Is Wollongong a nice place to live?

Wollongong is the regional centre of the Illawarra, with a compact CBD and nearby sandy beaches. The University of Wollongong and the local art gallery support a steady calendar of events, and Crown Street and the harbour precinct host cafes and markets. The community is young, with many couples without children at home and many renters; 56.6% of homes are rented. Outdoor life is prominent, from surfing and coastal walks to escarpment bushwalking, and rail and motorway links provide regional connections alongside local cycle routes. The suburb is part of the WIN Precinct foreshore renewal, which has moved into planning, design and procurement to deliver a new WIN Arena proposed to be reconfigured to about a 9,500-seat arena.

Is it expensive to live in Wollongong?

In Wollongong, a typical local household's median weekly income was about $1,549 at the most recent Census. On these figures, house rent of $750 a week would take about 48% of that weekly income and unit rent of $670 a week about 43%, so renting would use a large share of a typical local household's income. Looking at buying, a median house price of $1,192,500 is about 14.8 times a typical local annual household income and the median unit price of $770,000 is about 9.6 times annual income. Both sit well above local incomes, with house buying particularly far above them; whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and circumstances. Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Is Wollongong a good place to invest?

Over the past 12 months, Wollongong's house values rose 7.2% while unit values increased 5.4%. Rents moved higher too: house rents rose 5.0% and unit rents rose 7.2%. That means, for houses, capital growth outpaced rental growth, whereas for units rental income grew faster than unit values and unit rents rose more than house rents. This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

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Wollongong suburb profile

Wollongong is the regional centre of the Illawarra, set between the Tasman Sea and the Illawarra Escarpment. The suburb combines a compact CBD, sandy beaches nearby, and a mix of mid-rise apartments, Victorian and interwar cottages, and newer townhouses clustered around the city centre.

Outdoor life is prominent, from surfing and coastal walks to escarpment bushwalking, while the University of Wollongong and the local art gallery support a steady calendar of events. Crown Street and the harbour precinct host cafes, markets and dining, and rail and motorway links provide regional connections alongside local cycle routes.

Wollongong property market performance

Current median dwelling price$981,250Past 3 months

Property growth+6.3%Past 12 months

Wollongong's median house price is $1.19 million, up 7.2% over 12 months, a solid rise. The median unit price is $770,000, up 5.4% over 12 months, a notable rise. House and unit values moved at a similar pace over the year.

In Wollongong, house rents rose 5.0% over 12 months, a clear rise, while house values ran ahead.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$1.19M	$770K
Change in value Past 12 months	7.2%	5.4%
Sold Past 3 months	29	108
Median days on market Past 12 months	45	36
Average rent Past 12 months	$750	$670
Change in rent Past 12 months	5.0%	7.2%

5 year median price trend for houses and units

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Wollongong demographics

Wollongong is a young community with many renters and many couples without children at home.

Couples without children make up 58.4% of families and renters account for 56.6% of homes. At the 2021 Census 20,446 people lived in Wollongong.

Wollongong and NSW

	Suburb	NSW
Median age years	35	39
Median household income weekly	$1,549	$1,829
Couples with children share of families	24.7%	44.7%
Couples without children share of families	58.4%	37.9%
One-parent families share of families	14.1%	15.8%
Homes owned outright share of homes	25.0%	32.6%
Homes with a mortgage share of homes	18.4%	33.6%
Homes rented share of homes	56.6%	33.7%

Source: ABS 2021 Census. Shares of homes exclude other and not-stated tenure.

Wollongong infrastructure, key developments and investment opportunities

Wollongong is part of the WIN Precinct, a NSW Government foreshore renewal that in 2026 moved into planning, design and procurement to deliver a new WIN Arena, with the entertainment centre proposed to be reconfigured to about a 9,500-seat arena. The suburb’s Wollongong Hospital had its $21.9 million imaging upgrade completed in 2026, with a new MRI and CT scanner installed in a purpose-built imaging area.

Suburbs near Wollongong

Some popular suburbs near Wollongong include:

How does Wollongong compare to nearby suburbs?

Median house prices: Wollongong’s median house price is 1.5% higher than Mangerton’s.
House price growth: Over the past 12 months, house prices in Wollongong have grown 9.2% higher than in Gwynneville.
Unit price growth: Property prices in nearby North Wollongong have risen 0.1% more than in Wollongong over the past year.
Selling speed for houses: Properties in nearby Gwynneville are selling 33.3% faster than in Wollongong.
Selling speed for units: Properties in Wollongong are selling 18.2% faster than in Coniston.

Common questions about Wollongong

Is Wollongong a nice place to live?
Wollongong is the regional centre of the Illawarra, with a compact CBD and nearby sandy beaches. The University of Wollongong and the local art gallery support a steady calendar of events, and Crown Street and the harbour precinct host cafes and markets.

The community is young, with many couples without children at home and many renters; 56.6% of homes are rented. Outdoor life is prominent, from surfing and coastal walks to escarpment bushwalking, and rail and motorway links provide regional connections alongside local cycle routes. The suburb is part of the WIN Precinct foreshore renewal, which has moved into planning, design and procurement to deliver a new WIN Arena proposed to be reconfigured to about a 9,500-seat arena.
Is it expensive to live in Wollongong?
In Wollongong, a typical local household's median weekly income was about $1,549 at the most recent Census. On these figures, house rent of $750 a week would take about 48% of that weekly income and unit rent of $670 a week about 43%, so renting would use a large share of a typical local household's income.

Looking at buying, a median house price of $1,192,500 is about 14.8 times a typical local annual household income and the median unit price of $770,000 is about 9.6 times annual income. Both sit well above local incomes, with house buying particularly far above them; whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.
Is Wollongong a good place to invest?
Over the past 12 months, Wollongong's house values rose 7.2% while unit values increased 5.4%.

Rents moved higher too: house rents rose 5.0% and unit rents rose 7.2%. That means, for houses, capital growth outpaced rental growth, whereas for units rental income grew faster than unit values and unit rents rose more than house rents.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

Choose the right real estate agents in Wollongong

Currently, there are 138 real estate agents working in Wollongong—but not all agents deliver the same results. The right agent could make a huge difference to your final sale price.

Only 5 out of these 138 agents sold 25.7% of all properties in Wollongong over the past year. Choosing one of these top-performing agents means tapping into proven expertise for a better sale outcome.

Real estate agents in Wollongong typically charge a commission of 1.63% to 2.63%. Negotiating a fair commission rate and the right structure can motivate your agent to work even harder, helping you sell for more and potentially saving you thousands of dollars.