| Indented Head | VIC | Geelong | $645,000 | -11.6% |
| Lakes Entrance | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $560,000 | 7.7% |
| Loch Sport | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $347,500 | -2.8% |
| Portland | VIC | Warrnambool and South West | $505,000 | 22.6% |
| Venus Bay | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $497,500 | -1.5% |
| Warrnambool | VIC | Warrnambool and South West | $665,000 | 10.0% |
| Wonthaggi | VIC | Latrobe – Gippsland | $552,000 | -0.5% |
Victoria had just as many affordable beachside suburbs as Queensland, with 17 coastal locations where a median-priced house costs less than $735,000.
There were 10 suburbs in Victoria’s Gippsland region, including popular holiday towns Loch Sport, Lakes Entrance and Venus Bay, as well as Cowes on Phillip Island.
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Clifton Springs has attracted first-home buyers seeking more affordable properties than in other Bellarine Peninsula suburbs. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
The list also featured three waterfront suburbs on the Bellarine Peninsula, including Clifton Springs, a suburb that local real estate agent Andrew Kibbis of Bellarine Property said had become “the hottest market on the Bellarine”.
He said the suburb had attracted buyers who had previously looked at pricier Ocean Grove but were priced out after interest rate rises reduced their borrowing power.
“You’re a 12 min drive to Ocean Grove and a surf beach, yet the prices are substantially cheaper,” he said. “Not to mention the land size you get which is important for a young family.”
“There’s still a lot of first-home buyers in the market which is encouraging. There’s so much choice for buyers out there.”
Houses for under $700,000 can be found just a short walk from the beach at Capel Sound on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Capel Sound on the Mornington Peninsula – a region that’s technically part of Greater Melbourne even though the suburb is a 94km drive from the Melbourne CBD – was one of just three capital city suburbs on the list.
The other two were was Tiwi in Darwin’s north, which has a median house price of about $674,000, and Mandurah, a satellite city on Perth’s southern fringe with a median house price of $710,000.
Beachside suburbs in NSW and NT under $735,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12-month change (%) |
| Sunshine Bay | NSW | Capital Region | $730,000 | -12.8% |
| Dundee Beach | NT | Northern Territory – Outback | $400,000 | 14.3% |
| Tiwi | NT | Darwin | $673,750 | 17.2% |
The relative affordability of regional markets has helped support prices recently, with regional markets proving more resilient than the capitals as buyers search further for value, according to realestate.com.au senior economist Eleanor Creagh.
“As higher interest rates reduce borrowing capacity, buyers are increasingly having to make trade offs around location, dwelling type and size,” she said.
“More affordable regional markets remain accessible to a larger pool of buyers than many capital city alternatives.”
Sunshine Bay on the NSW south coast was the state’s only beachside suburb with a median house price under $735,000. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
There was only one beachside suburb in NSW where a typical house costs less than Australia’s median capital city unit price.
Sunshine Bay on the south coast just scraped in with a median house price of $730,000, and only because the suburb’s median price has declined in recent months.
Beachside suburbs in Tasmania under $735,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12-month change (%) |
| Beauty Point | TAS | Launceston and North East | $577,500 | 17.9% |
| Bridport | TAS | Launceston and North East | $682,500 | -12.5% |
| Devonport | TAS | West and North West | $601,000 | 19.0% |
| East Devonport | TAS | West and North West | $553,000 | 17.8% |
| George Town | TAS | Launceston and North East | $475,000 | 26.7% |
| Old Beach | TAS | Hobart | $732,500 | 1.7% |
| Penguin | TAS | West and North West | $670,000 | 9.8% |
| Shearwater | TAS | West and North West | $725,500 | -3.9% |
| Smithton | TAS | West and North West | $422,500 | 4.6% |
| Somerset | TAS | West and North West | $545,000 | 13.0% |
| St Helens | TAS | Launceston and North East | $597,500 | 13.8% |
| Stieglitz | TAS | Launceston and North East | $595,000 | 17.6% |
| Swansea | TAS | South East | $615,000 | -9.6% |
| Ulverstone | TAS | West and North West | $635,000 | 14.4% |
| West Ulverstone | TAS | West and North West | $632,500 | 14.8% |
| Wynyard | TAS | West and North West | $582,500 | 7.9% |
The data shows there are plenty of affordable beachside options on Tasmania’s north coast, including Devonport, Ulverstone, Wynyard and Penguin, where median house prices range from about $580,000 to $670,000.
