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Home › Property Market Update › Sunshine Coast Property Market 2025: Prices, Trends & Outlook
The Sunshine Coast has long been known for its relaxed lifestyle, pristine beaches and strong community spirit but over the past few years, it’s become one of Australia’s most dynamic property markets. Prices have soared, demand remains high, and the region’s transformation from a coastal getaway into a thriving mini-metropolis is well underway.
Whether you’re thinking about selling, buying, or investing, understanding where the market stands in late 2025 and where it’s heading in 2026 is crucial. This article unpacks the latest data from CoreLogic, PropTrack, and local market reports, explaining what’s driving growth, how the market is evolving, and what it all means for you. You’ll also find suburb insights, forecasts, and practical guidance to help you make smarter decisions in the months ahead.
For sellers, it’s an especially important moment, equity is near record highs, listings remain tight, and buyers are still active. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to act, now’s the time to review your options.
Key Takeaways Strong Growth: Sunshine Coast property values have surged more than 70% since 2020, making it Queensland’s top regional performer. Tight Supply: Low listing volumes and vacancy rates under 1% continue to support prices. Balanced Outlook: Growth is stabilising but remains positive, with 3–5% annual increases expected through 2026. Infrastructure Boost: Projects like the Maroochydore City Centre and rail link to Brisbane are reshaping long-term demand. Opportunity Window: With solid buyer activity and high equity, the final months of 2025 present a strong window for sellers.
Key Takeaways
Next Step: Compare top Sunshine Coast real estate agents to see who can help you maximise your sale price.
The Sunshine Coast has become one of Australia’s fastest-growing regional areas, and lifestyle remains the biggest magnet. Since 2020, thousands of Australians have moved north from southern capitals chasing sunshine, work-from-home flexibility and a slower coastal pace. Sunshine Coast LGA added more than 6,000 new residents in 2024, continuing a migration trend that began during the pandemic.
It isn’t just retirees and remote workers moving here. Families and professionals are drawn by good schools, modern hospitals, and the short flight time to Brisbane and Sydney. Coastal suburbs like Mooloolaba and Peregian Beach attract those seeking beachfront living, while hinterland towns such as Maleny and Nambour appeal to buyers chasing more space and affordability.
This wave of demand has put upward pressure on prices, particularly in established suburbs with limited new land supply. Lifestyle migration is now a core part of the Sunshine Coast’s economic story, one that continues to fuel both sales and rental demand.
Beneath the lifestyle appeal sits a robust local economy. The Sunshine Coast economy topped $23 billion in output in 2024, driven by health, education, and construction according to Sunshine Coast Council economic data. Major employment hubs such as the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Maroochydore City Centre continue to expand, creating steady, well-paid local jobs.
Infrastructure investment is equally impressive. Projects like the Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion, Bruce Highway upgrades, and the future Direct Rail Link to Brisbane are expected to further connect the region and attract skilled workers. As CBRE Australia notes in its 2025 Sunshine Coast Market Report, these projects will strengthen the region’s long-term fundamentals and add to investor confidence.
Strong population growth meets constrained housing supply, a combination that’s kept prices elevated. Listings across the Sunshine Coast were down nearly 20% year-on-year in mid-2025 while rental vacancies sat at around 0.8%, one of the lowest in Queensland.
New housing estates in Aura, Banya, and Nirimba have eased the pressure slightly, but high construction costs and land release delays continue to restrict supply. This imbalance is central to the region’s resilience: even with national interest-rate uncertainty, the Sunshine Coast market remains tight.
For homeowners, this means property values are well-supported. For buyers, it highlights why competition remains fierce across popular suburbs.
The Sunshine Coast continues to be one of Australia’s top-performing regional markets. Over the past five years, property values have risen by around 70 to 76%, reflecting the region’s shift from a lifestyle retreat to a high-value coastal economy.
According to Cotality’s 2025 Regional Market Update, the median house price reached about $1.08 million, up roughly 7% in the past year and around 70 per cent since 2020. Units averaged $770,000, a 52% increase over five years.
That makes the Sunshine Coast the most expensive regional housing market in Queensland, and among the top four nationally. Sunshine Coast News (Oct 2024) confirmed a median of $1,044,462, while PropTrack’s June 2025 Home Price Index reported the region outpacing both Brisbane and the Gold Coast for quarterly growth.
Sources: Poptrack, Cotality
Homeowners who purchased a $650,000 property in 2019 have typically gained $400,000 + in equity, underscoring why so many locals are now considering listing.
The market’s still strong and buyers are motivated. Don’t leave money on the table. Find the right agent who knows how to position your property and negotiate top dollar.
Growth has moderated from the boom years of 2021–22 but remains solid. Cotality (June 2025) shows house values up 6.8% year-on-year, while PropTrack recorded a 2.7% rise in the June quarter alone.
Earlier, Sunshine Coast News (March 2025) reported a 2.65% jump in Q4 2024, signalling a return to momentum after a brief slowdown in late 2023.
Suburbs outperforming the regional average include:
Compared with other major Queensland centres, the Sunshine Coast remains at the premium end of the market:
This reinforces the Coast’s evolution into a metro-regional hybrid, offering capital-city-level amenities with coastal living appeal.
