Gold Coast City Council

Gold Coast City Council ranks 10th of 14 Queensland councils of 80,000 residents and above on Sustainability and 14th of 14 on Core Operations.

"Australia's playground — surf beaches, theme parks, and hinterland rainforest"

See where Gold Coast City Council ranks: Best Councils in Queensland 2026

Queensland · minimum-grant council · Pop. 691,230

Data last updated: 2024-25 · Data confidence: high

Overall Score

No overall score — Queensland publishes data for two of the four dimensions. How these scores are calculated.

Sustainability: 10th of 14 largest councils scored on this dimension in QLD.

Core Operations: 14th of 14 largest councils scored on this dimension in QLD.

Peer group: 14 councils.

Score Breakdown

CategoryScore
Sustainability46/100
Core Operations15/100
Community ServicesNot published by Queensland
Lifestyle & AmenityNot published by Queensland

What This Means For You

Among Queensland councils of 80,000 residents and above, Gold Coast ranks 10th of 14 on Sustainability and 14th of 14 on Core Operations. Queensland publishes no Community Services data and only one amenity measure, so those two dimensions are not scored here and no overall score is calculated.

What Makes This Place Unique

Australia's playground — surf beaches, theme parks, and hinterland rainforest

The Gold Coast stretches from Coolangatta to Surfers Paradise to the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Known For

  • Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach
  • Theme parks — Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World
  • Gold Coast Hinterland — Tamborine and Springbrook
  • Burleigh Heads — surf culture and dining

Living Here

The Gold Coast offers beach lifestyle with improving cultural credentials. Burleigh and Coolangatta are the lifestyle picks.

Hidden Gem

Tallebudgera Creek — crystal-clear tidal creek behind Burleigh, the locals' secret swimming spot.