Kiama Downs NSW 2533

Located in New South Wales, Kiama Downs sits 118 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 40 minutes by car. The suburb has 5,087 residents, a median age of 43, and a median household income of $109,356 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 1.7% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $490 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,200. Kiama Downs is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is moderate.

Is Kiama Downs a good suburb?

Kiama Downs scores a A (71/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on safety and community.

Transit

Some car dependence

Walkability 45/100 · 117.7 km · 101 min drive to Sydney

Prices

Around the state median

Median $1.28M

Safety

Low all-round risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 18/100

Community

Very advantaged

SEIFA decile 9/10 · median age 43 · 5,087 residents

A

Liveability Rating

71 / 100 · Ranked #289 in NSW

Each bar is Kiama Downs's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.

Schools quality no data
no schools mapped
Safety
98
Bushfire None · Crime Low

No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
70
Very advantaged
Walkability
44
Somewhat walkable
CBD access
47
117.7 km · 101 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Safety rank 98 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 70 × 25% + Walkability rank 44 × 15% + CBD access rank 47 × 10% = 71 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.
Additional risks: Coastal erosion Low

How do you rate the liveability in Kiama Downs?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

71 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

AwfulPoorAverageGoodGreat
What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Median House Price

Public listings data

Kiama Downs's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $1.28 million, 0.2% below where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$1,280,000

last 7 quarters

20% below its 4 neighbours (median $1,595,000)

↓ −0.2% year-on-year

Based on 103 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 22 days — median across 44 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 3 bed 37 sales $1.23M
  • 4 bed 45 sales $1.33M
  • 5 bed 12 sales $1.57M

Land

$695,000

last 3 quarters

Based on 15 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Kiama Downs are currently listed at around $1.34 million on average. Based on 11 houses listed in the past six months.

$1.34M

last 2 months

11 houses listed in the last 6 months.

11 of the suburb's 1,745 dwellings (0.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Rental Market

Advertised rents · last 6 months

Houses in Kiama Downs rent for around $850 a week on average, based on 5 houses listed for rent in the past six months.

$850/wk

→ 0.0% vs previous 6 months from $850/wk
Since 2021: $631/wk → $750/wk (+19%)

5 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

6 rentals advertised against an estimated 237 rented homes (2.5%) in the last 6 months.

Rent agreed on new leases

Jul–Sep 2026
3-bed houses
$850/wk
23 bonds
+32% since 2021
2-bed units
$600/wk
11 bonds
+23% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2533 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

73 Severely unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 41% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2533.

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
House
3.3% around the typical range

$850/week ($44,000 a year) on a $1.34 million median

Based on a small sample (5 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.

Is Kiama Downs safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Kiama Downs sits in the low band, with 58 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 28% on the prior year.

58 offences

28.4% since 2024
Theft 23 (39.7%)
Harassment & Stalking 9 (15.5%)
Assault 6 (10.3%)
Property Damage 6 (10.3%)
Disorderly Conduct 5 (8.6%)
Sexual Offences 4 (6.9%)
Arson 1 (1.7%)
Robbery 1 (1.7%)
Drug Offences 1 (1.7%)
Other Offences Against Person 1 (1.7%)
Weapons Offences 1 (1.7%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

No crash in Kiama Downs killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Council Flood Studies

The Council Of The Municipality Of Kiama has published 1 flood study on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

Coastal Erosion

66
monitoring points
within 5 km
44
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-0.24
worst rate (m/yr)
Moderate
794 m
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 39 (59%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 27 (41%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 0 (0%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
845 m
Rate
-0.07 m/yr
Net Movement
-12.3 m
Certainty
good

Data Quality

High certainty: 36 of 66 points (55%)

Schools

No schools in this suburb boundary.

Walkability

Kiama Downs is car-dependent on foot — at 45/100, most errands require a car.

45
out of 100
Car-Dependent
Top 20% in NSW
Public Transport within 1 km 67
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 80
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 60
Pharmacies within 1 km 60
Childcare within 1 km 60
Hospitals within 5 km 0

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Kiama Downs.

