Is Cairns a good place to live?

Q: Does Cairns flood?

Flood risk in Cairns is high (4/5), based on regional river/coastal flood exposure.

Q: Does Cairns get hurricanes or cyclones?

Storm risk in Cairns is high (4/5), reflecting its tropical-cyclone/severe-storm basin.

55/100 livability · Australia

Cairns, Australia scores 55/100 for livability — a mixed pick: cost 4/100, climate 90/100, safety 76/100. Warmest-month high ~26.1°C, coldest-month low ~19.4°C. Main natural-disaster exposure: storms (hurricane/cyclone); homicide rate ~0.9/100k. Safety 76/100 blends disaster (60) and crime (97).

Cairns — average monthly high (°C, WorldClim)

Livability pillars (0-100)

Disaster risk by type (1-5)

How each score is calculated: CostiAffordability, 0–100. Higher = cheaper. = 100 − (country price level vs US × a city-size premium). Source: World Bank PPP ÷ exchange rate (US = 100). · ClimateiComfort, 0–100, from WorldClim monthly temperatures. Penalises hot summers (above ~24°C), cold winters (below ~6°C) and too-cool summers (below 15°C). Higher = milder. · Safetyi0–100. Higher = safer. Blends 55% natural-disaster safety (8 hazards — earthquake from real USGS records, plus flood, storm, wildfire, heat, drought, cold, tsunami) and 45% crime safety (homicide rate). · LivabilityiOverall score, 0–100 = 0.35 × Cost + 0.30 × Climate + 0.35 × Safety. (hover the i)

How to read the scores — all on a 0–100 scale, higher is better.

Livability — overall score = 0.35 × Cost + 0.30 × Climate + 0.35 × Safety.
Cost — affordability vs the United States (100 = US prices). Higher = cheaper to live.
Climate — year-round comfort; penalises extreme summer heat, harsh winters and chilly summers.
Safety — combined natural-disaster exposure (earthquake, flood, storm, wildfire, heat, drought, cold, tsunami) and crime (homicide rate). Higher = safer.
Hazard tiers — each disaster type is rated 1 (very low risk) to 5 (very high risk).

What living in Cairns actually looks like

On cost, Australia sits at 96 on the World Bank price level (US=100) — around US price levels — which maps to an affordability score of 4/100. The climate brings warm summers (warmest-month highs around 26.1°C) and mild winters (coldest-month lows near 19.4°C), scoring 90/100 on our comfort index. Personal safety is high at 76/100 — a blend of natural-disaster exposure (60/100; main risk storms (hurricane/cyclone)) and crime safety (97/100, homicide roughly 0.9/100k). Weighted together (0.35 cost, 0.30 climate, 0.35 safety) that produces an overall livability of 55/100 — a mixed pick. On balance, Cairns suits people who prioritise climate comfort best; weigh it against the disaster profile below before committing.

Natural-disaster risk in Cairns

Does Cairns flood?

Flood risk in Cairns is high (4/5), based on regional river/coastal flood exposure.

Does Cairns get hurricanes or cyclones?

Storm risk in Cairns is high (4/5), reflecting its tropical-cyclone/severe-storm basin.

How scored: livability = 0.35·cost + 0.30·climate + 0.35·safety. Climate from WorldClim v2.1 normals; cost from World Bank PPP÷FX (real, open); earthquake from USGS (real); flood/storm/wildfire/drought/tsunami tiers indicative — verify before publish.

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