Conder
A $566,000 median house price sits alongside household income in the 93.2nd percentile nationally, an affordability gap that defines this Tuggeranong suburb. The unusual combination works because 80.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 53.6% carry four or more bedrooms, so families on Canberra public-service salaries get space for well under the ACT norm. The median age of 37 is 3.0 years below national, and university qualifications reach 35.0%, which is 4.9 points above the national figure. The population has slipped to 5,108 after a 3.8% decline over the decade, putting it in established, slow-growth territory rather than a frontier suburb.
Population
5,108
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,574/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median House
$566K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The $566,000 median is the headline draw, sitting well below typical Canberra house prices while delivering a detached-house format that buyers struggle to find at this level. Separate houses make up 80.7% of stock and apartments just 8.8%, so this is a market for owner-occupier families rather than downsizers. Bedroom counts confirm it: 53.6% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 41.8% have three, leaving almost nothing smaller. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,148, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.3%, far below the 30% stress threshold because household income reaches $2,574 a week. That low ratio is the practical reason mortgage holders dominate at 55.8% of dwellings versus 26.1% owned outright: repayments are comfortable against local incomes.
For Buyers
The $566,000 median is the headline draw, sitting well below typical Canberra house prices while delivering a detached-house format that buyers struggle to find at this level. Separate houses make up 80.7% of stock and apartments just 8.8%, so this is a market for owner-occupier families rather than downsizers. Bedroom counts confirm it: 53.6% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 41.8% have three, leaving almost nothing smaller. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,148, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.3%, far below the 30% stress threshold because household income reaches $2,574 a week. That low ratio is the practical reason mortgage holders dominate at 55.8% of dwellings versus 26.1% owned outright: repayments are comfortable against local incomes.
For Investors
Weekly rent of $390 against the $566,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.6%, higher than premium Canberra suburbs because the entry price is lower. The vacancy rate of 2.8% points to a tight rental market with limited landlord risk, though the renter pool is shallow at 18.0% of dwellings, below what investors find in apartment-led areas. Demand support is weak on the population side: net internal migration runs at minus 101 a year while overseas migration adds only 19, and the suburb is forecast to shrink about 0.28% annually. Rent grew 8.3% over the period, so the case rests on yield and the low vacancy rather than capital growth, since the 10-year population change of minus 3.8% signals a mature, fully built-out market with little new supply to lift values.
Development Activity
Total DAs
22
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-71.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Conder iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Clare of Assisi Primary School
K-6 · 483 students
Lanyon High School
7-10 · 524 students
Charles Conder Primary School
K-6 · 431 students
Demographics
The median age of 37 runs 3.0 years below national, and the family profile is the reason: 1,815 of 4,449 families are couples with children, against 956 couples without, and the average household holds 2.8 people, which is 0.3 above national. Overseas-born residents sit at 20.4%, slightly below national by 1.2 points, so the suburb is more Anglo-leaning than most of Canberra. Ancestry is led by English (1,944), Irish (560) and Scottish (490), and the largest non-English languages are Arabic (25 speakers) and Malayalam (18), small numbers consistent with the lower overseas share. University qualifications reach 35.0%, which is 4.9 points above national, reflecting the public-service workforce. Christianity (2,320) is the dominant religion, well ahead of Islam (127) and Buddhism (102).
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
80.7%
Houses
10.5%
Townhouse
8.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts firmly toward mortgaged owner-occupiers: 55.8% hold a mortgage, 26.1% own outright and only 18.0% rent, a structure that marks this as a working-family suburb rather than an investor or retiree market. The stock is 80.7% separate houses with apartments at just 8.8%, and bedroom counts skew large, with 53.6% offering four or more bedrooms and 41.8% three. The $566,000 median against a $2,574 weekly household income gives a price-to-income ratio near 4.2, low for Canberra and the reason affordability improved from 39.9% in 2011 to 33.1% in 2021. Both stress measures stay comfortable, with mortgage-to-income at 19.3% and rent-to-income at 15.2%, both below the 30% threshold, so housing costs absorb a smaller share of income here than in higher-priced ACT suburbs.
