Lismore property market: the official numbers
Lismore, 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 Lismore was $300 a week at the 2021 Census — 20% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,473 a month against $1,300 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
Lismore by the numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 27% 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 $1,300 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,473:
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
33.3% of Lismore 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 Lismore home
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). Lismore's median age of 42 sits above the national median of 38.
What keeps Lismore employed
23.1% of Lismore's 12,716 workers are in health care & social assistance. That's the engine under local housing demand — worth knowing how it's running before you buy.
The upfront costs in NSW
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 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 Lismore?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Lismore 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 Lismore?
28,816 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 42 (national median: 38). Lismore is one of New South Wales's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Lismore 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 88% 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. The catch is concentration: health care & social assistance carries 23.1% of local jobs, and that cuts both ways — it drives housing demand in the good years and takes it away in the bad ones.
Whatever you do, check the things the census can't show: today's asking rents, vacancy and days on market in Lismore. 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.
More NSW snapshots
Sydney · Albury - Wodonga · Coffs Harbour · Port Macquarie · Ballina · Bowral - Mittagong
All cities & hubs: the full directory.
General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Lismore, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.