Who are the best home insurance providers in Australia?
The ‘best’ home insurance provider for you will depend on your budget, where you live and the level of cover you need. To help you compare your options, Canstar’s annual Home Insurance Awards recognise insurers that provide outstanding value to customers, both nationally and by state or territory.
You might also consider Canstar’s Customer Satisfaction Awards: Home Insurance, which highlight the providers rated most highly by everyday Australians based on their overall experience and, in some cases, claims performance.
National award winners
- AAMI: Home Insurance, Contents Insurance and Home & Contents Insurance
- Allianz Australia: Home Insurance and Home & Contents Insurance
- QBE: Home Insurance and Home & Contents Insurance
- Suncorp Insurance: Contents Insurance
- Westpac: Home Insurance, Contents Insurance and Home & Contents Insurance
North QLD (North of Rockhampton) award winner
- QBE: Home Insurance, Contents Insurance and Home & Contents Insurance
Providers with the highest level of customer satisfaction are also recognised in Canstar’s Customer Satisfaction Awards: Home Insurance.
Customer Satisfaction Award winners
- Youi: Australia
- RACQ: QLD
- RAC: Home Insurance Claims - Australia
Quickly compare home insurance policies in North Queensland using the table above. See key features, optional cover inclusions, and Canstar’s Cover Ratings at a glance, and adjust the filters to focus on what’s most important to you.
How do you find the best home insurance in North Queensland?
Finding the best home insurance in North Queensland isn’t about choosing one ‘perfect’ policy, it’s about finding cover that suits your home, your location and the risks you’re most likely to face. A house in Charters Towers, for example, may need very different protection to a cyclone-exposed property in Townsville or a flood-prone home in Brisbane. Head here if you’re looking for the best home insurance in Southern Queensland.
A good place to start is by asking yourself a few key questions:
Does the policy cover Queensland-specific weather risks?
North Queensland homeowners often face higher exposure to severe storms, cyclones and flooding. When comparing policies, check whether events like storm damage, flood and water ingress are covered, and whether any exclusions or waiting periods apply.
Is your home insured for the full rebuild cost?
With construction and labour costs rising, underinsurance can be a real risk. Industry guidance from ASIC and APRA recommends reviewing your sum insured amount regularly to make sure it reflects the true cost to rebuild your home today—not just its market value. The same goes for your contents, particularly if you’ve upgraded appliances, furniture or electronics.
Are the features suited to where you live?
Some policy features can be especially valuable for North Queensland homes, such as cover for temporary accommodation if your property becomes unlivable, debris removal after severe weather, or optional accidental damage. Comparing these features alongside the premium can help you spot better value.
How does the excess work for claims like floods or cyclones?
Home insurance policies in North Queensland may include separate or higher excesses for certain events, such as cyclones or flood claims. It’s worth checking how these excesses apply and whether you could comfortably afford them if you needed to make a claim.
Have you compared quotes across multiple providers?
Home insurance premiums can vary significantly across North Queensland—even between neighbouring suburbs. Getting quotes from several insurance providers lets you compare costs, coverage levels and features side by side. Once you’ve narrowed your options, review the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Key Facts Sheet and Target Market Determination (TMD) to check if the policy is suitable for your home and location.
What type of home insurance can I get in North Queensland?
There are three main types of home insurance policies available in North Queensland and Australia more broadly:
- Building insurance: covers your physical home itself, plus some fixtures like light sockets and built-in cupboards, for example. It can also cover outdoor structures like garages and sheds.
- Contents insurance: covers your belongings that reside in your home, including furniture, electrical equipment and clothing.
- Combined home and contents insurance: covers both the building and fixtures, and the belongings that reside in your home.
Home insurance policies tend to be separated into two different regions in Queensland—North and South—with the Tropic of Capricorn typically used as a dividing line. Canstar’s comparison table and our Star Ratings and Awards regard the areas north of Rockhampton (excluding Rockhampton), as North Queensland and everything south, including Rockhampton, as Southern Queensland for home insurance purposes.
How much does Northern Queensland home insurance cost?