Mortgage / mo
$2,148
Rent / wk
$390
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$1,179
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
2.8%
Unoccupied
50
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
15.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.5%
Couples, no children
4,449
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce is anchored in government: Public Administration employs 36.4% of workers (684 people), more than double any other sector, with Healthcare next at 14.0% (264) and Education at 9.4% (177). That concentration explains the high incomes despite a modest house price, since stable public-service salaries underpin the 93.2nd-percentile household income. By occupation, Professionals (621) and Clerical/Admin (588) lead, consistent with desk-based Canberra employment. Unemployment is low at 3.0% and the full-time employment rate reaches 71.8%, while participation sits at 68.0%. The suburb scores decile 9 on IER for economic resources and decile 8 on IRSAD, both above the national midpoint, though IEO for education and occupation reads decile 7, a notch lower because the clerical and trades share dilutes the professional concentration seen in inner Canberra.
Unemployment
5.6%
Labour Force
2,922
Unemployed
165
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
71.8%
Part-time
25.2%
Participation
68.0%
Employed
2,699
Occupations
Top Industries
University
35.0%
Postgraduate
8.7%
Born Overseas
20.4%
Dwellings
1,754
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-dependent, with 88.8% of residents driving to work and only 2.5% using public transport, far below the national rate, and 0.9% walking or cycling, a pattern typical of Tuggeranong's low-density layout at 1,129 residents per km2. The suburb scores decile 8 on IRSAD for relative advantage and decile 8 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, both above the national midpoint, indicating few residents face deprivation, with 5.6% (276 people) needing daily assistance. No schools are recorded inside the 4.52 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Tuggeranong suburbs. Housing costs stay light against incomes, with rent-to-income at 15.2%, which leaves households more discretionary income than in pricier ACT areas.
Drive
88.8%
Public Transport
2.5%
Walk / Cycle
0.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.28%/yr
(-14 people/yr)
EstablishedThis is a shrinking, established suburb: the population fell 3.8% over the decade to 5,108, and the trend forecast points to a further 0.28% annual decline, about 14 residents a year, holding the medium projection near 4,891 by 2031. Historical counts confirm the slide, dropping from 5,002 in 2023 to 4,914 in 2025. The driver is internal outflow of 101 residents a year, only partly offset by overseas migration of 19, as the suburb ages and the young-adult share fell 3.6 points while the senior share rose 4.5 points. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying, which fits a fully built-out, affordable market with little development pressure: just 2 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, both minor shed works rather than new dwellings.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+19
Net Internal / yr
-101
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -101/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Conder compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Conder a good suburb to live in?
Conder suits families seeking space at a lower entry point: 80.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 53.6% have four or more bedrooms, yet the median house price is $566,000, well below typical Canberra levels. It scores decile 8 on IRSAD, above the national midpoint, with mortgage costs at just 19.3% of income.
What is the median house price in Conder?
The median house price in Conder is $566,000, low for Canberra. Weekly rent averages $390 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,148, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.3%, well below the 30% stress threshold against a household income of $2,574 a week.
What schools are in Conder?
No schools are recorded inside the 4.52 km2 Conder boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Tuggeranong suburbs. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 35.0%, which is 4.9 points above the national figure.
Is Conder safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Conder in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 8 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, above the national midpoint, and only 5.6% of its 5,108 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Conder good for property investment?
Rent of $390 a week against a $566,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.6%, higher than premium Canberra suburbs, and the 2.8% vacancy rate signals a tight market. The catch is a shrinking population, down 3.8% over a decade, so returns lean on yield rather than capital growth.
How is Conder's population changing?
Conder's population has fallen 3.8% over the decade to 5,108 and is forecast to keep declining about 0.28% a year. Net internal migration runs at minus 101 residents annually, only partly offset by 19 from overseas, as the suburb ages and the senior share rises 4.5 points.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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