Townsville property market: the official numbers
What the census actually says about Townsville, QLD — who lives there, what they pay, and what they do for work. Every figure below is ABS Census 2021 data, linked at the bottom so you can check it yourself.
The straight answer
Median rent in Townsville was $310 a week at the 2021 Census — 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.
Townsville by the numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 20% 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 $1,343 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,517:
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 Townsville houses itself
Renters are 38.3% of Townsville households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — a deep pool by national standards.
Who calls Townsville home
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). Townsville's median age of 35 sits below the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
health care & social assistance employs 17.8% of Townsville's 87,845 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
The upfront costs in QLD
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 Queensland — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official QLD price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Townsville?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Townsville 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 Townsville?
179,011 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 35 (national median: 38). Townsville is one of Queensland's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Townsville do for work?
The biggest employing industry is health care & social assistance, followed by public administration & safety (ABS Census 2021). The industry mix shapes how resilient local housing demand is.
Where this leaves you
Your call
Neither a cashflow bargain nor a pure scarcity play: rent covered about 89% of the typical repayment at the census. That middle ground tends to suit owner-occupiers better than spreadsheet investors.
Everything above is August 2021 — before you act, pull current asking rents, vacancy and listing volumes for Townsville. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the Queensland stamp duty calculator for the tax bill.
Other QLD markets
Brisbane · Gold Coast - Tweed Heads · Sunshine Coast · Cairns · Toowoomba · Mackay
All cities & hubs: the full directory.
General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Townsville, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.