Cairns City
QLD 4870 · Cairns
3,616 (2021) → 3,836 est. (2025)
Based on transport, liveability & education. Safety is scored separately below.
Cairns City is a suburb in Cairns, QLD 4870, about 1389km from Brisbane CBD. Recent property sales in Cairns City are too limited to report a reliable median price. The suburb has 1 school, a transport score of 0/100, and is right by the coast. Cairns City has an overall score of 47/100, based on transport, liveability and education, plus a separate residential safety score of 18/100.
Demographics
Age distribution
Top countries of birth: England (4.15%), New Zealand (2.32%), India (1.63%), France (1.13%), South Korea (1.08%)
Top languages: Spanish (1.85%), French (1.44%), Korean (1.27%), Mandarin (1.19%), Italian (1.16%)
Source: ABS Census 2021
Residential Safety
QLDdoesn't publish crime data at the suburb level. The rates shown are the Cairns local-government-area average applied to this suburb, so other suburbs in the same LGA share the same figures.
Commercial & services hub. This suburb is a major employment and services centre, drawing a significant daily influx of workers and visitors from surrounding areas. Crime figures are recorded by incident location and include offences involving commuters and visitors, not just residents, so the per-resident crime rates below may overstate the risk for people who live here.
Nightlife hub. This suburb has a high concentration of licensed venues. Crime figures include incidents involving visitors to the nightlife area, not just residents.
Recorded residential incidents (latest year), with rate per 100,000 residents:
Includes street and public-place assaults — supplementary context, not part of the safety score.
Residential incidents over time
Sum of the five residential categories above — not all recorded crime.
Area crime context
Totals include incidents involving commuters and visitors, not just residents.
An independent score — crime data quality varies by state, so safety is shown separately and is not part of the overall score.
Source: Queensland Police Service (LGA-level) · Updated 2025
Schools
Strong school options
Well above average — good-quality schools within reach and a healthy range of options to choose from.
Average ICSEA of schools within 10km 966 (below the national average of 1000).
In suburb
- St Monica's CollegeSecondary · CatholicICSEA 1056
Nearby (within 10km)
- Cairns State High SchoolSecondary · Government · 0.9kmICSEA 1023
- St Augustine's CollegeSecondary · Catholic · 0.9kmICSEA 1061
- St Joseph's SchoolPrimary · Catholic · 1kmICSEA 1045
- Parramatta State SchoolPrimary · Government · 1.3kmICSEA 866
- The BUSY SchoolSecondary · Independent · 1.9kmICSEA 969
- Woree SHS - SchoolTech CampusSecondary · Government · 2.2km
- Trinity Bay State High SchoolSecondary · Government · 2.5kmICSEA 901
- Cairns School of Distance EducationCombined · Government · 2.6kmICSEA 1032
- Mother of Good Counsel SchoolPrimary · Catholic · 3.1kmICSEA 1091
- Cairns West State SchoolPrimary · Government · 3.5kmICSEA 759
- Balaclava State SchoolPrimary · Government · 3.6kmICSEA 784
- St Francis Xavier's SchoolPrimary · Catholic · 3.6kmICSEA 979
Source: ACARA 2023
Transport
Source: TfNSW GTFS
Liveability
Amenities within 2–3km
Counted within a short distance of the suburb centre (so nearby facilities count), with the in-boundary count shown beneath.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology · OpenStreetMap
Fitness
Plenty of options
Well above average — a good spread of gyms and sports facilities within easy reach.
Facilities within 3km of the suburb centre. The Fitness Score is a national percentile of these counts per resident.
Source: OpenStreetMap
Outdoors
Some green space
Around the national average — a reasonable amount of parks and outdoor space nearby.
Within 3km of the suburb centre. The Outdoor Score is a national percentile led by parks and green space.
Source: OpenStreetMap
Culture
Rich cultural scene
Well above average — a strong mix of cultural venues nearby.
Within 3km of the suburb centre. The Culture Score is a national percentile weighting theatres, museums, galleries, libraries and arts centres most heavily.
Source: OpenStreetMap
Entertainment Scene
Entertainment paradise
A seriously impressive licensed venue scene — top 20% nationally for density of pubs, bars, clubs and dining.
Nightlife hub. High licensed-venue density drives a significant evening economy here — incidents near the venues are recorded by location, so crime figures include visitors, not just residents.
Government liquor register data is not yet available for QLD. Venue counts are estimated from OpenStreetMap within 2km of the suburb centre.
View nearby venues on the Entertainment Map →
Source: OpenStreetMap
Childcare
Childcare desert
Very limited childcare services in and around this suburb — families may face significant travel for childcare.
View childcare centres on the map →
Source: ACECQA National Quality Framework Register
Nearby suburbs in Cairns
Compare Cairns City with another suburb
Compare two suburbs
Frequently asked questions about Cairns City
Is Cairns City safe?
Cairns City has a residential safety score of 18/100, based on residential crime (break-ins, theft from dwellings, vehicle theft, domestic assault and robbery) per resident relative to the NSW median. Its total recorded incident rate is 11,851 per 100,000 across all categories.
How far is Cairns City from Brisbane CBD?
Cairns City is about 1389.4 km from Brisbane CBD.
What schools are in Cairns City?
Cairns City has 1 school, with an average ICSEA of 1056 (the national average is 1000). Schools are listed factually, not ranked.
What is public transport like in Cairns City?
Cairns City has a transport score of 0/100.