Tugun Liveability Snapshot

Tugan Suburb Map

Tugun, at a glance

• Position, southern Gold Coast coastal suburb, immediately south of Currumbin and north of Bilinga, fronting the coastline and airport precinct.

• Distance to Brisbane, approximately a 1 hour 30 minute drive, traffic dependent.

• Commute to Gold Coast Airport, approximately 5 minutes, traffic dependent.

• Vibe, quiet coastal village feel, low-rise, local and residential, less tourist-driven than central beach suburbs.

• Best for, buyers who want beach proximity, a small coastal community feel, and direct access to the airport corridor.

• Day-to-day, beach walks, cafés, local errands, short commutes, and easy access to Currumbin and Palm Beach services.

• Walkability, good within the village and beachfront pocket, more car-based away from the core.

• Transport, car first, bus routes along the Gold Coast Highway, cycling paths through coastal corridors, limited rail access via Varsity Lakes station by car.

• Schools, catchment dependent, address must be checked via EdMap.

• Hazards, property specific, always check overlays and insurance early, particularly near the coastline and low-lying areas.

• Population size, approximately 6,700 people
  Median age, approximately 42 years

• Tenure in occupied private dwellings

  • Owned outright, approximately 32%

  • Owned with a mortgage, approximately 34%

  • Rented, approximately 32%

  • Other, approximately 2%

If you want the investor view as well, including how the house, unit and duplex market behaves and what drives price movement in different Tugan 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

Tugun sits on the southern Gold Coast coastline, immediately adjacent to Gold Coast Airport and south of Currumbin. It is predominantly low-rise and residential, with housing spread between beachfront streets, village pockets, and quieter inland residential areas.

Compared with larger or more commercial coastal suburbs, Tugun retains a distinctly local feel, with limited high-density development and a strong sense of everyday residential living.

Who Tugun suits best

Tugun suits buyers who want to live close to the beach in a quieter, village-style suburb. It is often chosen by owner-occupiers who value walkable coastal routines, short commutes, and a low-rise streetscape.

It can also appeal to downsizers and professionals who prioritise airport access and lifestyle convenience over nightlife or large-scale retail.

Why choose Tugun

Buyers often choose Tugun for its coastal lifestyle combined with practicality. It offers beach access, cafés, and local services, while avoiding the congestion and visitor intensity of more central Gold Coast beach suburbs.

Its location makes it particularly attractive for frequent travellers or those working along the southern corridor.

Housing and streetscape feel

Tugun is primarily house-based, with a mix of older beach cottages, renovated homes, and contemporary rebuilds. There are also small townhouse and low-rise apartment pockets, particularly closer to the village center and along key corridors.

Overall built form remains low-rise, preserving the suburb’s coastal village character.

Pocket differences that matter

Tugun includes distinct micro-areas shaped by proximity to the beachfront, Gold Coast Highway, and the airport corridor. Beachside streets and village pockets tend to feel quieter and more lifestyle-oriented, while edges closer to transport routes can experience higher traffic and noise.

Suburb-wide statistics can be misleading here, so buyers are best to shortlist by pocket early and then validate street-level noise, flight paths, and day-to-day feel before committing.

Getting around and commute reality

Most residents rely on cars for work and larger shopping trips, though walking and cycling are common for local routines near the beach and village centre. Bus services run along the Gold Coast Highway and connect Tugun to the wider coastal corridor.

Varsity Lakes is typically the closest major rail station, accessed by car.

Schools and education

School zoning in Queensland is address-based, not suburb-based. Eligibility depends on the exact property address and enrollment year, so EdMap should always be checked.

Primary schools your Tugun address may be zoned for:

• Currumbin State School

• Elanora State School

• Coolangatta State School

Secondary schools your Tugun address may be zoned for:

• Palm Beach – Currumbin State High School

Nearby non-state schooling options:

Tugun has access to nearby independent and Catholic schools across the southern Gold Coast. Enrolment is typically based on application, year-level intake, and school policies rather than state catchment zoning.

Catholic options nearby:

• St Augustine’s Parish Primary School, Currumbin Waters

• Our Lady of the Way Catholic Primary School, North Palm Beach

• Marymount College, Burleigh Waters

Independent options nearby:

• St Andrew’s Lutheran College, Tallebudgera

• Hillcrest Christian College, Reedy Creek

• King’s Christian College, Reedy Creek

• Somerset College, Mudgeeraba

When researching schools online, you will often see mixed reviews. That is common in larger or centrally located catchments with diverse student populations. Online commentary usually reflects individual experiences rather than the overall day-to-day environment. Visiting the school, understanding catchment rules, and considering your child’s specific needs will give you far more useful insight 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, sports and lifestyle amenities

Tugun’s lifestyle infrastructure centres on the beach, coastal walking paths, and local open spaces that support regular outdoor routines. The beachfront is a major drawcard for walking, swimming, and casual recreation.