73
out of 100
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
68.8 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
32.8 arrivals/hr
Saturday
11.2 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
0 min
Span of service
11.8 hours

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 Kiama Downs.

100
connectivity score / 100
Top 1% in NSW
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
100%
Premises covered
2,015
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 100%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
5 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
1 in suburb
Waterways
None
Childcare
2 in suburb
GPs
1 in suburb
Pharmacies
1 in suburb
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
1 in suburb
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Kiama: council population

The whole council area, not just Kiama Downs · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
23,139
-0.1% in a year
Change
-20
people since 2024
Density
90
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-62
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-50
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+92
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
9/10
9/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
9/10
8/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
9/10
8/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 14 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.

Kiama Downs is home to about 5,100 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $109,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.5%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

5,087

1.7% since 2016

Median Age

43

2.4% since 2016

Median Household Income

$109,356/yr

14.5% since 2016
Top 25% in NSW

Census Median Rent

$490/wk

22.5% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$2,200/mo

10.0% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.8

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$45,344/yr

21.8% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

3.5%

30.0% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

8.1%

25.7% since 2016

Total Dwellings

1,745

3.4% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

86.4%

0.9% since 2016

Houses

92.8%

0.3% since 2016

Rental Stress

23.3%

6.9% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

24.1%

4.0% since 2016

Work From Home

32.6%

443.3% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 1,619 (92.8%)
Townhouses 101 (5.8%)
Flats / Apartments 25 (1.4%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 810 (47.0%)
Mortgage 679 (39.4%)
Renting 234 (13.6%)
Of those rentals, social housing 13 (5.6%)

9 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 4 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 234 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
83.7%
English Spoken at Home
92.4%
Employment Rate
58.2%
1.4% since 2016
Completed Year 12
43.2%

Occupations

Professionals 638 (26.7%)
Technicians & Trades 393 (16.4%)
Managers 305 (12.8%)
Community & Personal Service 298 (12.5%)
Clerical & Administrative 273 (11.4%)
Sales 180 (7.5%)
Labourers 150 (6.3%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 118 (4.9%)

Religion

Christianity 2,580 (50.7%)
No Religion 2,188 (43.0%)
Buddhism 31 (0.6%)
Islam 9 (0.2%)
Other Religions 5 (0.1%)
Judaism 4 (0.1%)
Hinduism 3 (0.1%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 215 (4.2%)
New Zealand 75 (1.5%)
Scotland 41 (0.8%)
Germany 28 (0.6%)
South Africa 26 (0.5%)
Canada 19 (0.4%)
Ireland 19 (0.4%)
China 17 (0.3%)

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.

2016-2021 33 (0.6%)
2011-2015 59 (1.2%)
2001-2010 115 (2.3%)
1991-2000 46 (0.9%)
1981-1990 70 (1.4%)
Before 1981 316 (6.2%)

33 residents (0.6%) 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.

7.1% of residents (343) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (294).

Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven 81 (1.7%)
Overseas 59 (1.2%)
Sydney - City and Inner South 39 (0.8%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 4,803 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.

Greek 9 (0.2%)
Serbian 9 (0.2%)
Italian 8 (0.2%)
German 8 (0.2%)
French 7 (0.1%)
Mandarin 6 (0.1%)
Vietnamese 5 (0.1%)
Tamil 4 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 284 (5.6%)
5-14 685 (13.5%)
15-19 323 (6.3%)
20-24 216 (4.2%)
25-34 454 (8.9%)
35-44 633 (12.4%)
45-54 670 (13.2%)
55-64 736 (14.5%)
65-74 710 (14.0%)
75-84 270 (5.3%)
85+ 96 (1.9%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 675 (58.3%)
Lone Person 279 (24.1%)
One Parent Families 169 (14.6%)
Group Household 26 (2.2%)
Other Families 9 (0.8%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 1,238 (62.5%)
Worked from Home 647 (32.6%)
Car (passenger) 66 (3.3%)
Walked Only 18 (0.9%)
Train 10 (0.5%)
Bicycle 3 (0.2%)

3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (77 of 2,390).

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.

