Jensen vs Karana Downs
Property investment comparison - Jensen, QLD 4818 vs Karana Downs, QLD 4306
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Jensen wins 3, Karana Downs 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 | Jensen | Karana Downs |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.1M | $1.1M |
| Median unit price | $1.2M | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.34% | 3.54% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 2.10% | 4.02% |
| 1-year house growth | +19.1% | +7.4% |
| 3-year house growth | +62.6% | +34.1% |
| Vacancy rate | 1.4% | 1.5% |
| Population | 1,797 | 3,800 |
Jensen vs Karana Downs: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.1M in Jensen and $1.1M in Karana Downs.
On cash flow, Karana Downs leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 3.54%, compared with 3.34% in Jensen, a gap of 0.20 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +19.1% in Jensen and +7.4% in Karana Downs, so recent momentum favours Jensen, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Jensen houses are +62.6% and Karana Downs houses +34.1%, so Jensen has compounded faster than Karana Downs over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 1.4% in Jensen and 1.5% in Karana Downs, so landlords in Jensen face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Karana Downs is the bigger suburb, with a population of 3,800 against 1,797, roughly 2.1 times the size of Jensen; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Karana Downs for rental income, Jensen for recent price momentum, Jensen 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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