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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Calwell is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Canberra, Australia, with a population of approximately 5,730, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 18 km from the Canberra CBD, Calwell is a middle ring area in Australian Capital Territory. The median household income is $127,920 per year.
Above-average earnings in Calwell support sustained property values.
Official Australia Post postcode for Calwell. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Calwell on My School →Estimated 2 parks and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Calwell's population of 5,730 sits 50% above the Australian Capital Territory suburb median of 3,808, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average ACT locality. At $127,920/year, household income in Calwell is within 3% of the Australian Capital Territory median ($123,916), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Median weekly rent of $448 equates to $1,941/month — about 97% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,000/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. 18 km from Canberra places Calwell in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs.
Middle-ring locations like this one historically reward patient holders — focus on homes near catchment-zone schools and major transport. Local rents consume roughly 18% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Calwell stacks up against the median of all Australian Capital Territory suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Calwell sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Calwell | ACT median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,730 | 3,808 | +50% |
| Median household income | $127,920/yr | $123,916/yr | +3% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $448 | $450 | 0% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $2,000 | $2,144 | -7% |
| Distance to CBD | 18 km | 10 km | +80% |
| Separate houses | 84% | 71% | +13pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Calwell — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 5,730 and household income close to the ACT median ($127,920 vs $123,916) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.
Strong rental coverage: $448/week (~$1,941/month) covers 97% of the $2,000/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $59/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
A dwelling mix skewed to houses (84% vs 71% ACT median) combined with a population of 5,730 creates a deeper market for value-add renovations — older stock, separate titles and stronger buyer competition are the usual pattern here.
Run the numbers on a Calwell property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Property values in Calwell should track the wider Australian Capital Territory market through 2026, with the $127,920/year median household income (close to the $123,916 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~97% of the typical mortgage ($1,941/month rent vs $2,000/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 76/100 places Calwell in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is constructive heading into the second half of 2026.
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Calwell scores 76/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 5,730, median household income of $127,920/year and median weekly rent of $448. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Calwell are proximity to Canberra (18 km), an above-state-median household income of $127,920/year, a dwelling mix that is 84% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 2 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Calwell has a usual resident population of approximately 5,730, compared with a Australian Capital Territory suburb median of 3,808 — placing it in the upper half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Calwell sits 18 km straight-line from the Canberra CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $448 in Calwell, equating to approximately $23,296/year in gross rental income (state median $450/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Calwell is $2,000, or approximately $24,000/year (vs $2,144/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $448 works out to $1,941/month, covering 97% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,000/month. That leaves a $59/month shortfall (around $708/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,000 median mortgage, the broader Australian Capital Territory market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.