Cannonvale vs Kingsville vs Emerald Beach: Which Scores Best?

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The comparison between Cannonvale, Kingsville and Emerald Beach shows why property data needs a date attached to it. Emerald Beach scored highest at 76/100, but Cannonvale offered the strongest rental yield, while Kingsville revealed how a price recovery can change the investment equation.

The key distinction is between an asking price and a sold price. An asking price shows what a seller wants today; a contract shows what a buyer actually paid, and when. Ripehouse Advisory’s suburb score reads the contract data, not just the window price.

Cannonvale vs Kingsville vs Emerald Beach: the scoreboard

The final scores were:

• Emerald Beach: 76
• Kingsville: 69
• Cannonvale: 67

All three scores fell in August, even though all three raw scores rose. The reason was the national benchmark: the average raw score increased from 3,661.7 to 4,590.4, a rise of 25.4% in one month. The suburbs did not necessarily become weaker; the rest of the country caught up.

Emerald Beach recorded the largest raw-score increase, rising 1,287.1 points in a month. That was more than the other two suburbs combined, largely because its house price fell sharply while its rent remained comparatively resilient.

Cannonvale: the strongest yield, but a wide pricing gap

Cannonvale, in Queensland’s Whitsunday Council, had the cheapest median house price of the three at $870,000. It also recorded the strongest rental profile:

• 5.38% gross yield
• $900 a week rent
• 2.4% vacancy
• 12 days on market
• 195 sales in 12 months

The yield increased from 4.78% to 5.38% as rent rose from $780 to $900 a week. For an investor focused on income, that is the clearest strength on the card.

However, Cannonvale’s median asking price was $1,149,279, or $279,000 above the median sold price. The sold median eased from $937,000 in March to $870,000, while the asking line remained substantially higher.

That gap is the central risk. Buyers need to negotiate against recent contracts, not simply accept the price displayed in listings. Days of supply also increased from 24 in May to 59, while annual sales fell from 252 to 195.

Cannonvale’s score of 67 still placed it in the top 33% of the country. Its fundamentals were supported by Whitsunday Council, including employment diversity at the 91st percentile, five-year population growth of 11.51%, and project spend per person at the 83rd percentile.

Kingsville: a price recovery with the lowest yield

Kingsville, in Melbourne’s inner west, was the most expensive suburb in the comparison. Its median house price was $1.15 million, down 12.9% in 12 months from $1.32 million.

The important detail was the price path. Kingsville reached $962,500 in March and April, then recovered 19.5% to its August median. That makes the timing of a purchase especially important: buyers are not simply buying a depressed market; they may be buying into a recovery.

Kingsville’s other figures were:

• 3.30% gross yield
• $730 a week rent
• 2.2% vacancy
• 16 days on market
• 66 sales in 12 months
• 49% owner occupied

The suburb’s yield was the lowest of the three, despite rising from 2.34% to 4.21% during the period when prices fell. As prices recovered, the yield eased again.

Kingsville scored 69, down from 93 in July, although its raw score rose from 5,682.8 to 5,724.1. Maribyrnong Council’s average suburb score sat at the 83rd percentile, with employment diversity at the 64th percentile, project spend per person at the 81st percentile, and 525 dwelling approvals in a year.

For owner-occupiers, Kingsville offered the lowest vacancy and a relatively established market. For investors, the 3.30% yield makes it more of a home-market proposition than a high-income asset.

Emerald Beach: the discount is real, but it has a date

Emerald Beach, on the Coffs Coast, took the top position with a score of 76. Its median house price fell 29.8% in 12 months, from $1.325 million to $930,000, based on 24 sales.

That fall verified the viewer’s claim about a discount to nearby markets. In August:

• Emerald Beach: $930,000
• Moonee Beach: $1.325 million
• Sapphire Beach: $1.34 million

Emerald Beach was the most expensive of the three one year earlier. It was then $395,000 below Moonee Beach and $410,000 below Sapphire Beach. The discount is real, but it is only 12 months old and is based on a thin sample.

The suburb’s gross yield rose to 4.25%, up from 2.91%, as prices fell. But the rental market requires close scrutiny: vacancy reached 4.4%, the highest of the three, while days of supply reached 104. Rent also fell 3.8% to $760 a week, making Emerald Beach the only suburb where rent declined.

Its 67% owner-occupier share was the highest on the card, and no public housing was recorded. Coffs Harbour Council was the strongest council by average suburb score, at the 93rd percentile, although Emerald Beach sat slightly below that average.

The asking median was $1.5 million, or $570,000 above the sold median. That is a substantial gap and reinforces the need to assess individual streets and recent contracts rather than relying on the suburb median alone.

What the scores mean for buyers

Each suburb presents a different decision:

• Cannonvale suits an income-focused strategy, provided the purchase price reflects the $870,000 sold median rather than the higher asking median.
• Emerald Beach offers the largest apparent discount and the highest score, but the evidence is based on 24 sales, with vacancy at 4.4%.
• Kingsville may suit an owner-occupier seeking an established inner-west market, but its 3.30% yield is the lowest and its price has already recovered from $962,500.

The right conclusion is not that one suburb should automatically be bought. It is that the same score can mean something very different depending on price history, rental conditions, sales depth and the date of the underlying contracts.

The Ripehouse Advisory take

Cannonvale is the income candidate. Emerald Beach is the value-and-growth candidate, with the strongest score and the largest price reset. Kingsville is the owner-occupier candidate, supported by a strong council profile but offering the lowest yield.

In each case, professional research needs to move from the suburb level to the street and contract level. Check what has actually sold, when it sold, whether the sample is deep enough, and whether the current asking price is supported by comparable transactions.

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