Emerald, QLD 4720 is rated Prime in Handle's suburb model as at November 2026. The median house is $565,000 with a 5.5% gross yield, vacancy is 1.21% against 1.60% across Central Highlands, and values have grown an average 10.7% a year over five years.
Every figure below is from the Handle suburb model, refreshed weekly. Central Highlands is the council area.
| Metric | Emerald | Central Highlands | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $565,000 | $347,500 | |
| Median rent | $590 / week | +7.3% in 12 months | |
| Gross rental yield | 5.5% | 6.8% | |
| Vacancy rate | 1.21% | 1.60% | 36 homes for rent |
| Days on market | 14 days | ||
| Stock on market | 0.93% | 61 listings, 494 sales a year | |
| Months of inventory | 1.4 | ||
| 12-month growth | +20.2% | ||
| 5-year growth (a year) | +10.7% | +66% cumulative | |
| 10-year growth (a year) | +8.7% |
A median Emerald house was worth about $340,000 five years ago. Today it is $565,000, a +66% change, or 10.7% a year. Over 10 years the average is 8.7% a year, and the last 12 months added +20.2%.
Past growth is not a guide to future growth. It tells you how the suburb has behaved, not what it will do next.
The median house in Emerald rents for $590 a week, a 5.5% gross yield against 6.8% across Central Highlands. Rents have moved +7.3% over the last 12 months, and vacancy sits at 1.21%, well under the 1.5% line we treat as tight.
There are 61 houses listed for sale against roughly 494 sales a year, which is 1.4 months of stock. Homes take 14 days to sell on average. Low stock and quick sales usually mean buyers are competing for what is listed.
Emerald has about 14,904 residents, up 1.2% over 10 years. Median household income is $2,456 a week, 131% of the QLD median. 53% of homes are owner-occupied, and 7% of mortgaged households are in mortgage stress.
Employment across Central Highlands, where 8% of jobs are in government-backed sectors like health, education and public administration.
Of the four signals our model scores, buyer demand and rental return lead for Emerald and price growth trails. A suburb score is where we start, not where we stop: every property still has to pass our 29-check screen and fit your Exit Plan before we buy.
Data as at 2 November 2026 from SuburbsFinder, ABS Census and public project sources, scored by Handle's suburb model across 3,393 suburbs. Bands: Prime is roughly the top 10%, Strong the next 20%, Watch the next 15%. General information only, not financial advice. Past growth is not a guide to future growth.
Emerald is rated Prime in Handle's suburb model, in the top 10% of 3,393 Australian suburbs as at November 2026. The median house is $565,000 with a 5.5% gross yield and 1.21% vacancy. Whether it suits you depends on your borrowing, budget and plan, so we check every property against our 29-point screen before recommending it.
The postcode for Emerald, QLD is 4720. Emerald is in the Central Highlands local government area, and our data below covers houses in Emerald itself rather than the wider council area.
The median house price in Emerald, QLD is $565,000 as at November 2026, against $347,500 across Central Highlands. Values moved +20.2% over the last 12 months and averaged 10.7% a year over five years.
A median house in Emerald rents for $590 a week, a gross rental yield of 5.5%. The Central Highlands median is 6.8%. Rents changed +7.3% over 12 months.
Vacancy in Emerald is 1.21%, against 1.60% across Central Highlands. Below 1.5% is generally a tight rental market, which supports rents and shortens the time to find a tenant.
Employment across Central Highlands is led by mining, agriculture, forestry and fishing, retail trade, with 8% of jobs in government-backed sectors. Homes sell in about 14 days with 1.4 months of stock.
Written by Ahijith (AJ) Chandra, co-founder of Handle Properties. Updated weekly; data as at 2 November 2026. Handle Properties is a licensed buyers agency, not a financial adviser.
Located in the dynamic state of QLD (postcode 4720), EMERALD is a vibrant real estate market. This suburb holds a median house price of $334,750 and has demonstrated an average buying growth of Down -4.4%. Last month, 190 houses were available, with 370 transactions completed in the past year. Properties spend around 72 days on the market, reflecting the area's demand with 1329 interested buyers. The average rental yield stands at 6.7%, with a weekly median rent of $320 per week and an average rent growth of Up 2.6%. Rental properties usually stay on the market for 17 days. The population in 2016 was 14318, which changed by +3.10% in the past five years. The median weekly household income is $1,883, reflecting an income change of -18.63% over the past five years. Residents have a median age of 31 years, and the suburb has an average annual growth for houses of +6.20%. To fully take advantage of EMERALD's prosperous real estate market and substantial buyer interest, rely on Handle Properties. As the best buyers agent in EMERALD, Handle provides end-to-end property investment services, backed by data and experts.
The quantitative data below has been compiled on 30th May 2023 from a range of third party sources using a variety of manual methods. Handle does not guarantee the accuracy of this data shown below.