community

Moving to Sunshine Coast: Complete 2024 Relocation Guide

Sea-change to Sunshine Coast? Learn suburbs, jobs, property, Queensland licence requirements and lifestyle tips for Sydney and Melbourne migrants.

By Sunshine Coast Daily · Published 20 July 2026

How we reported this

Produced with AI assistance and reviewed against our editorial standards. Sources are linked where available. Spotted an error or need a correction? Contact [email protected].

Moving to Sunshine Coast: Complete 2024 Relocation Guide — Photo by David McBee on Pexels

Moving to the Sunshine Coast is one of Australia's most popular lifestyle relocation choices and has been the destination for a sustained wave of sea-change migrants from Sydney and Melbourne since 2019. The combination of genuine beach lifestyle, growing professional employment base (Sunshine Coast University Hospital, the expanding Maroochydore CBD, the University of the Sunshine Coast), and sub-Brisbane property prices (for most of the Coast outside Noosa) make it one of Queensland's most compelling regional city propositions.

North or south Sunshine Coast, the Sunshine Coast's geography spans 60 kilometres from Caloundra in the south to Noosa in the north, and the section you choose defines your lifestyle. Noosa (north) has the most sophisticated village atmosphere, the best beaches, and the highest prices. Maroochydore and Mooloolaba (middle) have the best services access and the light rail (planned). Caloundra and the southern suburbs have the most affordable entry price points and the most direct commute access to Brisbane.

The remote work transformation, the Sunshine Coast's 2019-2023 growth was driven heavily by remote workers earning Sydney and Melbourne incomes while living at Queensland coastal prices. If you are a remote worker considering the Coast, be aware that the rental market has tightened significantly from its pre-COVID affordability and the price gap versus Brisbane has narrowed. The lifestyle case remains strong, but the economics require careful modelling.

Sunshine Coast Airport, the Sunshine Coast Airport at Marcoola (15 minutes from Maroochydore) serves direct flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and several other destinations, making the Coast a practical remote work base for those who need to travel for work rather than commute.

Queensland licence transfer, as with all Queensland moves, obtain your Queensland driver's licence within three months of establishing residency at a Queensland Transport and Main Roads service centre.

This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.

Your newsroom. Shaped by you.

The Daily Sunshine Coast is in beta. AI may assist with research, summarising and drafting. Automated checks assess sourcing, accuracy and editorial risk before publication, and sensitive material is held for human review. Spotted something off, or want us covering a topic? Tell us. Your feedback is entirely optional and helps shape what we publish next.