The cost of home insurance for North Queensland varies significantly between individual street addresses, postcode areas and housing types, as well as other factors.
To give you a broad idea of the potential cost, the Canstar Research Team has compiled the following general estimates, based on research carried out for the Canstar’s Home and Contents Insurance Awards:
- Home insurance: $4,117
- Contents insurance: $766
- Combined home and contents insurance: $4,624
Source: www.canstar.com.au - 05/01/2026. Premiums based on quotes obtained for Canstar's Home and Contents Insurance Awards and Star Ratings (August 2025), for a range of addresses, property assumptions and building sum insured amounts. Premiums based on building sum insured amounts between $300,000 and $1,500,000 and a contents sum insured of $50,000. *North QLD is defined as the portion of Queensland north of, but not including, Rockhampton.
Why do insurance premiums in North Queensland cost more than elsewhere?
Queensland regularly faces extreme weather, with North Queensland particularly exposed to cyclones and storm surges.
With this history — and climate change expected to increase the severity of weather events — some Northern Queensland properties are considered higher risk by insurers. This can make home insurance more expensive and, in some cases, harder to secure.
The ACCC’s Northern Australia Insurance Inquiry Final Report (2020) found that average insurance premiums in northern Australia are “almost double those in the rest of the country”. Excesses are also “generally higher”, as homeowners increase them to help manage upfront and ongoing premium costs.
Insurers have also changed how they assess risk. Rather than relying on broad postcode-level data, many now use more granular, address-level modelling. The ACCC found this shift to more sophisticated pricing techniques has contributed to higher premiums for some properties deemed particularly vulnerable.
In some cases, insurers may decline cover altogether. The North Queensland Home Insurance initiative notes that insurers may choose not to offer insurance if they believe the risk of a significant claim is too high.
To help reduce premium pressure, the Australian Government introduced the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool, managed by the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC). Backed by a $10 billion government guarantee and mandatory for all Australian home insurers, the pool specifically targets cyclone and cyclone-related flood damage.
What this means for North Queensland homeowners
- Insurance premiums are often significantly higher than the national average
- Excesses tend to be higher to offset premium costs
- Some high-risk properties may face limited or declined cover
- The Cyclone Reinsurance Pool is designed to lower premiums in cyclone-prone regions
How do you compare home and contents insurance for North Queensland?
Looking for home insurance in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay or another location in the north of the state? Make sure you compare policies carefully; consider these key factors to find the coverage that best protects your home:
- The risks you’ll be covered for and any optional extras that you may want to add on, such as cover for storms, flooding, accidental damage, motor burnout and portable contents.
- The level of cover, such as the sum insured amount that your provider will pay out if your home is damaged or destroyed by an insured event.
- The premiums charged and if there are any discounts on offer.
- The excess you’ll pay if you need to make a claim.
What is the cheapest home insurance for North QLD?
Due to the nature of home insurance, the cheapest policy may not always give you the level of protection your home needs.
Looking to reduce your home insurance premiums? Use the table at the top of this page to compare different policies and providers. Gathering a range of quotes will help you determine whether or not a particular policy is offering you good value for your money.
Discounts on home insurance may also be available if you organise and pay for cover online or take out a combined policy. It may also be possible to reduce your premiums by making your home more secure. For example, some providers may give you a discount on premiums if you install security screens or other devices such as a home security system. Opting for a higher excess may also lower your premiums—just be sure you can pay this higher excess amount if you ever need to make a claim.
What are the best home insurance deals?
Home insurance doesn’t typically offer short-term “deals” in the same way as some other insurance products, but there are still ways to reduce your premium or find better value.
When comparing home insurance options, consider:
- Introductory discounts: Some insurers offer lower premiums in the first year, which may increase at renewal
- Bundling discounts: Combining home and contents, or holding multiple policies with one insurer, may reduce costs
- Excess selection: Choosing a higher excess can lower your premium, but increases your out-of-pocket cost if you claim
- Optional inclusions: Extras like accidental damage cover can add value, but will increase the premium
Always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Key Facts Sheet and Target Market Determination (TMD) to understand what’s included, what’s excluded, and whether the policy suits your needs.
