How we calculate the numbers

In Queensland we use the minimum general rate for a residential owner-occupied property (principal place of residence), taken from each council's published rates schedule — for Brisbane suburbs, the Brisbane City Council minimum general rate. In New South Wales, where councils don't publish a single minimum, we use the average residential rate each council reports to the Office of Local Government (2024–25), uplifted by that council's IPART rate peg for 2026–27.

We use each water utility's published pricing to calculate a typical annual residential water and sewerage bill, assuming household consumption of approximately 190 kilolitres per year (the Brisbane average).

The bill includes: water service fixed charge, water usage charges (Tier 1), bulk water charge (passed through at cost from SEQWater), and sewerage service fixed charge.

Provider by area:

• Brisbane City and Ipswich: Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU)
• Moreton Bay: Unitywater
• Logan: Logan City Council
• Redland City: Redland City Council
• Greater Sydney, Illawarra and Blue Mountains: Sydney Water (typical annual bill, 2026–27)
• Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens: Hunter Water (2026–27)
• Other regional NSW councils: an estimate, labelled on the page as a regional NSW estimate

Your actual bill will vary based on household size, water usage habits, and meter size.

We measure each suburb's distance to the CBD, then cost the round-trip commute at the ATO's published rate for the 2025–26 financial year (88 cents/km), which covers fuel, tyres, registration, insurance and depreciation.

Commute frequency tapers with distance, because residents further from the CBD tend to work from home more often, or work locally rather than commute in:

• Close to the CBD: 4 return trips per week
• ~15km: about 3.5 return trips per week
• ~30km: about 3 return trips per week
• ~45km: about 2.5 return trips per week
• 60km and beyond: 2 return trips per week (floor)

Annual driving cost = distance to the CBD × 2 (return) × return trips per week × 48 working weeks × $0.88/km. This is the CBD commute specifically, not total household driving. Suburbs beyond 100km — where a daily CBD commute is not realistic — use a flat regional allowance instead.

Queensland's Translink network charges a flat fare of 50 cents per trip regardless of distance or zone — one of the lowest public transport fares in Australia.

We calculate annual PT commute cost as:

$0.50 × 2 trips per day × 192 days per year = $192

The 192 days reflects an average of 4 commute days per week across 48 working weeks, accounting for leave, public holidays, and the reality that most workers now commute fewer than 5 days per week.

This figure is the same for every suburb in Brisbane, because Queensland public transport fares do not vary by distance under the current flat-fare system.

New South Wales: NSW uses Opal, where fares rise with distance and are capped daily and weekly. For Sydney-metro suburbs we apply the Opal adult fare for the suburb's distance band across 46 commuting weeks. Regional NSW towns commute to their own centres rather than Sydney, so we show driving as the practical mode there.

Home and contents insurance premiums are estimated using AI analysis (Claude, by Anthropic), calibrated against each suburb's flood risk classification, fire risk classification, distance from the CBD, and typical dwelling characteristics for that area.

These are estimates only. Actual premiums vary significantly based on your specific property, chosen insurer, coverage level, claims history, and construction type.

The figures shown are a reasonable starting point for comparison purposes. Use the "Get an exact quote" link on each suburb page for a real premium from a licensed insurer.

For unit owners, building insurance is typically covered by the body corporate levy. We estimate contents insurance separately using AI analysis based on suburb location and property type.

These estimates cover a typical contents policy for a unit owner. Actual premiums vary by insurer, coverage level, and the value of your possessions.

Body corporate (strata) levies are estimated using AI analysis based on suburb characteristics and typical levy ranges for each property type.

Typical ranges used as calibration:

• Inner-city high-rise, post-2000: $4,500–$7,000/year
• Inner-city low-rise or older buildings: $2,500–$4,000/year
• Middle-ring apartments: $2,000–$3,500/year
• Outer suburb newer developments: $1,500–$2,500/year

Actual levies vary significantly based on your building's age, size, facilities, maintenance history, and management. Always confirm the actual levy with the body corporate secretary before purchasing.

School scores (displayed on a 1–10 scale) are derived from ACARA ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) data. We show the catchment school for each suburb — the state school your child would automatically enrol in based on your address.

The ICSEA score reflects the socio-educational advantage of the student community, not teaching quality directly. It is one useful indicator but does not capture teaching culture, specialist programs, or extracurricular activities.

Flood risk classifications (Low / Medium / High) in Queensland are derived from Queensland Globe flood mapping data and cross-referenced with Climate Council risk mapping.

New South Wales: NSW has no single statewide flood layer (councils hold their own mapping), so we model flood risk from a 30 m elevation model. Each suburb is scored on its low-lying ground and its height above the nearest drainage, then rated Low / Medium / High. This is a modelled indicator, labelled as modelled on every NSW page, not official flood mapping.

Classifications were updated in June 2026 using the Queensland Government's adopted February 2022 Brisbane River and Creek Flood awareness dataset (updated May 2025). Suburb boundaries from the ABS 2021 Statistical Area Level dataset were intersected with the 2022 flood polygons. Suburbs where more than 20% of the suburb area was inundated were classified High; suburbs with 5–20% coverage were classified Medium. This reclassified 93 suburbs across Greater Brisbane, including Bulimba, New Farm, Morningside, East Brisbane, Graceville, Chelmer, Boondall, and Fitzgibbon.

Classifications represent the general flood risk profile for the suburb. Individual properties within a suburb may have different risk profiles depending on their specific location and elevation. Always check your specific property's flood designation before purchasing.

Fire risk classifications in Queensland are derived from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) bushfire prone land mapping. In New South Wales we use the NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Prone Land layer, rating each suburb by the share of its area that is high-hazard (Category 1) vegetation.

As with flood risk, suburb-level classifications are a general guide. Always check your specific property's designation before purchasing.