Geraldton property market: the official numbers
The official read on Geraldton, 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
At the last census, Geraldton's median rent was $260/wk — 31% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,560 a month against $1,127 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
The numbers that matter
The typical repayment ran at about 23% 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.
Renting vs paying a mortgage
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,127 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,560:
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?
How Geraldton houses itself
Renters are 29.7% of Geraldton households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — about the national norm.
The age mix
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). Geraldton's median age of 40 sits above the national median of 38.
What keeps Geraldton employed
health care & social assistance employs 15.6% of Geraldton's 17,580 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
The upfront costs in WA
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 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 Geraldton?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Geraldton was $260 a week — 31% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Geraldton?
38,595 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 40 (national median: 38). Geraldton is one of Western Australia's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Geraldton 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.
The verdict
Your call
Rent covered roughly 72% of the typical repayment here — a middling shape. Owner-occupiers do fine in markets like this; an investor needs a sharper reason to pick it.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Geraldton. 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.
Other WA markets
Perth · Bunbury · Busselton · Albany · Kalgoorlie - Boulder · Karratha
All cities & hubs: the full directory.
General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Geraldton, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.