Broome property market: the official numbers
The official read on Broome, WA: who lives there, what they pay in rent and repayments, and where the jobs are. Every figure below is ABS Census 2021 data, linked at the bottom so you can check it yourself.
The straight answer
Median rent in Broome was $330 a week at the 2021 Census — 12% below the national median. The typical repayment was $2,167 a month against $1,430 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
What the census counted
The typical repayment ran at about 23% 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.
Rent against the repayment
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,430 against a typical mortgage repayment of $2,167:
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?
How Broome houses itself
Renters are 50.7% of Broome households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — a deep pool by national standards.
Who lives here
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). Broome's median age of 34 sits below the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
health care & social assistance employs 19.3% of Broome's 7,176 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
The upfront costs in WA
We don't republish licensed price feeds, so for today's sale prices check a licensed source. The costs of buying, though, are public and exact:
- Stamp duty in Western Australia — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official WA price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Quick answers
What is the median rent in Broome?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Broome was $330 a week — 12% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Broome?
14,660 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 34 (national median: 38). Broome is one of Western Australia's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Broome do for work?
The biggest employing industry is health care & social assistance, followed by education & training (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
Who this market suits
Your call
Neither a cashflow bargain nor a pure scarcity play: rent covered about 66% of the typical repayment at the census. That middle ground tends to suit owner-occupiers better than spreadsheet investors. And be honest about size: 14,660 people is a thin market — fewer sales, fewer buyers when you want out, and longer waits at both ends.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Broome. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the Western Australia stamp duty calculator for the tax bill.
More WA snapshots
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General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Broome, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.