Swan Hill property market: the official numbers
Swan Hill, VIC, 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
Swan Hill rented at a median $235/wk in 2021 — 37% below the national median. The typical repayment was $1,300 a month against $1,018 in rent — a middling gap, neither bargain nor squeeze.
The numbers that matter
The typical repayment ran at about 22% 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.
The rent-or-buy gap
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $1,018 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,300:
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?
Who owns, who rents
Renters are 31.8% of Swan Hill households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — about the national norm.
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). Swan Hill's median age of 38 sits right on the national median of 38.
Where the pay cheques come from
health care & social assistance employs 15.7% of Swan Hill's 5,241 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
What it costs to buy in VIC
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 Victoria — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official VIC price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Common questions
What is the median rent in Swan Hill?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Swan Hill was $235 a week — 37% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Swan Hill?
11,186 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 38 (national median: 38). Swan Hill is one of Victoria's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Swan Hill 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 78% 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: 11,186 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 Swan Hill. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the Victoria 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 Swan Hill, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.