Kalgoorlie - Boulder property market: the official numbers
Kalgoorlie - Boulder, WA, 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
At the last census, Kalgoorlie - Boulder's median rent was $300/wk — 20% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,600 a month against $1,300 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
The key numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 16% 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 $1,300 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,600:
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?
Who owns, who rents
36.8% of Kalgoorlie - Boulder 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 calls Kalgoorlie - Boulder home
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). Kalgoorlie - Boulder's median age of 34 sits below the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
mining employs 26.6% of Kalgoorlie - Boulder's 15,164 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
Buying costs in WA, exactly
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 Kalgoorlie - Boulder?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Kalgoorlie - Boulder was $300 a week — 20% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Kalgoorlie - Boulder?
29,072 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 34 (national median: 38). Kalgoorlie - Boulder is one of Western Australia's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Kalgoorlie - Boulder do for work?
The biggest employing industry is mining, followed by health care & social assistance (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
Where this leaves you
Your call
Rent covered roughly 81% 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. One employer story dominates — mining is 26.6% of local jobs. When it hires, housing tightens; when it stops, you'll feel it.
Whatever you do, check the things the census can't show: today's asking rents, vacancy and days on market in Kalgoorlie - Boulder. 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 Kalgoorlie - Boulder, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.