Rental conditions are extremely tight. PropTrack (Aug 2025) recorded median weekly rents of $720 for houses (+9.5 % YoY) and $600 for units. Cotality measured gross yields of 4.1 % (houses) and 4.6 % (units), both well above Brisbane’s. Vacancy rates remain among Australia’s lowest at 0.58%.
This shortage of rental stock is partly due to the rise of short-term accommodation: the Coast had about 13,000 holiday rentals by mid-2024, of which 90 per cent were whole homes, removing long-term supply from the market.
Source: Poptrack, Sunshine Coast Council
Affordability has tightened, with the median price-to-income ratio now at 11.2 times average household earnings, compared with the national average of 8.3 times. Yet confidence remains high. Local agents report that well-priced homes under $900,000, particularly in hinterland and emerging corridors, still attract multiple offers within days.
For sellers, that points to ongoing resilience. For buyers, it underscores the need for pre-approval and realistic expectations on location and budget.
The Sunshine Coast’s success story is not luck, it’s built on powerful structural forces that continue to attract people, jobs, and capital.
Interstate migration remains the single biggest demand driver. Since 2020, Queensland has welcomed more than 170,000 interstate migrants, and the Sunshine Coast captures around 9 per cent of them each year (ABS 2025). Many are leaving Sydney and Melbourne in search of better value, more space, and coastal living. This inflow has underpinned consistent buyer demand and kept listings tight, even through higher interest-rate cycles.
Economic diversity is deepening fast. The region’s Gross Regional Product reached $23 billion in 2024, with annual growth of 3.8% outpacing Queensland’s state average.Major ongoing projects include:
According to CBRE Australia (2025), these initiatives are set to “reshape the economic map of South-East Queensland”, supporting long-term demand for housing.
Residential supply simply hasn’t kept up. PropTrack (June 2025) found that new listings were 19% below the five-year average, while rental vacancy hovered around 0.8%. This scarcity gives sellers leverage and helps stabilise values, even during national slowdowns.
Though yields have compressed slightly due to price growth, rental income remains healthy. Cotality’s 2025 figures show gross rental yields around 4.1% for houses and 4.6% for units, higher than most metro markets. The combination of steady population inflow and limited new rental stock has made the region one of Queensland’s most reliable investment areas.
While fundamentals are strong, the market is not immune to challenges.
After thirteen RBA rate rises between 2022 and 2024, borrowing power fell by nearly 30 per cent. CoreLogic warns that any further hikes could dampen buyer sentiment, especially for first-home buyers and investors relying on finance.
With the median house now over $1 million, price-to-income ratios have stretched to record highs. Local agents report that some first-home buyers are now shifting inland toward Beerwah, Palmwoods, and Landsborough to stay within budget.
Construction costs remain 25–30% higher than pre-COVID levels (ABS Building Price Index 2025). Developers have slowed new releases, which may restrict supply long-term but also limits the availability of affordable new stock.
After five years of exceptional growth, analysts expect moderation. Performance Property (2025) forecasts annual price growth of around 3–5% through 2026, down from the 8–10% seen in 2021–22. That’s not a downturn, it’s a return to sustainable levels.
Overall, the Sunshine Coast remains one of Queensland’s most resilient markets. Its growth drivers which are migration, infrastructure, and lifestyle are structural rather than speculative. Temporary headwinds may cool quarterly growth, but fundamentals remain intact. For sellers, that means there’s still a window of strong demand. For buyers, it’s a reminder to focus on long-term value rather than short-term peaks.
An experienced local agent can turn buyer interest into premium offers. Compare agents near you and see who has the best results for homes like yours.
The Sunshine Coast is effectively two markets in one. The coastal corridor stretching from Caloundra through Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Coolum Beach commands premium prices. As of mid-2025, median house values sit between $1.1 and $1.5 million, driven by limited stock and holiday demand.
The hinterland belt towns such as Nambour, Palmwoods, Beerwah and Maleny offer relative affordability with medians from $700 000 to $850 000, according to CoreLogic suburb profiles, 2025. Demand here is fueled by young families and remote professionals seeking lifestyle and value within commuting distance of the coast.
The Sunshine Coast’s infrastructure pipeline continues to transform accessibility and amenity:
Together these projects are forecast to support 4 500 + jobs and inject $4.8 billion into the local economy over the next decade (Sunshine Coast Council Economic Profile 2025).
The Sunshine Coast property market in 2025 remains one of Australia’s bright spots. Prices have stabilised after a record run, rental demand is unrelenting, and billions in infrastructure are cementing the region’s future prosperity.
For homeowners, equity is at record levels a timely moment to consider selling or leveraging your position. For buyers and investors, sustainable growth and low vacancy rates continue to offer long-term value.
The market’s next chapter will likely be defined by balance rather than boom but with the right strategy, the Sunshine Coast still represents one of Queensland’s most compelling property stories.
Yes, rents are up 9% year-on-year, vacancy is below 1%, and long-term infrastructure projects continue to drive employment and demand.
Buderim, Caloundra West, Peregian Springs and the Aura corridor currently lead growth, with annual gains between 7-10%.
Most forecasts expect 3–5 % annual growth through 2026, supported by population growth and restricted supply.
The price-to-income ratio is about 11.2× annual earnings, compared with 8.3× nationally.
Higher construction costs and stretched affordability could temper short-term growth, but long-term fundamentals remain strong.
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