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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
West Wollongong is a coastal suburb in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 5,223, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 69 km from the Sydney CBD, West Wollongong is a coastal area in New South Wales. The median household income is $86,944 per year.
West Wollongong has a solid income profile that supports reliable occupancy rates. The coastal setting provides a lifestyle factor that underpins property values.
Official Australia Post postcode for West Wollongong. 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 West Wollongong 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.
5,223 residents places West Wollongong squarely in the middle of the New South Wales suburb size distribution (state median 5,325), with market depth comparable to most NSW localities. Household income of $86,944/year is 11% below the New South Wales median of $97,552, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Rent of $370/week (76% coverage of the $2,123/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $520/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. West Wollongong is 69 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 60% 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 22% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How West Wollongong stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean West Wollongong sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | West Wollongong | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,223 | 5,325 | -2% |
| Median household income | $86,944/yr | $97,552/yr | -11% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $370 | $430 | -14% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $2,123 | $2,167 | -2% |
| Distance to CBD | 69 km | 45 km | +53% |
| Separate houses | 60% | 76% | -16pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for West Wollongong — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Moderate buy-and-hold potential: West Wollongong's 5,223-person market and $86,944 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $370/week covers 76% of a $2,123/month mortgage, leaving a $520/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
Only 60% 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 West Wollongong property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for West Wollongong are modest for 2026 — incomes 11% below the NSW median of $97,552 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~76% of the typical mortgage ($1,603/month rent vs $2,123/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 51/100 places West Wollongong in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.
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West Wollongong scores 51/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 5,223, median household income of $86,944/year and median weekly rent of $370. 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 West Wollongong are a median household income of $86,944/year, a dwelling mix that is 60% 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.
West Wollongong has a usual resident population of approximately 5,223, 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.
West Wollongong sits 69 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 $370 in West Wollongong, equating to approximately $19,240/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 West Wollongong is $2,123, or approximately $25,476/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 $370 works out to $1,603/month, covering 76% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,123/month. That leaves a $520/month shortfall (around $6,240/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 $2,123 median mortgage, 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.