Best Wollongong suburbs for property investors

The suburb of Wollongong tops the list, with 56.6% of its occupied dwellings rented. Across the ranking, rental shares run from 29.6% to 67%. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 61 eligible Wollongong suburbs.

This ranking scores every eligible Wollongong suburb on the share of occupied dwellings that are rented, from the ABS 2021 census, blended with population and dwelling growth and a composite safety score. A deep rental market means a wider tenant pool and easier re-letting — what a buy-to-let investor weighs before yield.

Rental share leads the score but doesn't rule it: a raw sort on percent-rented would surface high-density CBD cores and student pockets, so growth (2016→2021 population and dwelling change) and safety are blended in to keep the list to genuinely investable neighbourhoods. The percentile that drives the score is computed within Wollongong, so each suburb ranks against its own metro. For the return side of the equation, see the companion rental-yield ranking — a deep rental market and a strong gross yield together are the classic buy-to-let signal.

Wollongong suburbs with the deepest rental markets

Ranked on the share of occupied dwellings that are rented (ABS 2021 census tenure), blended with population and dwelling growth and a composite safety score. A deep rental market means a larger tenant pool and easier re-letting — the signal a buy-to-let investor scans for.

1

Wollongong

NSW 2500 · 20,446 residents

57% renting · 43% owner-occupied · 54/100 safety

B 87.3
2

Keiraville

NSW 2500 · 4,001 residents

40% renting · 60% owner-occupied · 72/100 safety

B 78.8
3

Lake Illawarra

NSW 2528 · 3,288 residents

50% renting · 50% owner-occupied · 60/100 safety

C 78.3
4

West Wollongong

NSW 2500 · 5,223 residents

37% renting · 63% owner-occupied · 72/100 safety

B 74.9
5

Fairy Meadow

NSW 2519 · 7,512 residents

42% renting · 58% owner-occupied · 62/100 safety

C 72.5
6

Coniston

NSW 2500 · 2,267 residents

43% renting · 57% owner-occupied · 61/100 safety

B 71.2
7

Bellambi

NSW 2518 · 4,039 residents

55% renting · 45% owner-occupied · 56/100 safety

C 71.0
8

Gwynneville

NSW 2500 · 3,139 residents

56% renting · 44% owner-occupied · 67/100 safety

B 70.7
9

Koonawarra

NSW 2530 · 3,732 residents

42% renting · 58% owner-occupied · 62/100 safety

C 69.2
10

Unanderra

NSW 2526 · 5,476 residents

44% renting · 56% owner-occupied · 57/100 safety

C 68.0
11

Berkeley

NSW 2506 · 7,798 residents

39% renting · 61% owner-occupied · 61/100 safety

B 67.0
12

Lake Heights

NSW 2502 · 4,105 residents

30% renting · 70% owner-occupied · 77/100 safety

B 66.8
13

North Wollongong

NSW 2500 · 2,299 residents

67% renting · 33% owner-occupied · 54/100 safety

C 66.5
14

Barrack Heights

NSW 2528 · 6,003 residents

34% renting · 66% owner-occupied · 66/100 safety

C 65.5
15

East Corrimal

NSW 2518 · 3,432 residents

39% renting · 61% owner-occupied · 64/100 safety

B 65.2

Ranked from 61 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

55% rental share (percentile within Wollongong) · 25% growth (2016→2021 population + dwelling change) · 20% safety (bushfire, crime, flood combined). Rental share comes from ABS 2021 census tenure — the share of occupied dwellings that are rented. Percentiles are computed within Wollongong's candidate pool. A raw percent-rented sort would surface high-density cores, so growth and safety keep the list investable. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are the best Wollongong suburbs for property investors?

The suburb of Wollongong tops the list, with 56.6% of its occupied dwellings rented. Across the ranking, rental shares run from 29.6% to 67%. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 61 eligible Wollongong suburbs.

How is this ranking scored?

Each eligible Wollongong suburb is scored on three factors: 55% rental share (the share of occupied dwellings that are rented, from the ABS 2021 census, ranked as a percentile within Wollongong), 25% growth (2016→2021 population and dwelling change combined), and 20% safety (bushfire, crime and flood risks combined).

Does a deep rental market mean a good investment?

Not on its own. A high rental share means the tenant pool is large and re-letting is easier — a genuine convenience — but it says nothing about the return. Pair this with the gross rental yield ranking for the return side, and bear in mind that the highest-rental suburbs are often high-density areas where capital growth can lag detached housing.

Which suburbs are eligible?

A suburb needs a resident population of at least 1,000 and a 2021 census tenure record. Suburbs below the threshold or missing census tenure data are excluded, not penalised, so the ranking isn't dominated by tiny outliers.

How often is this list updated?

The top 15 is recomputed whenever the underlying data refreshes. Tenure comes from the ABS census (every five years); the growth and safety inputs refresh alongside their own datasets.

Same list in other cities

Related

Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

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