Whyalla property market: the official numbers
Whyalla, SA, 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
At the last census, Whyalla's median rent was $180/wk — 52% below the national median. Repayments ($1,083/mo) ran ahead of rent ($780/mo), but not brutally.
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.
Rent against the repayment
At the census, the typical monthly rent worked out to $780 against a typical mortgage repayment of $1,083:
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 39.6% of Whyalla households. If you're buying to let, that's the depth of your market — a deep pool by national standards.
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). Whyalla's median age of 41 sits above the national median of 38.
What the local economy runs on
manufacturing employs 15.8% of Whyalla's 8,843 workers (Census 2021). Local housing demand rises and falls with it.
The upfront costs in SA
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 South Australia — exact duty and first-home-buyer concessions.
- What can I afford? — borrowing power, price range and all-in upfront cash.
- The official SA price trend — ABS state-level values since 2011, interactive.
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Whyalla?
At the 2021 Census the median rent in Whyalla was $180 a week — 52% below the national median ($375/wk). Rents have moved since 2021; check current listings for today's asking rents.
How many people live in Whyalla?
21,154 people at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 41 (national median: 38). Whyalla is one of South Australia's significant urban areas as defined by the ABS.
What do people in Whyalla do for work?
The biggest employing industry is manufacturing, followed by health care & social assistance (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 72% 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 Whyalla. Then run your own numbers: what can I afford? for borrowing power and upfront cash, and the South Australia stamp duty calculator for the tax bill.
Other SA markets
Adelaide · Mount Gambier · Victor Harbor - Goolwa · Murray Bridge · Port Lincoln · Port Pirie
All cities & hubs: the full directory.
General information only — not financial or property advice. All figures are ABS Census 2021 ( official QuickStats for Whyalla, CC-BY 4.0), which predates the 2022–24 rate rises; conditions have moved since. Last reviewed 10 July 2026.