Bendigo property market: the official numbers
What the census actually says about Bendigo, VIC — 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
At the last census, Bendigo's median rent was $295/wk — 21% below the national median. The typical rent ($1,278/mo) sat right up against the typical repayment ($1,408/mo). Cashflow territory.
The numbers that matter
The typical repayment ran at about 23% of the median household income. These are point-in-time medians from August 2021. Rents and repayments have moved since — repayments especially, after the 2022–24 rate rises — so compare places with them; don't price today with them.
The rent-or-buy gap
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,278 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,408:
What this gap does and doesn't tell you
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
Renters are 29.8% of Bendigo households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — about the national norm.
Who calls Bendigo 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). Bendigo's median age of 39 sits above the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
health care & social assistance employs 19.7% of Bendigo's 47,758 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
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 Bendigo?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Bendigo was $295 a week — 21% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Bendigo?
103,034 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 39 (national median: 38). Bendigo is one of Victoria's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Bendigo 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.
Where this leaves you
Your call
On the census shape, Bendigo suits the cashflow buyer: the typical rent ($1,278/mo) sat right up against the typical repayment ($1,408/mo). It's a weaker fit for anyone banking on scarcity to do the work. One employer story dominates — health care & social assistance is 19.7% 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 Bendigo. 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.
Other VIC markets
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General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Bendigo, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.