At the 2021 Census the median mortgage repayment in Australia was $1,863 a month and the median household income $1,746 a week, so the median repayment equalled about 24.6% of median household income. Suburb by suburb, that ratio ran from 18.3% or less in the lowest tenth of localities to 31.0% or more in the highest tenth. It was highest in New South Wales, where the middle locality stood at 26.1% and 28.7% of residents lived in localities at 30% or more, and lowest in the ACT, at 20.2%. The Census was taken when the cash rate was 0.10%; the cash rate target has been 4.60% since 30 September 2026.
The ratio compares two medians of different groups of households; it is an indicator for the locality, not any household’s repayment burden.
What the ratio measures
The Census records each household’s monthly mortgage repayment and its weekly income. For each suburb and locality the ABS publishes the median of each. Dividing the median repayment by the median monthly income gives a simple indicator of how large mortgage repayments are relative to incomes in that place. It is the input to Fiscal Stress & Debt (24114), one of the five parts of APN Bedrock™ (Socio-Economic Position) (24110), where a lower ratio ranks higher.
The two medians describe different groups: the repayment median covers only households with a mortgage, while the income median covers all households, including renters and outright owners. The ratio is therefore not the share of income any particular household pays. In a few localities the two groups differ so much that the ratio exceeds 60% (7 localities nationally); those figures say more about the mix of households than about repayments.
How the ratio varied
| State or territory | Localities | Lowest tenth | Middle locality | Highest tenth | Localities at 30% or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 2,080 | 19.7% | 26.1% | 33.8% | 483 |
| Western Australia | 666 | 17.6% | 23.7% | 30.6% | 77 |
| Victoria | 1,225 | 17.9% | 23.4% | 29.0% | 92 |
| South Australia | 682 | 17.9% | 23.1% | 28.9% | 44 |
| Queensland | 1,457 | 18.1% | 23.0% | 29.9% | 143 |
| Tasmania | 319 | 17.9% | 21.6% | 26.8% | 13 |
| Northern Territory | 102 | 17.2% | 20.9% | 28.7% | 9 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 100 | 17.6% | 20.2% | 23.6% | 0 |
| Australia | 6,633 | 18.3% | 23.9% | 31.0% | 861 |
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G02. Ratio at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of localities in each state. Median monthly mortgage repayment divided by median monthly household income (weekly × 4.33); localities with more than 200 residents.
Ratio of median mortgage repayment to median household income in the middle locality, by state, 2021
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G02. Ratio in the middle locality of each state. Median monthly mortgage repayment divided by median monthly household income (weekly × 4.33); localities with more than 200 residents.
The middle locality ranged from 20.2% in the ACT, where incomes are high, to 26.1% in New South Wales. In the ACT, half of residents lived in localities with a ratio below 20%; in New South Wales only 3.9% did.
Where repayments were largest relative to income
Residents in localities where the ratio was 30% or more, 2021
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G02. Share of residents living in localities where the ratio was 30% or more. Median monthly mortgage repayment divided by median monthly household income (weekly × 4.33); localities with more than 200 residents.
861 localities had a ratio of 30% or more, and 483 of them were in New South Wales, where 28.7% of residents lived in such localities. The next highest shares were in Victoria (9.0%) and Queensland (6.7%). How incomes were spread across the same localities is covered in Household Income Across Australia’s Suburbs in 2021, and home ownership by locality in Where Most Households Own, and Where They Do Not: Home Ownership by Suburb, 2021.
What this does not show
These figures describe August 2021, when the cash rate was 0.10%. It has since risen to 4.60%, and both repayments and incomes have changed, so the ratios describe a period of unusually low rates; the first results of the 2026 Census are due from mid-2027. The repayment figure covers mortgage holders only and says nothing about rent. Incomes are before tax. Localities of 200 residents or fewer are excluded.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) 2021 Census QuickStats: Australia [https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) Census of Population and Housing: General Community Profile [https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/datapacks], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
- Reserve Bank of Australia Cash Rate Target [https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/cash-rate/], accessed 7 October 2026.
ABS material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Calculations, standardisations and index readings are APN’s and are not attributable to the ABS.
Reserve Bank of Australia material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Findings are presented on the basis of data and evidence alone.