Education

Certificate III & IV 854 (16.8%)
Bachelor Degree 754 (14.8%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 509 (10.0%)
Postgraduate Degree 237 (4.7%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 148 (2.9%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 30 (1.7%)
1 car 432 (24.7%)
2 cars 814 (46.6%)
3 cars 283 (16.2%)
4+ cars 186 (10.6%)

Council Rates

Kiama
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,898 a year through Kiama based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,898/yr
54% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Kiama Downs's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Residential 43%
  • Environmental 33%
  • Parks and recreation 19%
  • Infrastructure and transport 4%
  • Not zoned 2%

Planning zones cover 99% of the suburb's area. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Kiama

The whole council area, not just Kiama Downs · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 159 new dwellings were approved across Kiama. That mix is 59 houses and 100 units. Approvals are down 34.6% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
159dwellings
-34.6% YoY
Houses
59
detached dwellings
Units
100
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.

Air Quality

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 5.1 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).

PM10 averaged 14.3 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.37 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Albion Park South monitoring station, 9.1 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Mittagong (Alfred Street), 41.7 km

High rainfall.

Elevation
9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
802 m
801 m to a named beach
Annual rainfall
974 mm
97 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

6 facilities within 5 km

EV adoption

1.4%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.13% in 2021
+0.5 points this year
Top 12% in NSW

In postcode 2533, 194 of 13,739 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.0% (546 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.4%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.13%
2022
0.21%
2023
0.38%
2024
0.92%
2025
1.41%

Rooftop solar

47
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.7 kW each

In postcode 2533, 3,504 rooftop-solar systems totalling 23.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 7,437 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 300 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
298
2020
376
2021
348
2022
263
2023
294
2024
233
2025
223
2026
207

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.

Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$6,676
Loan amount
$1,024,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,379,257

6 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2533.

Deposit
$256,000
Stamp duty
$51,787
Cash needed at settlement
$307,787

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 Revenue NSW

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 $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.

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 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Gilmore

Currently held by Fiona Phillips Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Fiona Phillips 55.1% 44.9% +5.0
2022 Fiona Phillips 50.2% 49.8% +2.4
2019 Fiona Phillips 52.6% 47.4% -3.3

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

Kiama District

Currently held by Katelin McInerney Labor — elected at the Sep 2025 by-election, after the results below

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Gareth Ward IND 50.8%
2019 Gareth Ward LP 62.0%
2015 Gareth Ward LP 58.7%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Kiama Downs?

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.

Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.

Featured in

Nearby suburbs

Compare Kiama Downs to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.

Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:

Common questions about Kiama Downs

Is Kiama Downs a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Kiama Downs is low (18/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Kiama Downs?

Kiama Downs has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Kiama Downs a good place to live?

Kiama Downs has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (71/100), ranked against other NSW 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 Kiama Downs?

Kiama Downs, NSW had a population of 5,087 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Kiama Downs, NSW?

The postcode for Kiama Downs, NSW is 2533.

How far is Kiama Downs from Sydney?

Kiama Downs is 118 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 101 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Kiama Downs?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Kiama Downs was $109,356 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 Kiama Downs?

The median advertised rent in Kiama Downs is $850 a week for houses (5 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.

What is the median age in Kiama Downs?

The median age of residents in Kiama Downs was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Kiama Downs walkable?

Kiama Downs scores 45/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the air quality in Kiama Downs?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Kiama Downs (Albion Park South) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.1 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.3 µg/m³. That puts Kiama Downs below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

What is the weather like in Kiama Downs?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Kiama Downs, Mittagong (Alfred Street) (41.7 km away), 974 mm of rain a year over 97 rainy days over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Kiama Downs?

First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Kiama Downs belong to?

Kiama Downs sits within the Kiama local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Kiama Downs?

The average residential rates bill through Kiama is $1,898 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Kiama Downs?

Across Kiama, 159 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 34.6% 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 Kiama Downs in?

Kiama Downs sits within the federal Division of Gilmore, currently held by Fiona Phillips (Australian Labor Party).

Search another suburb or address

Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

Was the information on this page useful to you?

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or