Living in Gold Coast

In Gold Coast, unemployment is 5.3% (2021).

For Gold Coast, median personal income was A$772 per week in August 2021. The city covered 1,251 km² in 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-079 sources

Population701,928people30 Jun 2021Official source · ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas

Median gross salary (region)2,076EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Median rent742.9EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · 2021 Gladstone, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

Unemployment rate5.3%country median 4.5% — 18% aboveOfficial source · 2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)

PM2.5, annual mean5.78µg/m³country median 6.0 — 4% belowOfficial source · Air Quality Monitoring — 2024

Higher unemployment than 74% of Australian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 65% of Australian cities that publish it.

Which Australia-wide rules apply when you move to Gold Coast?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in AustraliaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Gold Coast.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Median rent was A$450 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,950 in August 2021.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€70

Mobile plan, 10 GB€46

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	69.92 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Telstra nbn100⁷Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	45.79 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Telstra Upfront Basic⁸Official · national market
Dwellings	285,933 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Main residence dwellings	256,170 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median weekly rent (AUD)	450 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	742.9 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Gladstone, Census All persons QuickStats \| Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official

Is Gold Coast a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–63%

Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 56–72%

Student42%strong on education, weak on safety · range 34–50%

Family61%strong on family, weak on safety · range 52–70%

Retirement59%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 48–70%

Work and income

Median household income was A$1,637 per week in August 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Gold Coast - Tweed Heads?

The unemployment rate is 5.3 % (August 2021). Source: 2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)⁴

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Gold Coast is 5.3%. Of 100 cities with data, 32 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Gold Coast 5.3%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in full-time employment	180,163 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Employment rate	58.2 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median household income (AUD/week)	1,637 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median personal income (AUD/week)	772 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,076 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁹Official
Unemployment rate	5.3 %country median 4.5%	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)⁴Official

What does a salary buy in Gold Coast?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€0of €0 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	outside the model's range
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · 2021 Gladstone, Census All persons QuickStats \| Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2021-12-31	− €743
Internet€70 · official · Telstra nbn100 · 2026-07-31	− €70
Mobile plan€46 · official · Telstra Upfront Basic · 2026-07-31	− €46
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	—

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Gold Coast Salary needed to live in Gold Coast

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Gold Coast. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Workforce Australia — Public employment service

Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Australia service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Gold Coast. Sources checked through 11 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People who speak a language other than English at home	12.84 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Gold Coast. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) — State Language Course

Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

For eligible migrants, humanitarian entrants.

EnglishIn Person, Online, HybridFree

Open official information

Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) — Newcomer Adaptation

Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

For humanitarian entrants.

In Person, HybridFree

Open official information

Open the full Australia section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Gold Coast.

Find courses near Gold Coast

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Gold Coast - Tweed Heads?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 5.78 µg/m³ · Air Quality Monitoring — 2024³

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.55.8WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in AustraliaAnnual PM2.5 in Gold Coast is 5.8 µg/m³. Of 37 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 5 to under 6 µg/m³.

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–10

Gold Coast 5.8

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	5.78 µg/m³country median 6.0	31 Dec 2024	Air Quality Monitoring — 2024³Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Gold Coast - Tweed Heads?

The published population was 701,928 people in June 2021. Source: ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas²

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport72.6%
Foreign residents27.4%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	1,251 km²	31 Dec 2021	Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA.⁵Official
Foreign-resident share	27.77 %	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile DataPacks — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Foreign residents	192,619 people	10 Aug 2021	Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality.⁴Official
Population density	608.7 people/km²	31 Dec 2025	Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation.⁶Official · significant urban area
Female residents	357,741 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Male residents	335,854 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Population	701,928 people	30 Jun 2021	ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas²Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

404,243

532,198

660,152

788,107

761,634200120052011201520212025

Population rose 76.8% between 2001 and 2025, from 430,716 to 761,634.

