Wangaratta property market: the official numbers
What the census actually says about Wangaratta, VIC — 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 Wangaratta was $260 a week at the 2021 Census — 31% below the national median. Repayments ($1,300/mo) ran ahead of rent ($1,127/mo), but not brutally.
The key numbers
The typical repayment ran at about 24% 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 $1,127 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,300:
How to read the rent-repayment gap
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
27.8% of Wangaratta households rent — that's the tenant pool an investor here would actually be renting into, and it's about the national norm.
Who calls Wangaratta 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). Wangaratta's median age of 44 sits above the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
21.5% of Wangaratta's 8,934 workers are in health care & social assistance. That's the engine under local housing demand — worth knowing how it's running before you buy.
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.
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Wangaratta?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Wangaratta was $260 a week — 31% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Wangaratta?
19,882 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 44 (national median: 38). Wangaratta is one of Victoria's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Wangaratta 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.
So, who buys here?
Your call
Rent covered roughly 87% 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. Size is the catch — at 19,882 people, exits are slow here. Count on months, not weeks, if you ever need to sell.
Whatever you do, check the things the census can't show: today's asking rents, vacancy and days on market in Wangaratta. 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 Wangaratta, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.