Bairnsdale property market: the official numbers
Bairnsdale, VIC, in official numbers: the people, the rents, the repayments, and the pay cheques behind them. Every figure below is ABS Census 2021 data, linked at the bottom so you can check it yourself.
The straight answer
Median rent in Bairnsdale was $280 a week at the 2021 Census — 25% below the national median. The typical rent ($1,213/mo) sat right up against the typical repayment ($1,300/mo). Cashflow territory.
The key numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 25% of the median household income. Point-in-time medians, August 2021. Repayments have risen a long way since the 2022–24 rate rises, so use these to compare places, not to price anything today.
The rent-or-buy gap
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,213 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,300:
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
26.5% of Bairnsdale households rent — that's the tenant pool an investor here would actually be renting into, and it's about the national norm.
Who calls Bairnsdale home
What the age mix means for housing
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). Bairnsdale's median age of 45 sits above the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
17.7% of Bairnsdale's 6,475 workers are in health care & social assistance. That's the engine under local housing demand — worth knowing how it's running before you buy.
The upfront costs in VIC
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 Victoria — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official VIC price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Quick answers
What is the median rent in Bairnsdale?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Bairnsdale was $280 a week — 25% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Bairnsdale?
15,684 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 45 (national median: 38). Bairnsdale is one of Victoria's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Bairnsdale do for work?
The biggest employing industry is health care & social assistance, followed by retail trade (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
So, who buys here?
Your call
This is a cashflow shape — $1,213 a month in rent against a $1,300 repayment at the census. That suits a buyer who wants the rent to carry the loan, not one chasing a blue-chip postcode. Size is the catch — at 15,684 people, exits are slow here. Count on months, not weeks, if you ever need to sell.
Whatever you do, check the things the census can't show: today's asking rents, vacancy and days on market in Bairnsdale. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the Victoria stamp duty calculator for the tax bill.
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General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Bairnsdale, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.