It’s a region that’s proven popular with buyers from the mainland seeking a cooler climate, some of whom have purchased investment properties recently to lock in today’s prices, with the intention of retiring there later.
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Real estate agent and Harcourts Coastline director Wendy Squibb said buyers were drawn to the region’s beaches, cafes and affordable prices.
“We are seeing sea changers coming from other areas in Tasmania and also other states,” she said. “We do see a lot of Queensland buyers come in, mainly retirees getting away from the heat.”
Coastal Tasmanian suburbs such as Penguin remain affordable, with investors, downsizers and first-home buyers still active in the area. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Ms Squibb said many investors were still active in the market despite this year’s tax changes.
“It definitely slowed after the budget changes, but in the bracket up to about $650,000 the investment market is really strong,” she said.
“You can get a good return in Tassie – you might not get the highest growth but you’ll get a good rent.”
Beachside suburbs in South Australia under $735,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12-month change (%) |
| Ceduna | SA | South Australia – Outback | $362,500 | 31.8% |
| Goolwa Beach | SA | South Australia – South East | $720,000 | 6.3% |
| Goolwa South | SA | South Australia – South East | $701,000 | 3.2% |
| Kingscote | SA | South Australia – South East | $511,250 | 9.8% |
| Kingston Se | SA | South Australia – South East | $482,500 | 8.4% |
| Moonta Bay | SA | Barossa – Yorke – Mid North | $712,500 | 14.5% |
| Port Augusta | SA | South Australia – Outback | $340,000 | 25.9% |
| Port Augusta West | SA | South Australia – Outback | $405,000 | 20.5% |
| Port Lincoln | SA | South Australia – Outback | $606,000 | 21.4% |
| Solomontown | SA | Barossa – Yorke – Mid North | $330,000 | 9.1% |
| Streaky Bay | SA | South Australia – Outback | $580,000 | 0.9% |
| Tumby Bay | SA | South Australia – Outback | $547,500 | 17.7% |
| Wallaroo | SA | Barossa – Yorke – Mid North | $622,500 | 25.4% |
| Whyalla | SA | South Australia – Outback | $450,000 | 12.5% |
In South Australia, the Eyre Peninsula towns of Streaky Bay ($580,000) and Tumby Bay ($547,500) and major centre Port Lincoln ($606,000) were among the state’s most affordable beachside suburbs.
Goolwa Beach offers an affordable beachside lifestyle within an easy drive of Adelaide, a little over an hour away. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Meanwhile, the towns of Goolwa Beach ($720,000), Moonta Bay ($712,500) and Kingston SE ($482,500) were also affordable options a little closer to Adelaide.
Beachside suburbs in Western Australia under $735,000
| Suburb | State | Region (SA4) | Median house price | 12-month change (%) |
| Castletown | WA | Western Australia – Outback (South) | $700,000 | 20.7% |
| Geraldton | WA | Western Australia – Outback (South) | $599,000 | 18.6% |
| Mandurah | WA | Mandurah | $710,000 | -2.1% |
| Port Denison | WA | Western Australia – Outback (South) | $640,000 | 25.5% |
| Sunset Beach | WA | Western Australia – Outback (South) | $695,500 | 17.7% |
| Tarcoola Beach | WA | Western Australia – Outback (South) | $730,000 | 27.0% |
| Withers | WA | Bunbury | $600,000 | 15.4% |
Western Australia’s cheapest beach suburbs included Geraldton ($599,000) and nearby suburbs Tarcoola Beach ($730,000) and Sunset Beach ($695,000), as well as Withers ($600,000) in Bunbury’s south, and Castletown ($700,000), a suburb of Esperance.
