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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Nelson Bay is a regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 6,141, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 153 km from the Sydney CBD, Nelson Bay is a regional area in New South Wales. The median household income is $67,860 per year.
Lower income levels in Nelson Bay typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. As a regional location, growth prospects depend on local economic conditions and infrastructure investment.
Official Australia Post postcode for Nelson Bay. 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 2 schools within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Nelson Bay 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.
6,141 residents places Nelson Bay squarely in the middle of the New South Wales suburb size distribution (state median 5,325), with market depth comparable to most NSW localities. Nelson Bay's median household income of $67,860/year is 30% 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 $380/week (89% coverage of the $1,842/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $195/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. Nelson Bay is 153 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 37% 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 suits yield-focused investors who are comfortable with lower liquidity. Employment concentration and local population trends matter more here than in metro markets. Local rents consume roughly 29% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Nelson Bay stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Nelson Bay sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Nelson Bay | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,141 | 5,325 | +15% |
| Median household income | $67,860/yr | $97,552/yr | -30% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $380 | $430 | -12% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,842 | $2,167 | -15% |
| Distance to CBD | 153 km | 45 km | +240% |
| Separate houses | 37% | 76% | -39pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Nelson Bay — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 30% below the NSW median ($67,860 vs $97,552) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.
Strong rental coverage: $380/week (~$1,647/month) covers 89% of the $1,842/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $195/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
Only 37% 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 Nelson Bay property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Nelson Bay are modest for 2026 — incomes 30% below the NSW median of $97,552 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~89% of the typical mortgage ($1,647/month rent vs $1,842/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 37/100 places Nelson Bay 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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Nelson Bay scores 37/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 6,141, median household income of $67,860/year and median weekly rent of $380. 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 Nelson Bay are a median household income of $67,860/year, a dwelling mix that is 37% separate houses, roughly 2 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.
Nelson Bay has a usual resident population of approximately 6,141, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — 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.
Nelson Bay sits 153 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 $380 in Nelson Bay, equating to approximately $19,760/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 Nelson Bay is $1,842, or approximately $22,104/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 $380 works out to $1,647/month, covering 89% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,842/month. That leaves a $195/month shortfall (around $2,340/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 $1,842 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($67,860 vs $97,552 state median), a unit-heavy dwelling mix (37% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, 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.