Port Hedland property market: the official numbers
Port Hedland, 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
Median rent in Port Hedland was $228 a week at the 2021 Census — 39% below the national median. Repayments ($1,500/mo) ran ahead of rent ($988/mo), but not brutally.
The key numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 12% 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 $988 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,500:
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 Port Hedland houses itself
Renters are 67.3% of Port Hedland households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — a deep pool by national standards.
Who lives here
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). Port Hedland's median age of 32 sits below the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
mining employs 26.1% of Port Hedland's 7,643 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
The upfront costs in WA
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.
Common questions
What is the median rent in Port Hedland?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Port Hedland was $228 a week — 39% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Port Hedland?
15,298 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 32 (national median: 38). Port Hedland is one of Western Australia's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Port Hedland do for work?
The biggest employing industry is mining, followed by transport, postal & warehousing (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
So, who buys here?
Your call
Neither a cashflow bargain nor a pure scarcity play: rent covered about 66% of the typical repayment at the census. That middle ground tends to suit owner-occupiers better than spreadsheet investors. Size is the catch — at 15,298 people, exits are slow here. Count on months, not weeks, if you ever need to sell.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Port Hedland. 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.
Other WA markets
Perth · Bunbury · Busselton · Geraldton · Albany · Kalgoorlie - Boulder
All cities & hubs: the full directory.
General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Port Hedland, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.