Cow Bay, QLD 4873
Cow Bay property market
Activity in Cow Bay is light, with 10 sales at around $459k as of July 2026, taking about 154 days to sell.
Who lives hereA low-income, largely mortgage-free, older-leaning suburb.
House covers houses, duplexes, semi-detached and terraces; Unit covers apartments, units, townhouses and villas.
Cow Bay demographics & population
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) 2021 · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
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Detailed, institutional-grade analysis — well beyond the usual suburb snapshot.
InsideWho lives here · What homes cost to buy & rent · How fast homes are selling · How much is for sale or rent · How it compares to nearby suburbs · Schools nearby
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Who lives in Cow Bay?
The age structure, household make-up, and cultural fabric of the people who call this suburb home.
Share of all residents by 5-year band · hover a band for the count + split
A strongly multicultural community with deep migrant heritage.
2020–21 understated — COVID border closures.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Housing & affordability in Cow Bay
What it costs to live here, who owns versus rents, and the shape of the housing stock.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Income & employment in Cow Bay
Incomes, employment, and the occupation mix of the people who live here.
A typical household pulls in about 2.3× the typical individual — a multi-earner area.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Getting around Cow Bay
How people get to work, and how car-dependent the suburb is — the clearest tell of inner-urban versus outer-suburban living.
Census data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — © Commonwealth of Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing · Shares, ratios and percentiles shown are Micromarkets transformations of that data · licensed CC BY 4.0.
Education · ACARA My School 2025
Schools in and around Cow Bay
No school inside Cow Bay itself — the closest options around it are shown. Distances are straight-line from the suburb centre and are not enrolment catchments — always confirm zones with the school.
ICSEA is ACARA’s official measure of a school’s socio-educational advantage — based mainly on parents’ education and occupation, plus the school’s location and student mix.
- No schools within 5 km — widen the radius.
Why are some State Rank and star ratings blank? Schools can choose not to publish their results. In practice, schools that score well above their state average almost always publish theirs — so a blank rating more often reflects a school opting out than a top result being hidden. Academic results also tend to rise with ICSEA Rank, so higher-ICSEA schools more often carry a strong State Rank as well.
School profile and ICSEA data sourced from ACARA — © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (data year 2025) · State Rank & star columns are Micromarkets-compiled academic ratings from publicly available school results · Distances are straight-line from the suburb centre, not catchments.
Turnover
How settled or transient the community is — and where newcomers came from.
Cow Bay median house price & rent
Headline price, rent, yield and time on market for Cow Bay — choose a property type and size below.
House & unit prices by bedroom
Every segment this suburb tracks — sales and rentals side by side, ranked by total activity over the last twelve months.
Cow Bay property growth
Where each segment sits against its peers in the chosen geography — past the midline means it's outperforming the rest.
Market demandHow fast this market is moving — a velocity index built from trailing-year transaction volume and median days on market. Strong volume lifts the score; days on market drags it down, with the drag growing sharply once listings start lingering. Ranked against peers in the chosen geography.
Houses
Units
Buying vs renting in Cow Bay
What it costs each week to own a property versus renting the same one — positive means buying carries the premium, negative means rent covers the mortgage.
How strong is demand, and which way is it heading?
Two questions on one chart — how strong demand is right now, and which way it's heading year-on-year.
Sales market velocity
Cow Bay against the neighbourhood
Eight diagnostic views cutting the data a different way each time — Cow Bay in blue, peers in colour.
How fast — and is it getting faster?
Housing supply & months of stock
How long current listings would take to clear at the recent rate of sales or leases. Critical shortage and Oversupply only fire at the genuine tails of the national distribution — sales tip in under 0.7 months, rentals far faster, under 0.3.
Sales market
| Segment | Band | Months of supply left | YoYYoY change12-month change in months of supply. Down means stock is tightening (fewer months than a year ago); up means stock is loosening. | ListedListedActive listings in this segment right now, derived from months of supply multiplied by the recent transaction rate. | SoldSold (last year)Total sold transactions completed in this segment over the last 12 months. | Per monthPer monthAverage monthly absorption — how many properties are sold each month in this segment, over the last 12 months. |
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Rental market
| Segment | Band | Months of supply left | YoYYoY change12-month change in months of supply. Down means stock is tightening (fewer months than a year ago); up means stock is loosening. | ListedListedActive listings in this segment right now, derived from months of supply multiplied by the recent transaction rate. | LeasedLeased (last year)Total leased transactions completed in this segment over the last 12 months. | Per monthPer monthAverage monthly absorption — how many properties are leased each month in this segment, over the last 12 months. |
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Who's transacting — buyers or tenants?
Out of every property transaction in this suburb, what share are sales versus leases — each point a rolling twelve-month window.
Cow Bay — Units & Houses, all bedrooms
Cow Bay median house price & rent history
Each tape traces one metric across sixty months for the selected segment — every point a trailing twelve-month figure, matching the headline KPIs above.
Five-year summaryAs of Jun 2026, the median house sale price in Cow Bay rose from $214k (Jul 2021) to $338k (Jun 2026) — +58.1% growth over five years — peaking at $394k between Jan 2025 and Dec 2025.
