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These results underline how the Gold Coast’s prestige markets have powered its growth cycle. Suburbs including Miami, Coolangatta, Mermaid Waters, and Paradise Point have all recorded gains of between $670,000 and $700,000 since 2015, confirming the broad strength across the city’s prime coastal corridor.
Demand is being led by downsizers and interstate buyers from Sydney and Melbourne who are willing to pay premium prices for waterfront living. Developers have responded with a wave of high-end apartment projects offering resort-style amenities and large floorplates, a product now synonymous with the modern Gold Coast skyline.
At the same time, it has become increasingly difficult to build affordably. While construction costs are starting to moderate nationally, they remain high in Queensland, limiting the viability of lower-priced developments. This means new stock under $750,000 is now almost impossible to deliver without significant incentives or planning flexibility.
Investor lending in Queensland has now reached record levels, with the Gold Coast one of the key beneficiaries. Rising rents and tight vacancy rates continue to attract investors seeking both income and capital growth potential.
First home buyer activity is also increasing, supported by government grants and softer borrowing costs. A growing number of these buyers are turning to the city’s apartment market, where smaller holiday units are being converted into permanent homes. Many of these properties, once short-term rentals or investor stock, are now occupied by first-time owners taking advantage of relative affordability compared to detached houses.This shift has changed the character of parts of the coastline. Areas once dominated by short-stay accommodation now have a more permanent residential feel, adding new depth to the market while tightening the supply of holiday rentals.
The key constraint for the Gold Coast remains supply. Despite strong demand and a robust development pipeline on paper, the number of completed dwellings continues to fall short of what is needed to house a rapidly growing population.
High construction costs, limited land availability, and stretched delivery timelines will continue to hold back new projects. Even with further rate relief, it is unlikely that supply will accelerate quickly enough to ease pressure on prices in the short term.
The Gold Coast’s median unit price now leads the nation, and that position is unlikely to shift soon. Price growth may moderate as more projects are completed, but without a substantial lift in new construction, the imbalance between demand and supply will remain the defining feature of the market through 2026.
