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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Narooma is a coastal suburb in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 2,731, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 284 km from the Sydney CBD, Narooma is a coastal area in New South Wales. The median household income is $48,152 per year.
Lower income levels in Narooma typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. Coastal lifestyle appeal adds a premium that supports long-term demand.
Official Australia Post postcode for Narooma. 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 Narooma on My School →Estimated 1 park 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.
Narooma is a smaller community of 2,731 — about 51% of the New South Wales suburb median (5,325) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Narooma's median household income of $48,152/year is 51% below the New South Wales suburb median ($97,552) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Rent of $260/week (74% coverage of the $1,517/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $390/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. Narooma is 284 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 52% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 76% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.
This suburb can suit investors targeting renter demand driven by lifestyle. Insurance, climate risk, and seasonal rental patterns all warrant a close look. Local rents consume roughly 28% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Narooma stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Narooma sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Narooma | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,731 | 5,325 | -49% |
| Median household income | $48,152/yr | $97,552/yr | -51% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $260 | $430 | -40% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,517 | $2,167 | -30% |
| Distance to CBD | 284 km | 45 km | +531% |
| Separate houses | 52% | 76% | -24pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Narooma — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 2,731 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $260/week covers 74% of a $1,517/month mortgage, leaving a $390/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
Only 52% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 76% NSW median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.
Run the numbers on a Narooma property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Narooma are modest for 2026 — incomes 51% below the NSW median of $97,552 and a population of 2,731 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~74% of the typical mortgage ($1,127/month rent vs $1,517/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 33/100 places Narooma in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Narooma scores 33/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 2,731, median household income of $48,152/year and median weekly rent of $260. 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 Narooma are a median household income of $48,152/year, a dwelling mix that is 52% 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.
Narooma has a usual resident population of approximately 2,731, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — 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.
Narooma sits 284 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $260 in Narooma, equating to approximately $13,520/year in gross rental income (state median $430/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 Narooma is $1,517, or approximately $18,204/year (vs $2,167/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 $260 works out to $1,127/month, covering 74% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,517/month. That leaves a $390/month shortfall (around $4,680/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 a thin buyer pool (2,731 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,517 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($48,152 vs $97,552 state median), the broader New South Wales 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.