International community in Gold Coast

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	693,596	100.0%
Australia	460,640	66.4%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	192,619	27.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G09 PERSONS total across age groups and sex · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	693,596	100.0%
Australia	460,640	66.4%
New Zealand	46,200	6.7%
Country of birth not stated	40,337	5.8%
England	34,069	4.9%
Born elsewhere(d)	19,059	2.7%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	8,938	1.3%
South Africa	8,860	1.3%
India	7,324	1.1%
Philippines	6,098	0.9%
Brazil	4,971	0.7%

Show 42 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Japan	4,588	0.7%
Scotland	3,922	0.6%
Korea, Republic of (South)	3,510	0.5%
United States of America	3,425	0.5%
Germany	3,323	0.5%
Canada	2,437	0.4%
Thailand	2,245	0.3%
Italy	2,071	0.3%
Netherlands	1,995	0.3%
Malaysia	1,962	0.3%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	1,773	0.3%
Taiwan	1,738	0.3%
Ireland	1,713	0.2%
Vietnam	1,452	0.2%
Indonesia	1,296	0.2%
France	1,254	0.2%
Wales	1,238	0.2%
Poland	1,230	0.2%
Papua New Guinea	1,201	0.2%
Fiji	1,182	0.2%
Zimbabwe	1,104	0.2%
Nepal	1,085	0.2%
Iran	1,075	0.2%
Singapore	1,039	0.1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	946	0.1%
Croatia	927	0.1%
Sri Lanka	883	0.1%
Chile	742	0.1%
Egypt	688	0.1%
Pakistan	648	0.1%
Malta	587	0.1%
Greece	575	0.1%
Turkey	540	0.1%
Mauritius	429	0.1%
Samoa	417	0.1%
Bangladesh	359	0.1%
Lebanon	345	0.0%
North Macedonia	330	0.0%
Iraq	305	0.0%
Cambodia	232	0.0%
Myanmar	164	0.0%
Afghanistan	144	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	693,596	100.0%
Australian citizen	564,459	81.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	27.77 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Households	256,170 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Labour force participation rate	61.5 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median age	40 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median monthly mortgage repayment (AUD)	1,950 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Gold Coast

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Geelong as a Gold Coast alternative in the same country

Better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 4.3% Geelong vs 5.3% Gold Coast−19%
Residents: 289,566 Geelong vs 701,928 Gold Coast−59%
Foreign residents: 21.8% Geelong vs 27.8% Gold Coastno percentage
Median gross pay, region: €2,124 Geelong vs €2,076 Gold Coastsame level

Full comparison More about Geelong

Alternative cities in Australia

Other cities in Australia to compare with Gold Coast, nearest in population first.

All Australia cities

Newcastle510,175 residents Canberra490,517 residents Sunshine Coast387,472 residents Adelaide1,368,209 residents Central Coast345,066 residents Wollongong305,976 residents

How does Gold Coast compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Gold Coast's.

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Gold Coast in rankings

#5 of 30 in Largest cities in Australia #9 of 30 in Most international cities in Australia #14 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in Australia

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gold Coast when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Gold Coast's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Gold Coast - Tweed Heads?

The published population was 701,928 people in June 2021. Source: ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas.

Is the air quality good in Gold Coast - Tweed Heads?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Air Quality Monitoring — 2024.

What is the unemployment rate in Gold Coast - Tweed Heads?

The unemployment rate is 5.3 % (August 2021). Source: 2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack).

What is the typical salary around Gold Coast?

The median gross salary is 2,076 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

How many foreign residents live in Gold Coast?

192,619 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality..

Is Gold Coast a good place to live?

Gold Coast may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Gold Coast?

The official country of birth distribution records 460,640 people (66.4%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Gold Coast, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 51fb7f0f3e31dee576220cc64a1b4d2b]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/gold-coast-tweed-heads/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gold-coast-australia-population-rent-salary-jobs_fedbaa9d66de,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gold Coast, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {51fb7f0f3e31dee576220cc64a1b4d2b},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/gold-coast-tweed-heads/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Gold Coast, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/gold-coast-tweed-heads/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 51fb7f0f3e31dee576220cc64a1b4d2b; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

2021 Gladstone, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics abs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-12
ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas ABS Regional population, 2024-25 · abs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-19
Air Quality Monitoring — 2024 Air Quality Monitoring · data.qld.gov.au · checked 2026-10-05
Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-08-10
Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA. geo.abs.gov.au · checked 2016-07-01
Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-06-30
Telstra nbn100 telstra.com.au · checked 2026-09-15
Telstra Upfront Basic telstra.com.au · checked 2026-09-15
www.abs.gov.au abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-27

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.