Additional sporting facilities and parklands are easily accessed in neighbouring suburbs along the southern corridor.

Convenience and day-to-day essentials

The village pocket offers good day-to-day convenience, with cafés, small shops, and local services conveniently located close to home. For major retail, medical services, and specialist appointments, residents typically travel short distances to nearby centres.

Most households still rely on a car for larger errands.

Dining and cafés

Tugun has a small but well-established café and casual dining scene focused around the village and beachfront. The emphasis is on daytime and early evening trade rather than nightlife.

Residents also have easy access to broader dining options in Currumbin and Palm Beach.

Shopping and everyday services

Shopping is practical rather than destination-style. Tugun residents typically combine local convenience options with nearby centres for larger supermarket shops and services.

Community profile

Tugun tends to feel stable and community-oriented, with a mix of long-term locals and newer arrivals drawn by the coastal lifestyle and village atmosphere.

It has less visitor churn than larger beachfront suburbs and a strong sense of local identity.

Crime and safety, relative to the Gold Coast

Tugun is not a major entertainment or activity centre, so reported offence volumes are lower than those seen in high-foot-traffic suburbs. Based on 2024 data, Tugun’s crime rate per capita sits below both Queensland and Australia overall, with property offences still the dominant category.

• Crime rank – 10/100
  A higher score indicates higher overall crime relative to population

• Total offences – approximately 520

• Crimes per 1,000 residents – approximately 38
  Queensland – higher
  Australia – higher

• Violent crimes – approximately 35 total

• Violent crime rate – approximately 2.6 per 1,000 residents
  Queensland – ~8 per 1,000
  Australia – ~11 per 1,000

• Property crimes – approximately 310 total

• Property crime rate – approximately 23 per 1,000 residents

Most reported offence groups:

Offences in Tugun skew towards property and opportunistic incidents, with some concentration around transport corridors and higher-movement edges rather than quiet internal residential streets.

Top reported offence categories in 2024

1. Theft – approximately 150 offences

2. Drug dealing and trafficking – approximately 35 offences

3. Assault and related offences – approximately 20 offences

Likelihood of being affected:

• Chance of being a victim of violent crime – approximately 1 in 420
  Queensland – 1 in 123
  Australia – 1 in 89

• Chance of being a victim of property crime – approximately 1 in 36
  Queensland – 1 in 22
  Australia – 1 in 26

Trend direction:

• Total crime in Tugun decreased by 4.81% from 2023 to 2024

• Long-term trends show generally lower offence volumes typical of residential coastal suburbs, rather than sustained high activity linked to CBD, transport hubs, or night-time economies.

Bottom line: Tugun carries a lower crime profile than major activity centres on the Gold Coast. For buyers and renters, the practical takeaway is to choose the pocket carefully, consider traffic and transport exposure, prioritise good property security, and use street-level tools to check the immediate area around any shortlisted address.

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 provides area-level context rather than insight into individual households. A lower score indicates greater relative disadvantage, and a higher score indicates less disadvantage.

• For Tugun (SA2 Tugun), the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) score is approximately 1,033, placing it in decile 7 out of 10 nationally (a higher decile indicates less disadvantage).

Plain English takeaway: Tugun trends towards relative advantage overall, but lived experience still varies by pocket, housing type, and proximity to transport corridors.

Price and rental context

Tugun is house-led, with smaller unit and townhouse pockets. Because the suburb has a relatively small housing stock, medians can move materially depending on which pockets transact most in a given year.

• Median house price – approximately $1.40m

• Median unit price – approximately $850k

• Median 4 bedroom house rent – approximately $1,100 per week

• Median unit rent – approximately $800 per week

Medians sourced from realestate.com.au, for 12 months to December 2025.

Plain English takeaway, Tugun medians are useful for broad orientation, but proximity to the beach, flight paths, and street positioning can shift value materially either side of the suburb median.

Flood, bushfire and natural hazard considerations

Tugun includes low-lying coastal areas, so flood and coastal hazard overlays may apply to some properties. Other overlays, including bushfire mapping, are property specific.

Insurance premiums can vary materially by address, so it is worth obtaining quotes early.

Quick take: pros and trade-offs

Pros: coastal village feel, beach access, airport proximity, low-rise character, strong lifestyle appeal.

Trade-offs: smaller suburb with limited stock, aircraft noise in some pockets, traffic exposure near main corridors, hazard overlays in low-lying coastal areas.

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 RedSuburb crime statistics Median sale and rental pricing realestate.com.au ABS SEIFA index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage at SA2 level City of Gold Coast flood planning map
FloodCheck Queensland
City of Gold Coast bushfire overlay mapping

Helpful note

Tugun is a suburb where the difference between a beachfront street, a quiet village pocket, and an edge closer to transport corridors can be material. Shortlist by pocket early, then validate noise, overlays, and street feel against how you want to live day to day.

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