Surfers Paradise, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Surfers Paradise is a beachside suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, roughly 78 km south of Brisbane. It sits on a long stretch of surf beach backed by a beachfront promenade and one of Australia's most recognisable high-rise skylines, which began with the Kinkabool tower in 1959. The area was known as Elston until it was renamed Surfers Paradise in late 1933, and it has grown into one of the country's best-known holiday and nightlife destinations. The Cavill Avenue precinct forms the commercial and tourist heart of the suburb, and the Meter Maids, introduced in 1965, remain an enduring local emblem.
Around the national middle
Surfers Paradise is more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 996, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Surfers Paradise at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 26,412
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,323
- SEIFA score
- 996
- Coordinates
- -28.0057, 153.4224
Surfers Paradise demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Surfers Paradise using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 34%, 51% of homes are rented, and 46% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,065 | 8% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,853 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 9,104 | 34% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 6,701 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 5,695 | 22% |
Share of the 26,418 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,060 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,082 | 18% |
| Rented | 5,850 | 51% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,147 | 10% |
| Townhouses & semis | 842 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 9,277 | 81% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 11,422 occupied private dwellings in Surfers Paradise.
- Median weekly rent
- $410
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,606
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,707
- Median weekly personal income
- $775
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 10,485 (46%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6,497 (28%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 313 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 14,167 (59%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.1%
- Employed full-time
- 5,975
- Employed part-time
- 5,024
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Surfers Paradise
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Surfers Paradise is January (average daytime high around 27.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 20.2°C). The area receives roughly 1098 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.4°C | 21.9°C | 108 mm |
| Feb | 27.3°C | 21.8°C | 182 mm |
| Mar | 26.7°C | 21.2°C | 171 mm |
| Apr | 24.6°C | 18.7°C | 64 mm |
| May | 22.5°C | 16.1°C | 88 mm |
| Jun | 20.5°C | 13.9°C | 66 mm |
| Jul | 20.2°C | 12.7°C | 49 mm |
| Aug | 21.3°C | 13.3°C | 49 mm |
| Sep | 22.9°C | 15.1°C | 43 mm |
| Oct | 24.3°C | 17.4°C | 89 mm |
| Nov | 25.8°C | 19.1°C | 70 mm |
| Dec | 27°C | 20.8°C | 119 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Surfers Paradise
Where is Surfers Paradise?
Surfers Paradise is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Surfers Paradise?
At the 2021 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of about 26,412.
Is Surfers Paradise an advantaged area?
Surfers Paradise has an ABS SEIFA score of 996, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 55 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Surfers Paradise?
Surfers Paradise has average daytime highs of about 24.2°C and overnight lows of about 17.7°C, with roughly 1,098 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Surfers Paradise?
Surfers Paradise is one of the most populous suburbs in Queensland — the 5th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 26,412 usual residents).
Where Surfers Paradise ranks
Surfers Paradise appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Queensland#5 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Queensland
More suburb guides in Queensland
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.