Goulburn property market: the official numbers
Goulburn, NSW, 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 Goulburn was $320 a week at the 2021 Census — 15% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,636 a month against $1,387 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
The numbers that matter
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.
Renting vs paying a mortgage
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,387 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,636:
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 Goulburn houses itself
33.5% of Goulburn households rent — that's the tenant pool an investor here would actually be renting into, and it's a deep pool by national standards.
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). Goulburn's median age of 40 sits above the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
health care & social assistance employs 17.3% of Goulburn's 10,874 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
Buying costs in NSW, exactly
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 New South Wales — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official NSW price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Goulburn?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Goulburn was $320 a week — 15% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Goulburn?
24,565 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 40 (national median: 38). Goulburn is one of New South Wales's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Goulburn do for work?
The biggest employing industry is health care & social assistance, followed by public administration & safety (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
So, who buys here?
Your call
Rent covered roughly 85% 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.
Whatever you do, check the things the census can't show: today's asking rents, vacancy and days on market in Goulburn. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the New South Wales stamp duty calculator for the tax bill.
Other NSW markets
Sydney · Albury - Wodonga · Coffs Harbour · Port Macquarie · Ballina · Bowral - Mittagong
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General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Goulburn, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.