Scarborough vs Southport
Property investment comparison - Scarborough, QLD 4020 vs Southport, QLD 4215
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Scarborough wins 1, Southport wins 3. 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 | Scarborough | Southport |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.2M | $1.2M |
| Median unit price | - | $800K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | - | 3.65% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | - | 4.96% |
| 1-year house growth | +18.9% | +12.9% |
| 3-year house growth | +32.1% | +43.0% |
| Vacancy rate | 1.6% | 1.2% |
| Population | 9,178 | 36,786 |
Scarborough vs Southport: what the numbers say
The median house price is $1.2M in Scarborough and $1.2M in Southport, so Southport is the cheaper entry point.
Over the past year house prices moved +18.9% in Scarborough and +12.9% in Southport, so recent momentum favours Scarborough, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Looking back three years, Scarborough houses are +32.1% and Southport houses +43.0%, so Southport has compounded faster than Scarborough over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 1.2% in Southport and 1.6% in Scarborough, so landlords in Southport face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Southport is the bigger suburb, with a population of 36,786 against 9,178, roughly 4.0 times the size of Scarborough; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Southport for a lower purchase price, Scarborough for recent price momentum, Southport 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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