Balga WA 6061
Balga is a suburb in Western Australia, 14 km from Perth CBD, around 20 minutes by car. Population is 13,864; the median age is 32 and the median household income is $67,548 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 9.3% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $310 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,482. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded flood exposure. Of 7 schools within the suburb boundary, 3 rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Balga a good suburb?
Balga scores a B (56/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools and transit, weaker on safety and community.
Above the state average
7 schools · 3 above peer schools · Top 19% in WA
Walkable and central
Walkability 80/100 · 13.6 km · 20 min drive to Perth
Median available
Median $727K
High crime risk
Fire 38/100 · Crime 77/100 · Flood 0/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 32 · 13,864 residents
Liveability Rating
56 / 100 · Ranked #196 in WAEach bar is Balga's rank among WA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Balga?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
56 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBalga's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $727,000, roughly 22% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$727,000
6% below its 6 neighbours (median $774,500)
Based on 349 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 39 days — median across 215 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 18 sales $620K
- 3 bed 283 sales $725K
- 4 bed 39 sales $795K
Units
$585,000
Based on 35 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 39 days — median across 15 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 19 sales $525K
- 3 bed 14 sales $639K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Balga are currently listed at around $749,000 on average. Based on 104 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$749K
104 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$650K
4 units listed in the last 6 months.
108 of the suburb's 5,313 dwellings (2.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Balga rent for around $735 a week on average, based on 128 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$735/wk
6% below its 6 neighbours (median $778/wk)
128 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$608/wk
18 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
146 rentals advertised against an estimated 2,641 rented homes (5.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $722/wk
- 150 bonds
- +37% since 2023
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. WA's bond data does not record bedrooms or dwelling type, so it covers all rentals together.Change since 2023 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202595 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 32% of its income on the median rent in postcode 6061.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$735/week ($38,000 a year) on a $749,000 median
$608/week ($32,000 a year) on a $650,000 median
Based on a small sample (4 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
19 active Airbnb listings: 11 whole homes and 8 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.2% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Schools
Seven schools serve Balga, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Balga Primary School and North Balga Primary School lead the pack.
- • 1,741 students across 6 schools (avg 290)
- • Sectors: 6 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 909-1008, median 948 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Balga Senior High School (596 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Walkability
Balga is very walkable on foot — at 80/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Balga.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 288.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 206.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 145.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 20.2 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 1 min wait
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Balga.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 45%
- Premises covered
- 6,850
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Stirling: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 25 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Balga is home to about 13,900 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 32 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $68,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
13,864
Median Age
32
Median Household Income
$67,548/yr
Census Median Rent
$310/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,482/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$37,076/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.8%
Total Dwellings
5,313
Owner-Occupier Rate
50.3%
Houses
67.4%
Rental Stress
23.9%
Mortgage Stress
26.3%
Work From Home
4.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
362 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 60 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 2,549 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 44.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 45.6%
- Employment Rate
- 56.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 42.9%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
1,687 residents (12.2%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 12,667 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
18% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,087 of 6,202).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 1,317 people work here; 6,202 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 79% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,615 a year through Stirling based on 2023 figures.
Building Approvals: Stirling
In the year to August 2026, 1,557 new dwellings were approved across Stirling. That mix is 748 houses and 809 units. Approvals are up 22.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Subiaco Treatment Plant, 12.1 kmModerate rainfall.
- Elevation
- 60 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 8.3 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 3.5% of addresses
- 255 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 650 mm
- 75 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
4 facilities within 5 km- 2.0 kmMilk and Cream ProcessingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 3.9 km
- 4.0 km
- 4.4 km
EV adoption
In postcode 6061, 243 of 30,086 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.8% (1,143 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 6061, 5,120 rooftop-solar systems totalling 24.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 17,413 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 238 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $800,000.
Cap is $800,000 SOUTH of the 26th parallel (which includes all of metropolitan Perth) and $1,000,000 NORTH of it. We store the southern figure because that is where almost every buyer is; the northern cap is higher, so the stored value never overstates eligibility. The southern cap rose from $750,000 on 7 May 2026 in the 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package. The same package moved the first home owner RATE OF DUTY thresholds, which is a different scheme and lives in the web repo's app/stamp_duty.py.
Mortgage repayments
3 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 15 across postcode 6061.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueWA
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $800,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Department of Finance WA.
At $727,000 this is under the $800,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Department of Finance WA.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Anne Aly Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Anne Aly | 63.6% | 36.4% | +3.7 |
| 2022 | Anne Aly | 60.8% | 39.2% | -10.0 |
| 2019 | Anne Aly | 50.8% | 49.2% | -0.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Meredith Hammat WA Labor
Next state election: 10 March 2029.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Meredith Hammat ALP | 71.3% |
| 2017 | Margaret Quirk ALP | 66.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Western Australian Electoral Commission.
Looking at a specific address in Balga?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 13,864 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #5 in Best Perth suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #6 in Highest-yielding Perth suburbs (houses)
- #7 in Where the Iraqi community lives in Perth
- #11 in Where the Pakistani community lives in Perth
- #11 in Perth suburbs where the most Punjabi is spoken at home
- #13 in Perth suburbs where the most Arabic is spoken at home
- #13 in Where the Macedonian community lives in Perth
- #13 in Perth suburbs with the largest Sikh community
- #13 in Perth suburbs where the most Urdu is spoken at home
- #14 in Perth suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #14 in Perth suburbs where the most Vietnamese is spoken at home
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Perth There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Perth suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Balcatta WA 6021
Girrawheen WA 6064
Mirrabooka WA 6061
Westminster WA 6061
Hamersley WA 6022
Koondoola WA 6064
Compare Balga to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other WA suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Balga
Is Balga a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Balga is high (77/100, ranked against other WA suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Balga?
Balga has a low recorded bushfire history (38/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Balga a good place to live?
Balga has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (56/100), ranked against other WA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Balga?
Balga, WA had a population of 13,864 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Balga, WA?
The postcode for Balga, WA is 6061.
How far is Balga from Perth?
Balga is 14 km from Perth CBD by road, about 20 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Balga?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Balga was $67,548 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Balga?
The median advertised rent in Balga is $735 a week for houses (128 listings) and $608 a week for units (18 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Balga?
The median age of residents in Balga was 32 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Balga at risk of bushfire?
Balga has a low recorded bushfire history (38/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Balga?
There are 7 schools inside the Balga boundary: 3 above and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Balga walkable?
Balga scores 80/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Balga?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Balga, Subiaco Treatment Plant (12.1 km away), 650 mm of rain a year over 75 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Balga?
First-home buyers in WA may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $800,000. The grant is administered by Department of Finance WA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Balga belong to?
Balga sits within the Stirling local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Balga?
The average residential rates bill through Stirling is $1,615 a year (2023). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Balga?
Across Stirling, 1,557 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 22.7% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Balga in?
Balga sits within the federal Division of Cowan, currently held by Anne Aly (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2023–24
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2025
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.