Arundel Liveability Snapshot
Arundel, at a glance
Position, central-northern Gold Coast suburb between Parkwood, Labrador and Helensvale, close to the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct and key arterial roads
Distance to Brisbane, approximately a 50 to 70 minute drive depending on traffic
Commute to Gold Coast Airport, approximately 35 to 50 minutes depending on traffic
Vibe, established and practical, family friendly pockets, quieter residential streets, convenience-led rather than lifestyle-led
Best for, families and professionals wanting an established suburb close to schools, the hospital and university precinct, and strong road and tram connectivity
Day-to-day, focus is on school runs, commuting, sports, errands, and easy access to major services
Walkability, low to moderate, best in pockets near local shops, schools and the tram corridor, otherwise mostly car-based.
Transport, close to G-link stations in the Parkwood and Arundel corridor, plus easy access to Smith Street and the M1
Schools are catchment dependent, zoning varies street by street; check your exact address in EdMap before you shortlist
Hazards are property-specific; check flood and overlay mapping before you commit, especially for low-lying or reserve-edge streets
If you want the investor view as well, including how the house, unit, and duplex market behaves and what drives price movement in different Southport pockets, email me and I can give you a quick, plain-English summary tailored to your budget and property type.
If you are moving over from NZ, start here, at my Moving from NZ hub, with checklists, early admin steps, and Gold Coast suburb guidance.
Overview
Arundel is an established residential suburb in the central-northern Gold Coast, valued for its proximity to major employment and education precincts, including the hospital and university area, while still offering quieter suburban pockets than nearby Southport.
Like Parkwood and Labrador, the lived experience in Arundel is driven by pocket selection, street exposure to main roads, and the exact home type and era, rather than the suburb name alone.
Who Arundel suits best
Arundel typically suits families who want a practical, established base with straightforward access to schools, sport, and everyday services, and professionals who want to stay close to the health and education precincts without living in a CBD environment.
If your priority is a walk-to-café village strip, nightlife, or a beach-first routine, Arundel can feel more functional than lifestyle-led.
Why choose Arundel
Arundel is often chosen because it sits in a very useful middle ground, more settled and residential than Southport, generally more central than the northern growth estates, and close to the precincts that anchor work and schooling routines on the Gold Coast.
It appeals to buyers who want convenience and connectivity without paying for a coastal address.
Housing and streetscape feel
Arundel is dominated by detached housing, with a mix of established family homes and pockets of townhouse and unit stock. Street feel varies, some areas are quiet and leafy, while others feel busier due to proximity to arterial roads or commercial edges.
In practical terms, Arundel rewards buyers who shortlist by street and pocket first, then evaluate the suburb second.
Getting around and commute reality
Arundel is primarily car-based for errands and school runs, but it has better transport options than many suburbs with similar housing profiles.
Tram access through the Parkwood and Arundel corridor provides a reliable link south into Southport, the central corridor and beyond, and road connectivity via Smith Street and the M1 supports commuting patterns across the Coast and to Brisbane.
Schools and education
State school zoning in Queensland is address-based, not suburb-name-based. Arundel boundaries overlap with multiple catchments, so different Arundel streets can be in different zones.
Primary schools your Arundel address may be zoned for:
Arundel State School
Parkwood State School
Gaven State School
Labrador State School
Secondary schools your Arundel address may be zoned for:
Southport State High School
Pacific Pines State High School
Keebra Park State High School
Some edge streets may fall into neighbouring suburb catchments depending on the enrolment year. Always confirm the specific address in EdMap before shortlisting a property.
When researching Arundel and nearby schools online, you will see a wide spread of opinions. That is common for large catchments and schools with changing cohorts year to year. Online commentary often reflects individual experiences, historical perceptions, or specific cohorts rather than the day-to-day experience for every family. The most reliable approach is to treat online reviews as background noise rather than a deciding factor. Visiting the school, speaking with the administration, understanding catchment rules, and considering your child’s individual needs will give you a far clearer picture than review sites alone.
If you are relocating with kids and want help shortlisting schools and aligning catchments with your housing search, I offer a Family Relocation Concierge option; details are on my services page.
Parks, sport, and outdoor lifestyle
Arundel has a practical, family-oriented outdoor lifestyle, parks and local green spaces support everyday routines like dog walking, playground time and weekend sport, rather than functioning as a destination precinct.
Its location also makes it easy to reach the Broadwater, bigger sporting hubs, and major weekend amenities without needing to live in the busiest corridors.
Convenience and day-to-day essentials
Arundel is strong on day-to-day practicality. Major services, shopping, medical and professional services are close by in Southport, Parkwood, Helensvale and Biggera Waters, which is a key reason the suburb works well for busy households.
Dining and cafés
Arundel has a small, practical café and casual dining scene that is geared toward everyday use rather than destination dining. Options are mostly clustered around neighbourhood shopping pockets and the Arundel Plaza style centres, suiting quick coffees, takeaway and easy weeknight meals.
For broader dining choice, most residents travel a short distance to Southport, Parkwood, Chirn Park or Harbour Town, which provides a much wider food scene without needing Arundel itself to function as an entertainment hub.
Shopping and everyday services
Shopping in Arundel is convenience-led. Day-to-day essentials like supermarkets, medical and allied health, gyms, pharmacies and takeaway are generally easy to access via local centres, with additional services spread along the Brisbane Road and Napper Road corridors.
For major retail, larger-scale shopping and destination services, residents typically use nearby hubs such as Harbour Town, Australia Fair, or Westfield Helensvale, depending on which side of Arundel they live in. This gives Arundel a practical day-to-day setup — local convenience close to home, with bigger options within a short drive.
