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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Katherine East is a regional centre in Northern Territory, Australia, with a population of approximately 3,061, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 272 km from the Darwin CBD, Katherine East is a regional area in Northern Territory. The median household income is $107,900 per year.
Above-average earnings in Katherine East support sustained property values. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.
Official Australia Post postcode for Katherine East. 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 Katherine East 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.
3,061 residents places Katherine East squarely in the middle of the Northern Territory suburb size distribution (state median 3,057), with market depth comparable to most NT localities. At $107,900/year, household income in Katherine East is within 5% of the Northern Territory median ($113,308), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Median weekly rent of $350 equates to $1,517/month — about 100% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,517/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Katherine East is 272 km from Darwin, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
Regional property can deliver strong cash-flow yields but liquidity is tighter — plan for longer hold periods and verify local employment stability. Local rents consume roughly 17% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Katherine East stacks up against the median of all Northern Territory suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Katherine East sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Katherine East | NT median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,061 | 3,057 | 0% |
| Median household income | $107,900/yr | $113,308/yr | -5% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $350 | $360 | -3% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,517 | $1,950 | -22% |
| Distance to CBD | 272 km | 15 km | +1713% |
| Separate houses | 70% | 68% | +2pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Katherine East — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Moderate buy-and-hold potential: Katherine East's 3,061-person market and $107,900 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.
Strong rental coverage: $350/week (~$1,517/month) covers 100% of the $1,517/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 70% houses in a 3,061-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Katherine East property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Katherine East are modest for 2026 — incomes 5% below the NT median of $113,308 and a population of 3,061 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~100% of the typical mortgage ($1,517/month rent vs $1,517/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 55/100 places Katherine East 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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Katherine East scores 55/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 3,061, median household income of $107,900/year and median weekly rent of $350. 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 Katherine East are a median household income of $107,900/year, a dwelling mix that is 70% 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.
Katherine East has a usual resident population of approximately 3,061, compared with a Northern Territory suburb median of 3,057 — 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.
Katherine East sits 272 km straight-line from the Darwin 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 $350 in Katherine East, equating to approximately $18,200/year in gross rental income (state median $360/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 Katherine East is $1,517, or approximately $18,204/year (vs $1,950/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 $350 works out to $1,517/month, covering 100% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,517/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $-0/month, so on these numbers Katherine East leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. 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 (3,061 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,517 median mortgage, the broader Northern 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.