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Suburb Insights · ACT 2611

Stirling, ACT 2611 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Stirling is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Canberra, Australia, with a population of approximately 2,191, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 10 km from the Canberra CBD, Stirling is a middle ring area in Australian Capital Territory. The median household income is $114,712 per year.

Investment Score

70 / 100 Good

Strong household incomes in Stirling underpin solid property demand. The short commute to the city centre is a key demand driver.

Location

Canberra
Stirling
Australian Capital Territory · 2611
10 km from Canberra CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
2611

Official Australia Post postcode for Stirling. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

Australia Post Postcode Finder →
Population
2,191

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$460/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$114,712/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
10 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$2,258/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
78% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Why People Like Living in Stirling

Who Stirling Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersPrices sit above the Australian Capital Territory median — stretch goal.
💼ProfessionalsAround 10 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Short distance to the CBD makes commuting straightforward.
  • Established infrastructure and existing community base.

Cons

  • Transport options are limited — car dependency is likely.
  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.

Investment Insight

Stirling is a smaller community of 2,191 — about 58% of the Australian Capital Territory suburb median (3,808) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Household income of $114,712/year is 7% below the Australian Capital Territory median of $123,916, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Rent of $460/week (88% coverage of the $2,258/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $265/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. At 10 km from the Canberra CBD, Stirling sits inside the high-demand inner ring — properties here compete directly with the city's employment, transport and amenity networks.

Investment Tip

Middle-ring locations like this one historically reward patient holders — focus on homes near catchment-zone schools and major transport. Local rents consume roughly 21% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Stirling vs Australian Capital Territory Median

How Stirling stacks up against the median of all Australian Capital Territory suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Stirling sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricStirlingACT medianΔ vs state
Population2,1913,808-42%
Median household income$114,712/yr$123,916/yr-7%
Median rent (weekly)$460$450+2%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,258$2,144+5%
Distance to CBD10 km10 km0%
Separate houses78%71%+7pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Stirling — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 2,191 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Australian Capital Territory market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $460/week (~$1,993/month) covers 88% of the $2,258/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $265/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 78% houses in a 2,191-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Stirling property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Stirling

Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Strong

Capital-growth expectations for Stirling are modest for 2026 — incomes 7% below the ACT median of $123,916 and a population of 2,191 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~88% of the typical mortgage ($1,993/month rent vs $2,258/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 70/100 places Stirling 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Stirling a good suburb for investment?

Stirling scores 70/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 2,191, median household income of $114,712/year and median weekly rent of $460. 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.

What drives property demand in Stirling?

The main demand drivers in Stirling are proximity to Canberra (10 km), a median household income of $114,712/year, a dwelling mix that is 78% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 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.

What is the population of Stirling?

Stirling has a usual resident population of approximately 2,191, compared with a Australian Capital Territory suburb median of 3,808 — placing it in the lower 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.

How far is Stirling from the Canberra CBD?

Stirling sits 10 km straight-line from the Canberra CBD. This is inner-ring territory — pricing competes directly with established Canberra employment nodes.

What is the median rent in Stirling?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $460 in Stirling, equating to approximately $23,920/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.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Stirling?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Stirling is $2,258, or approximately $27,096/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.

Is Stirling cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $460 works out to $1,993/month, covering 88% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,258/month. That leaves a $265/month shortfall (around $3,180/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.

What are the main risks of investing in Stirling?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (2,191 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,258 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.

How we built this Stirling profile

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.

Nearby Suburbs

Australian Capital Territory Property Resources