Brisbane's independent schools have no catchments: but bus routes and river crossings still decide your morning. Shortlist your schools, set a travel time and a budget, and see which suburbs fit.

The school directory

Step 1 — shortlist the schools

Step 2 — travel time

25 min

1060 min each way

Step 3 — housing budget

$600k$1.80m$3m

Travel times are indicative morning estimates based on distance to each campus, not live traffic. Median prices and rents are drafted from published 2025 figures.

Suburbs that work

37 matches

Kangaroo Point
10 min avg · worst 10 min
Inner South · $1.75m median house
BGS 10min · Somerville House 10min
Red Hill
13 min avg · worst 14 min
Inner West · $1.70m median house
BGS 11min · Somerville House 14min
East Brisbane
13 min avg · worst 13 min
Inner South · $1.65m median house
BGS 13min · Somerville House 12min
Newstead
14 min avg · worst 16 min
Inner East & Riverside · $1.60m median house
BGS 11min · Somerville House 16min
Highgate Hill
10 min avg · worst 12 min
Inner South · $1.90m median house · over budget
BGS 12min · Somerville House 7min
Paddington
13 min avg · worst 13 min
Inner West · $1.85m median house · over budget
BGS 12min · Somerville House 13min
Toowong
15 min avg · worst 16 min
Inner West · $1.70m median house
BGS 16min · Somerville House 13min
Ashgrove
16 min avg · worst 17 min
Inner West · $1.75m median house
BGS 14min · Somerville House 17min
Bardon
16 min avg · worst 16 min
Inner West · $1.80m median house
BGS 16min · Somerville House 16min
Norman Park
16 min avg · worst 16 min
Inner East & Riverside · $1.65m median house
BGS 16min · Somerville House 16min
Balmoral
16 min avg · worst 17 min
Inner East & Riverside · $1.80m median house
BGS 15min · Somerville House 17min
Fairfield
16 min avg · worst 18 min
Inner South · $1.38m median house
BGS 18min · Somerville House 13min
Annerley
16 min avg · worst 18 min
Inner South · $1.30m median house
BGS 18min · Somerville House 13min
Coorparoo
16 min avg · worst 17 min
Inner South · $1.60m median house
BGS 17min · Somerville House 15min
Windsor
17 min avg · worst 20 min
Inner North · $1.50m median house
BGS 14min · Somerville House 20min
Yeronga
17 min avg · worst 19 min
Inner South · $1.40m median house
BGS 19min · Somerville House 14min
Greenslopes
17 min avg · worst 18 min
Inner South · $1.45m median house
BGS 18min · Somerville House 15min
Morningside
18 min avg · worst 19 min
The East · $1.40m median house
BGS 17min · Somerville House 19min
Indooroopilly
18 min avg · worst 20 min
The West · $1.75m median house
BGS 20min · Somerville House 16min
Wilston
17 min avg · worst 19 min
Inner North · $1.85m median house · over budget
BGS 14min · Somerville House 19min
Seven Hills
19 min avg · worst 19 min
The East · $1.55m median house
BGS 18min · Somerville House 19min
Camp Hill
20 min avg · worst 20 min
The East · $1.65m median house
BGS 20min · Somerville House 19min
Cannon Hill
21 min avg · worst 22 min
The East · $1.35m median house
BGS 20min · Somerville House 22min
Tarragindi
21 min avg · worst 23 min
Inner South · $1.50m median house
BGS 23min · Somerville House 19min
Holland Park
21 min avg · worst 23 min
Inner South · $1.35m median house
BGS 23min · Somerville House 19min
Carina
23 min avg · worst 23 min
The East · $1.25m median house
BGS 23min · Somerville House 23min
Carina Heights
23 min avg · worst 23 min
The East · $1.30m median house
BGS 23min · Somerville House 22min
Graceville
21 min avg · worst 24 min
The West · $1.85m median house · over budget
BGS 24min · Somerville House 18min
The Gap
24 min avg · worst 24 min
The West · $1.35m median house
BGS 24min · Somerville House 24min
Bulimba
15 min avg · worst 17 min
Inner East & Riverside · $2.05m median house · over budget
BGS 13min · Somerville House 17min
Hawthorne
15 min avg · worst 16 min
Inner East & Riverside · $2.10m median house · over budget
BGS 13min · Somerville House 16min
Clayfield
21 min avg · worst 24 min
Inner North · $2.10m median house · over budget
BGS 18min · Somerville House 24min
St Lucia
15 min avg · worst 17 min
The West · $2.30m median house · over budget
BGS 17min · Somerville House 12min
Chelmer
22 min avg · worst 24 min
The West · $2.20m median house · over budget
BGS 24min · Somerville House 19min
New Farm
12 min avg · worst 13 min
Inner East & Riverside · $2.50m median house · over budget
BGS 11min · Somerville House 13min
Hamilton
19 min avg · worst 21 min
Inner North · $2.40m median house · over budget
BGS 16min · Somerville House 21min
Ascot
20 min avg · worst 22 min
Inner North · $2.65m median house · over budget
BGS 17min · Somerville House 22min

