Cairns delivers best value for ratepayers

• Cairns remains the most affordable of Queensland's comparable councils for a typical residential property.
• The region has taken the number one position every year since the benchmarking commenced in 2016/17.
• Rates and utility charges in Cairns are consistently at the lower end of comparisons across all Local Government Areas in the state.

New benchmarking data has confirmed Cairns’ residents continue to receive some of the most competitively priced rates and utility charges in Queensland, despite rising costs facing all councils across the state.

The 2026/27 Rates Benchmarking report shows Cairns is one of the most affordable councils for residential ratepayers when compared with councils of similar populations and neighbouring local governments.

Mayor Amy Eden said the results demonstrated that Council continued to deliver quality services and infrastructure, while ensuring residents received value-for-money.

“We benchmark ourselves because ratepayers deserve evidence, not slogans,” Cr Eden said.

“Independent benchmarking doesn’t change anyone’s bill, but it does answer a simple question: how does Cairns compare with other councils?

“This year’s report shows Cairns continues to provide some of the lowest residential rates and utility charges in Queensland while maintaining the services and infrastructure people rely on every day. That’s encouraging because it tells us we’re heading in the right direction, but we’ll never stop looking for ways to do better.”

Councils across Queensland are facing significant increases in construction, maintenance and operating costs, making it critical to carefully balance responsible financial management with affordability.

The annual benchmarking compares Cairns against Queensland local governments with populations above 100,000, as well as neighbouring councils, using residential minimum, residential median valuation and strata minimum property categories.

Total annual charges include general rates, water access and usage, sewerage, waste utility and any separate charges where applicable.