Castlemaine property market: the official numbers
Castlemaine, 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 Castlemaine was $310 a week at the 2021 Census — 17% below the national median. Rent all but covered the typical mortgage repayment ($1,343 against $1,408 a month) — that's a cashflow shape, not a scarcity story.
What the census counted
The typical repayment ran at about 27% 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.
Rent against the repayment
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,343 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,408:
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?
The owner–renter split
Renters are 20.0% of Castlemaine households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — on the thin side.
Who lives here
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). Castlemaine's median age of 50 sits above the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
17.5% of Castlemaine's 4,557 workers are in health care & social assistance. That's the engine under local housing demand — worth knowing how it's running before you buy.
What it costs to buy in VIC
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 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.
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Castlemaine?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Castlemaine was $310 a week — 17% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Castlemaine?
11,352 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 50 (national median: 38). Castlemaine is one of Victoria's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Castlemaine 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.
The verdict
Your call
On the census shape, Castlemaine suits the cashflow buyer: the typical rent ($1,343/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. Size is the catch — at 11,352 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 Castlemaine. 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 Castlemaine, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.