Open the full finder

The Brisbane skyline and Story Bridge across the river at dusk

“The river decides your bridges, your schools and your weekends. Choose the side first: the suburb second.”

The essentials, in reading order

01Brisbane vs Melbourne: which city suits your familyCulture and coffee against sun and space — a straight comparison of housing, schools, jobs, transport and the four-season question, with an honest word on who thrives where.02Sydney to Brisbane removalists: how to read a quote and not overpayVolume, not weight, sets the price. What changes a quote by a thousand dollars, the red flags that cost a family their furniture, and the eight questions to ask before you book.03Should you move to Brisbane? An honest frameworkThe five questions that predict whether a family settles happily here, plus the four complaints that come up most often in the first year.04Brisbane vs Sydney: what actually changes for your familyHousing, jobs, schools, weather and commute — the five differences that decide whether the move works, without the sales pitch from either city.05Best private schools in Brisbane — how to chooseNo league tables and no fee lists. A practical way to narrow two dozen good schools down to the two or three that fit your family, your budget and your daily life.06Working with a Brisbane buyer's agent — when it's worth itWhat a buyer's agent actually does, what the REBAA, PIPA and REIQ accreditations mean, and why long local experience matters in this market.

Real numbers on suburbs, costs and commutes

Three plain-English tools to help you weigh up a Brisbane move before you commit to it.

Suburb comparison

Best suburbs, side by side

Median house prices, weekly rents and the run into the city, filtered by corridor and budget.

Compare suburbs

Hidden costs

What relocating really costs

Build a starting budget for removalists, short-stay accommodation, bond or duty and setting up here.

Work out your budget

Schools and commute

Find your suburb shortlist

Shortlist your schools, set a travel limit and a budget, and see the suburbs that fit all of them.

Open the finder

Should you rent first: or buy?

There isn't one right answer. A short lease inside your chosen corridor buys you information cheaply when work or school is still unconfirmed. When both are locked in, waiting mostly costs money and a second move.

What matters is understanding what each option means for your household: read the full guide, or talk it through with someone local.

Read the full guide The relocation checklist

When you're ready to act

Buyer's agents

Buying your Brisbane property

Home Scouts represents buyers only across Brisbane, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast - assessing value and risk, inspecting on your behalf and negotiating the purchase. Useful when you can't inspect repeatedly or don't yet know local value.

Talk to Home Scouts·Book a call

Relocation support

Executive Relocations

Personal, on-the-ground support: including rental search and inspections attended for you: for executives, professionals and families relocating to Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast.

Executive Relocations

Also from us

Moving to Sunshine Coast

The companion guide to the Coast: Noosa to Caloundra, suburb by suburb, for families weighing the Coast against Brisbane.

Visit the guide

Brisbane answers

We've answered the questions relocating families search for most: best and cheapest suburbs, flooding, school places, transport and the 2032 build.

See all the questions

Where should we live when moving to Brisbane?+

Choose the corridor before the suburb. The inner north and west hold the established character homes and most of the private schools; the inner east is the most walkable; the bayside gives you land and a slower pace; Ipswich and Logan give you the most house for your money. Once the corridor is right, comparing suburbs is straightforward.

Is Brisbane still cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne?+

For housing, yes: but the gap has narrowed sharply. A family home within ten kilometres of the CBD is now commonly $1.3m to $2.5m. Day-to-day living costs, commuting time and childcare pressure remain lower.

Do we need to live near a private school to enrol?+

No. Independent and Catholic schools in Brisbane have no catchments, so you can enrol from anywhere. What matters is the school bus network: living on a route turns the school run into a fifteen minute ride instead of two drives a day.

Should we rent first or buy straight away?+

If work or school is unconfirmed, a short lease inside your chosen corridor buys you information cheaply. If both are locked in, waiting mostly costs money and a second move.

How seriously should we take flood risk?+

Very. It varies street by street, not suburb by suburb. Always ask for the flood overlay, the 2011 and 2022 history, and an insurance quote before you make an offer.