Burleigh Heads vs SouthportTwo Gold Coast suburbs compared for a home loan
Burleigh Heads (QLD 4220) is on the southern Gold Coast, between Miami and Tallebudgera Creek. Southport (QLD 4215) is on the western shore of the Broadwater, north of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. At the 2021 Census, Burleigh Heads had 10,572 residents with a median age of 42, and Southport had 36,786 residents with a median age of 37.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 47% of occupied dwellings in Burleigh Heads and 55% in Southport, while 34% of Burleigh Heads households rented compared with 59% in Southport. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
QLD 4220 · Southern Gold Coast
Burleigh Heads
A guide to buying in Burleigh Heads, the southern Gold Coast beach suburb now served by light rail, covering coastal risk, holiday units and lending.
City of Gold Coast. On the southern Gold Coast, between Miami and Tallebudgera Creek.
Read the full Burleigh Heads guideQLD 4215 · Northern Gold Coast
Southport
A guide to buying in Southport, the Gold Coast's designated CBD, covering its light rail, hospital precinct, unit-heavy housing, flood mapping and lending.
City of Gold Coast. On the western shore of the Broadwater, north of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.
Read the full Southport guide
What buying in Burleigh Heads and Southport would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Burleigh Heads and Southport.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
- Loan amount
- $1,437,960
- Loan to value ratio
- 93.2%
- Transfer duty, Queensland
- $58,450
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- $57,960
- Upfront cash needed
- $161,450
- Loan amount
- $1,437,960
- Loan to value ratio
- 93.2%
- Transfer duty, Queensland
- $58,450
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- $57,960
- Upfront cash needed
- $161,450
- At these prices, Southport costs $0 more a month than Burleigh Heads.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Burleigh Heads and Southport: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Burleigh Heads | Southport |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 10,572 | 36,786 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 37 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,701 | $1,268 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $480 | $410 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,058 | $1,647 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 34% | 59% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 30% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 34% | 21% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 39% | 24% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 14% | 21% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 47% | 55% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 48% | 59% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 22% | 11% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 19% | 10% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Burleigh Heads and Southport
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Burleigh Heads
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Units in buildings with on-site letting, holiday-only use approvals or small floor areas are commonly treated as non-standard security.
- Holiday letting income is often excluded or assessed conservatively against a long-term rental appraisal.
- Levies in ageing beachfront buildings reflect insurance and concrete repair costs and are counted as living expenses.
- Known repair programs or special levies may be raised by valuers and queried by lenders before approval.
- Downsizers using bridging finance may wish to confirm how peak debt is assessed while an existing home is being sold.
Southport
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- Apartments in buildings with holiday letting, serviced use or an on-site letting pool are often treated as non-standard security with lower loan-to-value limits.
- Some lenders cap exposure to high-density Gold Coast postcodes or particular towers, so building-level checks may be worthwhile before signing.
- Levies in towers with lifts, pools and on-site management are counted as living expenses and reduce assessed borrowing capacity.
- Flood and storm tide mapping near the Broadwater and Nerang River can affect insurance, which a lender may ask to see confirmed.
- Lenders shade rental income, and student or short-term tenancies may involve more vacancy than the assessment assumes.
Housing stock in Burleigh Heads and Southport compared
Burleigh Heads
- Older beachfront and village units
- Walk-up and mid-rise blocks from the 1960s to 1980s, many built as holiday units, where concrete and facade condition matters.
- Boutique modern apartments
- Recent smaller developments aimed at owner-occupiers and downsizers, usually with larger floor plans and higher levies.
- Detached houses
- Scarce near the beach and more common inland towards West Burleigh and Tallebudgera Creek.
- Townhouses and duplexes
- Found mainly in the streets behind the beach and in the inland section, generally accepted as standard security.
Southport
- High-rise and mid-rise apartments
- Towers in and around the business district, some with on-site letting or short-stay use that affects lending.
- Walk-up unit blocks
- Two and three storey blocks from the 1970s and 1980s, where concrete, roofing and sinking fund adequacy merit review.
- Townhouses and duplexes
- Infill complexes that have replaced many older houses, generally simpler security than tower apartments.
- Older detached houses
- Post-war homes on traditional lots away from the core, increasingly scarce as sites are redeveloped.
Official sale price and rent figures for Burleigh Heads and Southport
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Burleigh Heads
- Median house price, 2026 Q1 (Gold Coast City LGA)
- $1,480,000
- Median unit price, 2026 Q1 (Gold Coast City LGA)
- $960,000
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat, 2026 Q2
- $850
- Median weekly rent, all dwellings, 2026 Q2
- $950
Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office, Queensland Treasury; Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland).
Southport
- Median house price, 2026 Q1 (Gold Coast City LGA)
- $1,480,000
- Median unit price, 2026 Q1 (Gold Coast City LGA)
- $960,000
- Median weekly rent, 3 bedroom house, 2026 Q2
- $800
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat, 2026 Q2
- $780
Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office, Queensland Treasury; Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland).
Transport, schools and amenities in Burleigh Heads and Southport
Burleigh Heads
Transport
- Burleigh Heads Station (light rail)
- Second Avenue Station (light rail)
- Gold Coast Highway (road)
- West Burleigh Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Burleigh Heads State School (primary, government)
- Caningeraba State School (primary, government)
- Marymount College (secondary, catholic)
Amenities
- Burleigh Head National Park
- Burleigh Beach
- James Street village centre
- Tallebudgera Creek
Southport
Transport
- Southport Station (light rail)
- Gold Coast University Hospital Station (light rail)
- Griffith University Station (light rail)
- Broadwater Parklands Station (light rail)
- Helensvale Station (train)
Schools and campuses
- Southport State School (primary, government)
- Southport State High School (secondary, government)
- The Southport School (combined, independent)
- St Hilda's School (combined, independent)
- Griffith University, Gold Coast campus (tertiary, university)
- TAFE Queensland, Southport campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- Gold Coast University Hospital
- Australia Fair Shopping Centre
- Broadwater Parklands
- Gold Coast Aquatic Centre
- Griffith University, Gold Coast campus
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Queensland education department.
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