Muswellbrook property market: the official numbers
Muswellbrook, 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
Muswellbrook rented at a median $310/wk in 2021 — 17% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,517 a month against $1,343 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
What the census counted
The typical repayment ran at about 22% 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 $1,343 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,517:
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?
Who owns, who rents
38.0% of Muswellbrook households rent — that's the tenant pool an investor here would actually be renting into, and it's a deep pool by national standards.
The age mix
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). Muswellbrook's median age of 35 sits below the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
22.3% of Muswellbrook's 5,299 workers are in mining. That's the engine under local housing demand — worth knowing how it's running before you buy.
The upfront costs in NSW
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 Muswellbrook?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Muswellbrook was $310 a week — 17% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Muswellbrook?
12,272 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 35 (national median: 38). Muswellbrook is one of New South Wales's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Muswellbrook 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.
Who this market suits
Your call
Rent covered roughly 89% 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. And be honest about size: 12,272 people is a thin market — fewer sales, fewer buyers when you want out, and longer waits at both ends.
Whatever you do, check the things the census can't show: today's asking rents, vacancy and days on market in Muswellbrook. 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.
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General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Muswellbrook, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.