Suburbs near Cow Bay: prices compared
The nearest suburbs to Cow Bay, ranked by distance — each lined up against Cow Bay on the same measures, so the differences jump out at a glance.
Frequently asked · Cow Bay
18 data-driven answers about Cow Bay's property market — every one computed from the metrics above.
What things cost
Prices, rent, yield, ownership costWhat is the median house price in Cow Bay?
#The median house price in Cow Bay, QLD 4873 is $493k as of June 2026, based on a very small number of recent sales. Houses there have moved +0.5% year-on-year. Prices vary by bedroom count, from compact two-bedroom homes to larger four-bedroom houses. See the bedroom-level breakdown below for 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom medians.
How much is a 3 bedroom house in Cow Bay?
#As of June 2026, Cow Bay medians by bedroom count:
| Property | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | $493k | $493k | — | $493k |
Figures cover only segments with enough recent transactions to be statistically meaningful; sparse segments are excluded.
How the market is moving
Speed, supply, growth, cycle phaseWhat are Cow Bay's property market trends?
#Cow Bay's property market trends to June 2026: house prices rose +0.5% year-on-year; homes sell in a median 177 days; sales supply sits at 4.3 months (loose). Read together — price, rent, selling speed and supply — they show which way the Cow Bay market is leaning. The 5-year tape and demand cycle charts above plot the full trajectory.
What does the data say about Cow Bay as an investment?
#As of June 2026 in Cow Bay, house prices rose +0.5% over the year, houses take a median 177 days to sell, sales supply is 4.3 months (loose). Capital growth, rental yield, selling speed and supply are the signals investors weigh — but these figures describe the market, not a recommendation. This is data, not financial advice; always do your own research and consider a licensed adviser.
How quickly do houses sell in Cow Bay?
#Houses in Cow Bay sell in a median 177 days on market as of June 2026. Faster clearance typically coincides with stronger buyer demand and lower supply.
Is Cow Bay a tight or loose property market right now?
#Cow Bay's sales market sits at 4.3 months of supply for houses as of June 2026 — classified as Loose against the Australian distribution. Under 1.7 months is Severe (extreme shortage); over 4.5 months is Loose.
Have property prices in Cow Bay gone up or down?
#House prices in Cow Bay moved +0.5% over the 12 months to June 2026. The 5-year tape above plots the full monthly trajectory — showing where the market changed character rather than just crossing round numbers.
How it compares
Vs state, vs nearby, vs popularHow does Cow Bay compare to other QLD suburbs?
#Cow Bay's median house price ($493k) is 33% below the QLD median ($734k) as of June 2026. On selling speed, houses clear in 177 days vs 18 days state median.
What's the most popular property type in Cow Bay?
#The most-transacted segment in Cow Bay over the 12 months to June 2026 is 2 bed houses with 4 sales. 3 bed houses come second at 4 sales. The buying-versus-renting section above breaks down the top segments with weekly mortgage, rent and ownership-cost detail.
How many properties were sold and leased in Cow Bay last year?
#Cow Bay recorded 4 house sales and 0 unit sales over the 12 months to June 2026 — a combined 4 transactions. Segments with statistically thin samples are excluded from displayed figures.
About the area
Population, income, who lives here, schoolsWhat postcode is Cow Bay in?
#Cow Bay is in postcode 4873, in the Cairns & Far North region of QLD. Addresses there are written as Cow Bay, QLD 4873.
What is the population of Cow Bay?
#Cow Bay, QLD 4873 is home to 197 residents (ABS Census 2021). The median resident age is 38, and the average household holds 1.1 people. The "Who lives here" section above breaks the community down by age, life stage and tenure.
What is the median household income in Cow Bay?
#The median household in Cow Bay earns $570 per week — roughly $30k a year (ABS Census 2021). Median personal income runs $247/week. Income, rent-to-income and mortgage-to-income context sits in the "Who lives here" section above.
What is the unemployment rate in Cow Bay?
#The unemployment rate in Cow Bay is 50.0% (ABS Census 2021). That sits right around the median for Australian suburbs. The rate counts people who are working or actively looking for work — not a share of all residents. Workforce participation sits at 50%. The local economy section above covers incomes, employment status and the occupation mix.
Do people own or rent in Cow Bay?
#Cow Bay is mostly owner-occupied: about 100% of households are owner-occupiers and 50% rent (ABS Census 2021). Of owners, 50% own outright and 50% are paying off a mortgage.
What schools are near Cow Bay?
#Cow Bay has 4 schools within reach — including Alexandra Bay State School, Daintree State School, Wonga Beach State School. The Schools section above maps each one with sector, year range, enrolment, Micromarkets-compiled academic ratings and ICSEA (ACARA).
Is Cow Bay a good place to live?
#Cow Bay, QLD 4873 has a population of 197, a median age of 38, a median household income around $570/week, 50% of households renting (ABS Census 2021). There are 4 schools within reach. Whether it's the right fit depends on your priorities — these figures describe the community, housing mix and amenity rather than offer a verdict.
About this data
Methodology and update cadenceWhen was this Cow Bay market data last updated?
#This Cow Bay market data was last updated July 2026, covering the 12 months to June 2026. Figures are computed monthly from 12-month rolling windows of recorded sales and leases, with five years of monthly history behind the trend charts. Methodology, glossary and data sources are linked in the footer.