Lower Macdonald vs Toormina

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $800K in Lower Macdonald and $800K in Toormina.

For units, Lower Macdonald sits at a median of $610K against $520K in Toormina, which makes Toormina the more affordable unit market and Lower Macdonald the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +2.7% in Lower Macdonald and +8.8% in Toormina, so recent momentum favours Toormina, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Lower Macdonald houses are +49.1% and Toormina houses +16.8%, so Lower Macdonald has compounded faster than Toormina over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 1.0% in Toormina and 2.2% in Lower Macdonald, so landlords in Toormina face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Toormina is the bigger suburb, with a population of 6,171 against 244, roughly 25 times the size of Lower Macdonald; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: Toormina for recent price momentum, Toormina for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.