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Living in Cairns City, QLD
Cairns City is in the Cairns council area. About 3,616 people lived here at the 2021 Census. Here's who they are, their homes and how they get around, next to the rest of Cairns and Queensland.
Rent now
$580 a week
That's the median rent on new leases in Cairns City, in the June quarter 2026. Half of new leases cost more and half cost less.
Who lives here
| Measure | Cairns City | Cairns | QLD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44 | 39 | 38 |
| People per home | 1.9 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Household income, a week (median) | $1,627 | $1,578 | $1,675 |
Homes
| Measure | Cairns City | Cairns | QLD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 31% | 27% | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 17% | 36% | 35% |
| Rented | 50% | 36% | 34% |
| Separate houses | 3% | 73% | 75% |
| Flats and apartments | 87% | 16% | 13% |
| Rent, a week (median, 2021) | $413 | $340 | $365 |
| Mortgage repayment, a month (median) | $1,733 | $1,588 | $1,733 |
Shares of homes where people answered the question. Rent and mortgage figures are from 2021, so they're well below today's. See what tenants pay now.
Getting around
| Measure | Cairns City | Cairns | QLD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with no car | 17% | 6% | 6% |
| Homes with two or more cars | 27% | 56% | 58% |
| Went to work by car | 45% | 76% | 72% |
| Went to work by public transport | 2% | 2% | 4% |
| Walked or cycled to work | 32% | 4% | 4% |
| Worked from home | 17% | 14% | 16% |
How people got to work on Census day, as a share of those who went to work or worked at home. The Census was on 10 August 2021, when Greater Sydney and Melbourne were in lockdown, so many more people there worked from home than usual, and fewer took public transport.
Public transport
| Kind | Stops | Services stopping, a weekday | Busiest stop, 7 to 9am |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus | 10 | 2,257 | Cairns City station (Lake Street): 83 services |
There's no train station within 50 km.
Counted for Wednesday 21 October 2026, an ordinary weekday in the timetable. Each time a train, tram, ferry or bus stops counts once, in both directions. Train and tram stations count once however many platforms they have.
Schools
In Cairns City
- St Monica's College (Cairns) Catholic, secondary
Within 2 km
- St Augustine's College (Cairns) Catholic, secondary, 0.9 km
- Cairns State High School Government, secondary, 1.0 km
- St Joseph's School (Cairns) Catholic, primary, 1.0 km
- Parramatta State School Government, primary, 1.3 km
School zones for 2026
- Parramatta State School primary
- Cairns State High School high school
The middle of Cairns City is in these government school zones. A zone is set by your exact address, and streets near its edge may be zoned for another school, so check your address with the school before you rent or buy.
Distances are in a straight line from the middle of Cairns City. Check enrolment rules with the school or the state's education department. We don't rank or rate schools.
More about Cairns
- What it costs to live in Cairns: rent, power, fuel, pokies losses and crime, against Queensland.
- Compare Cairns with another area.
- Is living in Cairns City worth the drive? Add up rent and fuel against another suburb.
- Other suburbs in Cairns.
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, and Suburbs and Localities boundaries, CC BY 4.0. Cairns figures use the council's 2021 boundaries. Public transport: Translink, © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0. Schools: Queensland Department of Education (May 2020 list), CC BY 4.0. School zones: Queensland Department of Education, state school catchments, CC BY 4.0. Rent: state rental bond data (see the rent pages).