Community profile
Arundel has a stable, family-oriented community with a strong mix of long-term owner occupiers and renters. The suburb attracts families, professionals, and downsizers who prioritise space, school access and convenience over nightlife or high-density living.
Compared with Southport, Arundel has less short-term turnover and fewer transient residents. Day-to-day life is quieter and more residential, with activity centred around schools, work, sport and local errands rather than tourism or evening entertainment.
The presence of established housing, schools and sporting facilities contributes to a settled feel, while proximity to major employment and retail hubs means Arundel functions well as a practical base for people working across the central and northern Gold Coast.
Crime and safety
Arundel generally presents as a lower-crime option within the central Gold Coast, with crime rates below Queensland and Australia overall. Violent crime is relatively low, and most incidents tend to be non-violent and linked to movement corridors and everyday activity rather than quiet residential streets.
Crime rank – 11/100
Lower scores indicates lower overall crime relative to populationTotal offences – 712
Crimes per 1,000 residents – 63.74
Queensland – higher
Australia – higherViolent crimes – 57 total
Violent crime rate – 5.10 per 1,000 residents
Queensland – ~8 per 1,000
Australia – ~11 per 1,000Property crimes – 428 total
Property crime rate – 38.31 per 1,000 residents
The top reported offence categories in 2024
Theft – 280 offences
Transport regulation offences – 79 offences
Drug dealing and trafficking – 74 offences
Likelihood of being affected:
Chance of being a victim of violent crime – 1 in 196
Queensland – 1 in 123
Australia – 1 in 89Chance of being a victim of property crime – 1 in 26
Queensland – 1 in 22
Australia – 1 in 26
Trend direction:
Total crime in Arundel decreased by 1.25% from 2023 to 2024
Long-term trends show relatively stable levels with normal year-to-year movement, rather than sharp spikes.
Bottom line: Arundel is a steady, family-friendly suburb with crime levels that compare favourably to Queensland and Australia overall. The main consideration is opportunistic property crime, while violent crime risk remains comparatively low.
Data source: RedSuburbs, 2024. Based on Queensland Police Service offence data and ABS Census population figures. For street-level detail by offence type and time period, the Queensland Police Online Crime Map allows address-specific filtering.
Socioeconomic context, SEIFA
SEIFA is an area-level context rather than a judgement on individual households, but it is useful for understanding whether a suburb broadly trends as more or less advantaged compared with other areas.
Arundel’s SEIFA profile is more stable and residential than nearby CBD-style suburbs but still reflects its mixed housing stock and proximity to major employment and transport corridors.
For Arundel (SA2 Arundel), the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) score is approximately 1012, with an overall decile position of 6 out of 10 nationally (higher decile indicates less disadvantage).
This places Arundel slightly above the national midpoint and broadly in line with many established, middle-ring Gold Coast suburbs.
Plain English takeaway: Arundel generally sits around the Gold Coast middle to slightly above average on SEIFA. It has a lower advantage profile than prestigious coastal suburbs, but a higher profile than high-density or CBD-adjacent areas. Lived experience varies by pocket; established family streets and detached housing areas tend to feel more settled day to day, while pockets closer to major roads, light industrial areas, or mixed-use corridors can feel busier and more transitional.
Price and rental context
Arundel generally sits in the mid range for established, centrally located Gold Coast suburbs, offering stronger value than coastal and CBD-adjacent areas such as Southport and Main Beach, while still benefiting from proximity to major employment, education and transport corridors.
Pricing varies noticeably by street, housing age, and proximity to major roads, schools and commercial areas.
Median house price – around $1.22m
Median unit price – around $670k
Median 4 bedroom house rent – around $880 per week
Median 2 bedroom unit rent – around $620 per week
Medians sourced from realestate.com.au, based on the past 12 months of sales and rental listings shown on the Arundel suburb profile. Medians are suburb-level indicators and can lag current market conditions.
On the rental side, Arundel remains consistently popular with hospital staff, university workers, families and long-term renters, supporting steady demand for both houses and units. Competition is strongest for well-presented family homes and updated units in quieter residential pockets.
Plain English takeaway: Arundel is not a budget suburb, but it offers better value than many coastal and CBD-adjacent locations while maintaining strong rental demand and central Gold Coast accessibility. Most buyers and renters narrow their search by street and dwelling type to balance price, noise exposure and day-to-day liveability.
Flood, bushfire, and natural hazard considerations
Risk is property specific. Some homes near low-lying corridors, drainage paths or reserve edges may have overlays, while nearby streets may have none. Start with the City of Gold Coast flood planning mapping and FloodCheck Queensland, then check bushfire mapping for reserve-edge streets.
Insurance premiums can vary materially by address, so it is worth getting a quote early in your process.
Quick take, pros and trade-offs
Pros:
Practical location, established suburb feel, strong access to hospital and university precincts, tram and motorway connectivity, good family routine fit
Trade-offs:
Car-based living for most households, pocket-to-pocket variation, some streets are affected by traffic exposure, less of a destination lifestyle precinct
Helpful links
These tools are address-specific, so always check the exact property before relying on suburb-wide assumptions.
School catchments, EdMap
Queensland Police crime map
City of Gold Coast flood planning map
FloodCheck Queensland
City of Gold Coast bushfire overlay mapping RedSuburb crime statistics
Helpful note
Arundel is a suburb where pocket selection matters. If you are shortlisting it, narrow to a few streets or complexes first, then check school catchments, traffic exposure and hazard overlays for those exact addresses rather than relying on suburb-wide averages.
If you want, I am happy to sanity-check a specific street, school catchment, or property against how you want to live day to day - Lets Talk
