Port Macquarie property market: the official numbers
The official read on Port Macquarie, NSW: who lives there, what they pay in rent and repayments, and where the jobs are. 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, Port Macquarie's median rent was $385/wk — 3% above the national median. Rent all but covered the typical mortgage repayment ($1,668 against $1,800 a month) — that's a cashflow shape, not a scarcity story.
Port Macquarie by the numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 32% 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 $1,668 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,800:
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?
The owner–renter split
Renters are 31.1% of Port Macquarie households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — about the national norm.
Who calls Port Macquarie 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). Port Macquarie's median age of 47 sits above the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
health care & social assistance employs 22.5% of Port Macquarie's 21,307 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
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.
Quick answers
What is the median rent in Port Macquarie?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Port Macquarie was $385 a week — 3% above the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Port Macquarie?
50,193 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 47 (national median: 38). Port Macquarie is one of New South Wales's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Port Macquarie 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
This is a cashflow shape — $1,668 a month in rent against a $1,800 repayment at the census. That suits a buyer who wants the rent to carry the loan, not one chasing a blue-chip postcode. One employer story dominates — health care & social assistance is 22.5% 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 Port Macquarie. 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
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General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Port Macquarie, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.