Alice Springs property market: the official numbers
What the census actually says about Alice Springs, NT — who lives there, what they pay, and what they do for work. Every figure below is ABS Census 2021 data, linked at the bottom so you can check it yourself.
The straight answer
Alice Springs rented at a median $375/wk in 2021 — in line with the national median. The typical rent ($1,625/mo) sat right up against the typical repayment ($1,800/mo). Cashflow territory.
The numbers that matter
The typical repayment ran at about 19% of the median household income. One caveat before you compare: everything here is August 2021. Repayments in particular have jumped since the 2022–24 rate rises. Treat these as a ranking tool, not a price tag.
The rent-or-buy gap
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,625 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,800:
How to read the rent-repayment gap
The mortgage figure reflects loans and rates as at August 2021, before the 2022–24 rate rises — today's repayment on a new loan would be higher. The rent figure is what tenants were actually paying, not today's asking rents. The useful signal is the shape: where rent and repayments sit close together, buying has historically competed well with renting here; where repayments tower over rent, the market prices in growth. Run your own numbers with the mortgage vs invest tool or what can I afford?
Who owns, who rents
43.2% of Alice Springs households rent — that's the tenant pool an investor here would actually be renting into, and it's a deep pool by national standards.
Who calls Alice Springs home
How to read an age profile
A heavy 25–44 band usually means family housing demand (and pressure on 3–4 bedroom stock); a heavy 65+ band signals downsizer and retiree demand (units, single-level living, proximity to health care). Alice Springs's median age of 34 sits below the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
health care & social assistance employs 22.5% of Alice Springs's 13,726 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
What it costs to buy in NT
Current sale prices live behind licensed feeds we won't republish. The costs of buying don't — they're public and exact:
- Stamp duty in the Northern Territory — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official NT price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Quick answers
What is the median rent in Alice Springs?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Alice Springs was $375 a week — in line with the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Alice Springs?
25,912 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 34 (national median: 38). Alice Springs is one of the Northern Territory's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Alice Springs do for work?
The biggest employing industry is health care & social assistance, followed by public administration & safety (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
So, who buys here?
Your call
On the census shape, Alice Springs suits the cashflow buyer: the typical rent ($1,625/mo) sat right up against the typical repayment ($1,800/mo). It's a weaker fit for anyone banking on scarcity to do the work. One employer story dominates — health care & social assistance is 22.5% of local jobs. When it hires, housing tightens; when it stops, you'll feel it.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Alice Springs. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the the Northern Territory stamp duty calculator for the tax bill.
Other NT markets
All cities & hubs: the full directory.
General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Alice Springs, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.