Where we get our data
SuburbCost compiles data from official government sources, utility pricing schedules, and academic datasets across Queensland and New South Wales. Here's every source we use.
Council rates
Ipswich City Council
ipswich.qld.gov.au
City Budget 2026–27 (minimum general rate, owner-occupied residential)
QLD Dept of Local Government Comparative Data
data.qld.gov.au
Residential Rating Comparative Information 2025–26
NSW Office of Local Government — Your Council
olg.nsw.gov.au
Average residential rate per NSW council, 2024–25 time-series data
IPART — NSW rate peg
ipart.nsw.gov.au
Final rate pegs and components for all NSW councils 2026–27, applied to uplift each council's rate
Water and sewerage
Sydney Water
sydneywater.com.au
Typical annual residential water and wastewater bill 2026–27 (Greater Sydney, Illawarra, Blue Mountains)
Hunter Water
hunterwater.com.au
Typical annual residential bill 2026–27 (Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens)
Commute and transport
Transport for NSW — Opal
transportnsw.info
Opal adult fares by distance band with daily and weekly caps, for Sydney-metro commutes
Suburb geography
Australian Bureau of Statistics
abs.gov.au
ABS Digital Boundary Files: SAL_2021_AUST_GDA2020 — Suburbs and Localities shapefile (GDA2020). Used for suburb boundary polygons, centroid calculations, and spatial school matching.
Risk data
NSW Rural Fire Service
rfs.nsw.gov.au
Bush Fire Prone Land (certified, statewide). NSW suburbs rated by share of high-hazard (Category 1) vegetation
NSW flood (modelled)
seed.nsw.gov.au
No single statewide NSW flood layer exists, so flood risk is modelled from a 30 m elevation model (topographic susceptibility) and labelled as modelled
BOCSAR
bocsar.nsw.gov.au
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research: offence rates per 100,000 by LGA (property and other crime)
School data
ACARA — School Profile 2025
acara.edu.au
ICSEA percentile data used for school score calculations (score = ICSEA percentile ÷ 10)
ACARA — School Location 2025
acara.edu.au
School coordinates (lat/lng) used for spatial matching to suburb polygons
Queensland Department of Education
data.qld.gov.au
State school catchment boundaries (GIS shapefile)
Insurance and strata estimates
Anthropic Claude AI
anthropic.com
Insurance and body corporate levy estimates are generated using Claude (claude-sonnet-4-20250514) and calibrated against published market ranges for Queensland and New South Wales. These are estimates only — not quotes from licensed insurers. Actual premiums depend on your specific property, insurer, and circumstances.
Known limitations
Council rates shown are the general rate only. Waste charges, emergency levies, and separate charges are not included as they vary by service level and council area.
Water bills are calculated using typical household consumption (190kL/year). Your actual bill will vary based on household size and usage habits.
Insurance and strata figures are AI estimates. They are useful for comparison but should not be relied upon for budgeting without obtaining actual quotes.
School catchment data reflects state government boundaries and does not include private schools, selective schools, or out-of-catchment enrolments.
Risk classifications are suburb-level and may not reflect the specific risk profile of an individual property.
Data is updated annually each July. Figures may not reflect mid-year pricing changes by councils or utilities.