Alderley vs Dolphin Heads
Property investment comparison - Alderley, QLD 4051 vs Dolphin Heads, QLD 4740
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Alderley wins 1, Dolphin Heads wins 4. The better choice depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow, growth, affordability, or liquidity, the table below highlights the winner on each metric.
| Metric | Alderley | Dolphin Heads |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.7M | - |
| Median unit price | $855K | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 2.46% | 3.21% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 3.71% | 7.38% |
| 1-year house growth | +12.7% | +8.5% |
| 3-year house growth | +35.9% | +52.7% |
| Vacancy rate | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| Population | 6,748 | 413 |
Alderley vs Dolphin Heads: what the numbers say
On cash flow, Dolphin Heads leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 3.21%, compared with 2.46% in Alderley, a gap of 0.75 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +12.7% in Alderley and +8.5% in Dolphin Heads, so recent momentum favours Alderley, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Alderley houses are +35.9% and Dolphin Heads houses +52.7%, so Dolphin Heads has compounded faster than Alderley over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 1.6% in Dolphin Heads and 1.8% in Alderley, so landlords in Dolphin Heads face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Alderley is the bigger suburb, with a population of 6,748 against 413, roughly 16 times the size of Dolphin Heads; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Dolphin Heads for rental income, Alderley for recent price momentum, Dolphin Heads for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.
Keep exploring
- National investment guide - top suburbs across every metric
- Take the suburb finder quiz - 5 questions to match your goals
- How our investment score works
- Property investment glossary - every term defined
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