Gisborne property market: the official numbers
What the census actually says about Gisborne, 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, Gisborne's median rent was $420/wk — 12% above the national median. Repayments ($2,167/mo) ran ahead of rent ($1,820/mo), but not brutally.
Gisborne by the numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 22% 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.
Rent against the repayment
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,820 against a typical mortgage repayment of $2,167:
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 Gisborne houses itself
Renters are 12.6% of Gisborne households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — on the thin side.
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). Gisborne's median age of 42 sits above the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
14.1% of Gisborne's 11,174 workers are in construction. That's the engine under local housing demand — worth knowing how it's running before you buy.
The upfront costs 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.
Common questions
What is the median rent in Gisborne?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Gisborne was $420 a week — 12% above the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Gisborne?
22,200 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 42 (national median: 38). Gisborne is one of Victoria's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Gisborne do for work?
The biggest employing industry is construction, followed by health care & social assistance (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 84% of the typical repayment at the census. That middle ground tends to suit owner-occupiers better than spreadsheet investors. Also, only 12.6% of households here rent — a shallow tenant pool, so any vacancy bites harder.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Gisborne. 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 Gisborne, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.