# Housing & Dwellings — Rural Balance

Where and how people live — the homes, how they are held, and what they cost.

Area: Rural Balance (Section of State)

More people own their homes outright in Rural Balance than they did in 2011, while the number of renters has fallen. This is a place where detached housing dominates, with 97.3% of dwellings being separate houses. Costs for both mortgages and rent remain far below the national figures.

Typical weekly rent is much lower than most areas at $200, which is far below the national figure of $375. Home loan payments are also low, with the typical monthly cost of $1,400 sitting well below the Australian average of $1,863.

Separate houses make up 97.3% of homes, a figure far above the national average. This preference for larger properties is reflected in the fact that 82.8% of dwellings have three or more bedrooms, which is well above the national figure.

Owning a home outright is very common here; 46.4% of households do so, which is far above the national figure of 31%. Meanwhile, only 12.2% of households rent, a proportion that is much lower than most areas and has fallen since 2011.

## Statistics

| Statistic | Value | Change since |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Median rent (weekly) | $200 | — |
| Median mortgage repayment (monthly) | $1,400 | +7.7% since 2011 |
| Average people per bedroom | 0.80 | -27.3% since 2011 |
| Households renting | 12.2% | -26.8% since 2011 |
| Homes owned outright | 46.4% | +3.9% since 2011 |
| Separate (detached) houses | 97.3% | -0.3% since 2011 |
| Homes with three or more bedrooms | 82.8% | +2.0% since 2011 |

**How homes are owned or rented** — Owned outright 46.4%, Owned with a mortgage 35.2%, Rented 12.2%, Other tenure 4.6%, Not stated 1.7%

**Types of homes** — Separate house 97.3%, Other dwelling 1.3%, Townhouse / semi-detached 0.7%, Flat or apartment 0.2%

**Bedrooms per home** — 3 bedrooms 44.6%, 4 bedrooms 30.6%, 2 bedrooms 11.9%, 5 or more 7.6%, 1 bedroom 3.3%, Studio / none 0.6%

**Weekly rent distribution** — Under $200 37.8%, $200–$349 37.3%, $350–$549 11.9%, $550–$749 1.6%, $750 or more 0.6%

**Monthly mortgage distribution** — $1,000–$1,799 33.2%, Under $1,000 28.8%, $1,800–$2,999 22.4%, $3,000 or more 10.1%

Interactive: https://censusatlas.au/region/sos/SOS43/rural-balance/topic/housing-dwellings