Singleton property market: the official numbers
The official read on Singleton, 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
Median rent in Singleton was $330 a week at the 2021 Census — 12% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,760 a month against $1,430 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
The numbers that matter
The typical repayment ran at about 21% 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 $1,430 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,760:
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 Singleton houses itself
Renters are 28.8% of Singleton households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — about the national norm.
Who calls Singleton 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). Singleton's median age of 34 sits below the national median of 38.
What keeps Singleton employed
mining employs 22.4% of Singleton's 8,338 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.
Common questions
What is the median rent in Singleton?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Singleton was $330 a week — 12% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Singleton?
17,018 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 34 (national median: 38). Singleton is one of New South Wales's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Singleton 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.
The verdict
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. And be honest about size: 17,018 people is a thin market — fewer sales, fewer buyers when you want out, and longer waits at both ends.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Singleton. 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 Singleton, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.