Coastal townsQueensland2026
Queensland Coastal Towns
Gold Coast, Noosa Heads and Surfers Paradise were the most booked of the 22 coastal towns in Queensland on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 117,272, 28,693 and 20,972 stays. January is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 5.0 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 10 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 10
- Gold Coast 117,272 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 10
- Noosa Heads A$82,203 a year
- Highest rated of these 10
- Sunshine Beach 4.84 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 10
- Hervey Bay A$270 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 10
- Townsville 5.7 nights
Ranking
Queensland Coastal Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the coastal and beach towns in Queensland with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Gold Coast | 117,272 | A$438 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Noosa Heads | 28,693 | A$636 |
| 3 | Surfers Paradise | 20,972 | A$398 |
| 4 | Townsville | 14,575 | A$320 |
| 5 | Airlie Beach | 13,931 | A$450 |
| 6 | Port Douglas | 12,908 | A$551 |
| 7 | Hervey Bay | 7,692 | A$270 |
| 8 | Sunshine Beach | 6,028 | A$660 |
| 9 | Agnes Water | 4,881 | A$381 |
| 10 | Broadbeach | 4,785 | A$463 |
| 11 | Noosa. Includes Tewantin. | 4,604 | A$435 |
| 12 | Rainbow Beach | 4,501 | A$353 |
| 13 | Bargara | 4,274 | A$323 |
| 14 | Yeppoon | 3,414 | A$310 |
| 15 | Douglas. Includes Mossman. | 3,271 | A$487 |
| 16 | Palm Cove | 2,892 | A$526 |
| 17 | Burleigh Heads | 2,878 | A$546 |
| 18 | Peregian Beach | 2,757 | A$558 |
| 19 | Mooloolaba | 2,742 | A$438 |
| 20 | Sunrise Beach | 2,696 | A$551 |
| 21 | Maroochydore | 2,516 | A$382 |
| 22 | Noosaville | 2,246 | A$435 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5. Airbnb data files some places as one district or township, so Noosa and rows like it cover several towns.
Money figures on this page are in Australian dollars, converted from US dollars at A$1.44 per US$, the typical rate from November 2025 to October 2026.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
3 of 8 are busiest in January. Townsville and Port Douglas peak in July, Hervey Bay and Sunshine Beach in December, and Airlie Beach in October. Among guests who left a review, Brisbane is the top home city in 5 of the 8. Apartments and condos are the largest home type in 7 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Gold Coast
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Gold Coast had the most Airbnb homes, at 4,240, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Noosa Heads
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Noosa Heads was booked furthest ahead, about 98 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Surfers Paradise
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Surfers Paradise had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 95%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Melbourne was the top home city for Surfers Paradise, at 5.4%.
- 4Townsville
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Townsville had the longest typical stay, at 5.7 nights, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 5Airlie Beach
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Airlie Beach had the biggest share from abroad among guests who left a review, at 49%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Port Douglas
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Melbourne was the top home city for Port Douglas, Queensland, at 5.5%.
- 7Hervey Bay
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Hervey Bay had the lowest nightly rate, at A$270, in the 12 months to October 2026. Houses were the largest home type in Hervey Bay, at 53% of homes.
- 8Sunshine Beach
Of the 10 coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, Sunshine Beach had the highest guest rating, at 4.84, and had the highest nightly rate, at A$660, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
January, October and December rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the coastal towns in Queensland, and February and May as the quietest. January is the busiest month in 6 of the 22, while Townsville and Port Douglas peak in July, and Airlie Beach in October. Across the 22 towns, nightly rates run lowest in February, at about A$421, and highest in December, at about A$505. Across the 22 towns, stays run longest in July, at 5.2 nights, and shortest in September, at 4.1 nights.
January ranks first, May last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | 5.0 nights | A$499 |
| 2 | October | 4.3 nights | A$456 |
| 3 | December | 5.1 nights | A$505 |
| 4 | September | 4.1 nights | A$476 |
| 5 | July | 5.2 nights | A$474 |
| 6 | August | 4.7 nights | A$444 |
| 7 | November | 4.8 nights | A$440 |
| 8 | April | 4.6 nights | A$473 |
| 9 | June | 5.0 nights | A$443 |
| 10 | March | 4.5 nights | A$428 |
| 11 | February | 5.0 nights | A$421 |
| 12 | May | 4.5 nights | A$427 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 72% come from within Australia. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States. The top home cities among those guests are Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Airlie Beach draws the most from abroad, at 49%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
72% from within Australia
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 10 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Noosa Heads has the highest estimated revenue per home, at A$82,203 a year. Of those 10, Surfers Paradise and Airlie Beach share the highest occupancy, at 51%, and Hervey Bay has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at A$270. The most booked of the 22, Gold Coast, earns about A$61,218 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 10
A year, AirROI estimate
- Noosa Heads A$82,203
- Airlie Beach A$68,724
- Sunshine Beach A$64,276
- Gold Coast A$61,218
- Port Douglas A$58,371
Highest occupancy of these 10
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Surfers Paradise 51%
- Airlie Beach 51%
- Noosa Heads 48%
- Gold Coast 47%
- Hervey Bay 47%
Lowest nightly rate of these 10
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Hervey Bay A$270
- Townsville A$320
- Rainbow Beach A$353
- Agnes Water A$381
- Surfers Paradise A$398
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular coastal town in Queensland?
By AirROI's estimates, Gold Coast is the most booked of the 22 coastal towns in Queensland, with 117,272 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Noosa Heads is second, with 28,693. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable coastal town in Queensland?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Hervey Bay (A$270), Townsville (A$320) and Rainbow Beach (A$353). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small coastal towns in Queensland?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 22 coastal towns it lists in Queensland are Sunrise Beach (101), Noosaville (103) and Burleigh Heads (113). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What coastal towns in Queensland offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in Queensland with 200 or more homes, the highest are Noosa Heads (A$82,203), Airlie Beach (A$68,724) and Sunshine Beach (A$64,276). Among the same towns, Surfers Paradise and Airlie Beach share the highest occupancy, at 51%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off, unless people travel to them for the beach. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 685,754 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.