Alderley vs Shelly Beach
Property investment comparison - Alderley, QLD 4051 vs Shelly Beach, QLD 4551
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Alderley wins 2, Shelly Beach wins 2. 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 | Shelly Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.7M | - |
| Median unit price | $855K | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 2.46% | 1.88% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 3.71% | - |
| 1-year house growth | +12.7% | +16.0% |
| 3-year house growth | +35.9% | +35.3% |
| Vacancy rate | 1.8% | 0.9% |
| Population | 6,748 | 925 |
Alderley vs Shelly Beach: what the numbers say
On cash flow, Alderley leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 2.46%, compared with 1.88% in Shelly Beach, a gap of 0.58 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +12.7% in Alderley and +16.0% in Shelly Beach, so recent momentum favours Shelly Beach, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Alderley houses are +35.9% and Shelly Beach houses +35.3%, so Alderley has compounded faster than Shelly Beach over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 0.9% in Shelly Beach and 1.8% in Alderley, so landlords in Shelly Beach 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 925, roughly 7 times the size of Shelly Beach; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Alderley for rental income, Shelly Beach for recent price momentum, Shelly Beach 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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