Australia’s richest surf beaches are more likely to be home to doctors, IT experts, advertising executives and financial specialists than laid-back surfers, new data reveals.
Six-figure salaries are now common among residents of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Cottesloe Beach in Perth and Portsea in Melbourne.
But the traditional hangouts of the country’s heartland still offer an option for those who want the saltwater lifestyle under the sun on a budget.
Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Victoria’s Surf Coast and the tropical paradises of Broome and Port Douglas still offer a home to those on more modest incomes.
Here’s how much you need to earn to live in Australia’s most idyllic coastal postcodes and the type of jobs that are typical, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the tax office.
Cottesloe
Cottesloe Beach, where the Indian Ocean meets Perth’s Swan River, is Australia’s richest surfing beach, with an average taxable income of $295,283.
The typical local citizen earns four times Australia’s average taxable income of $72,327.
Cottesloe Beach, bordered by the Indian Ocean and Perth’s Swan River, is Australia’s richest surfing beach, with an average taxable income of $295,283.
Bondi Beach remains relatively wealthy with an average taxable income of $147,052 in the 2026 postcode
ZIP code 6011 is home to billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest, but doctors are far more common, with hospital workers and lawyers topping the list of occupations in the 2021 census.
Bondi
Sydney’s eastern suburbs are home to five of Australia’s 10 highest-paying postcodes, but Bondi is not, despite having some particularly wealthy neighbours.
Computer designers topped the list of most common occupations here, making it Australia’s demographic answer to California’s Silicon Valley.
Advertising was next on the list, suggesting that creative types are drawn to the hub of celebrities, actors and models.
However, Australia’s most famous beach is still relatively wealthy, with an average taxable income of $147,052 in the 2026 postcode.
seaport
Melbourne’s rich man’s haven, Portsea, on the Mornington Peninsula, is an hour’s drive from the city and has a particularly high taxable income of $221,867.
The home of trucking magnate Lindsay Fox is also a particularly popular spot for those working in finance and then management consulting.
The elitist postcode 3944 also covers Cheviot Beach, where Liberal Prime Minister Harold Holt drowned in December 1967 and was never seen again.
Byron Bay
Australia’s easternmost point, Byron Bay was a slaughterhouse town until 1983 and a whaling station until 1962, but today it is home to holistic gluten-free and vegan restaurants.
The gentrified beach postcode of 2481, where actor Chris Hemsworth lives in a mansion, now has a median income of $89,588, with hospitality jobs the most common occupation in this part of northern New South Wales.
Byron Bay now has a median income of $89,588, with hospitality jobs being the most common occupation in this part of northern New South Wales.
Golden Coast
Surfers Paradise, the Gold Coast’s most famous beach, is also the most common place of employment for those working in cafes and restaurants, with an average taxable income of $77,045 in the south-east Queensland 4217 postcode.
Adelaide
Doctors, nurses and people working in the aluminium smelter are most likely to live in Adelaide’s Glenelg Beach, with an average taxable income of $80,657 in the 5045 postcode.
Broome
The Kimberley region of Western Australia is home to Broome, known for its sunset camel rides and pearling industry.
But residents in ZIP code 6725 are more likely to be nurses, with an average taxable income of $72,612, close to the national average.
Surfers Paradise, the Gold Coast’s most famous beach, is also the most common place of employment for those working in cafes and restaurants, with an average taxable income of $77,045.
Port Douglas
This tropical paradise north of Cairns in Far North Queensland is where former US President Bill Clinton was on holiday, playing golf when the planes crashed into New York’s Twin Towers in September 2001.
The resort city’s largest employer is the lodging sector, giving the 4877 ZIP code a low average taxable income of $55,946.
Surfing Coast
The town of Bells Beach, on the Great Ocean Road on Victoria’s Surf Coast, is interestingly home to jobs in printing and antique shops, with a typical taxable income of $83,183 in the 3228 postcode.