Cooma
Spread across 97.84 km2 at just 68.6 residents per km2, Cooma is a low-density regional centre where 88.6% of dwellings are separate houses and apartments make up only 4.5%. The median age of 44 sits 4.0 years above the national figure, and the trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 3.7 points over the decade. Household income lands in the 35.5th percentile nationally, well below the midpoint, which keeps the $550,000 median house price affordable relative to most NSW markets. The population is contracting at 0.27% a year, having slipped from 6,786 in 2023 to 6,598 in 2025, a profile shaped more by net internal outflow than by overseas arrivals.
Population
6,715
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,374/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
60
Median House
$550K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
At a $550,000 median, Cooma costs a fraction of metropolitan Sydney, and prices rose a modest 2.3% from $545,000 in 2024 to $557,500 in 2025 rather than spiking. The stock favours buyers wanting space: 88.6% are separate houses, 48.4% have three bedrooms and 29.7% carry four or more, while apartments sit at just 4.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.9%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even though household income is only in the 35.5th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 39.7% outnumber mortgage holders at 30.1%, a sign that much of the housing is held by established, debt-free owners rather than recent buyers stretching to enter.
For Buyers
At a $550,000 median, Cooma costs a fraction of metropolitan Sydney, and prices rose a modest 2.3% from $545,000 in 2024 to $557,500 in 2025 rather than spiking. The stock favours buyers wanting space: 88.6% are separate houses, 48.4% have three bedrooms and 29.7% carry four or more, while apartments sit at just 4.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.9%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even though household income is only in the 35.5th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 39.7% outnumber mortgage holders at 30.1%, a sign that much of the housing is held by established, debt-free owners rather than recent buyers stretching to enter.
For Investors
A 30.2% renter share and weekly rent of $290 give landlords a steady tenant base, and against the $550,000 median that rent implies a gross yield near 2.7%, higher than what inner-Sydney apartments return. The headline risk is a 13.7% vacancy rate, well above a balanced market, which points to soft rental demand rather than scarcity. Demand drivers are thin: net overseas migration adds about 70 residents a year while internal migration removes 108, leaving the population shrinking 0.27% annually. Development activity is moderate at 55 applications over 12 months, weighted toward subdivisions and dwelling alterations rather than large new supply. Rent has still climbed 56.8% over the decade, so the case rests on yield and rent escalation more than capital growth or population-led demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
289
Last 12 Months
60
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+25.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Cooma iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Patrick's Parish School
K-10 · 457 students
The Alpine School
K-11 · 97 students
Cooma Public School
K-6 · 238 students
Demographics
The median age of 44 runs 4.0 years above the national figure, consistent with an aging trajectory where the senior share rose 3.7 points over the decade. Only 17.5% of residents were born overseas, which is 4.1 points below national, and ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,363), Irish (797) and Scottish (734). University qualifications reach 24.5%, sitting 5.6 points below the national figure, reflecting a workforce weighted toward trades and service roles rather than knowledge work. The top non-English languages are Italian (24 speakers), German (19) and Urdu (16), a small mix. Average household size is 2.2, which is 0.3 below national, in line with the older couples-without-children profile, since 33.1% of families are couples with no children against 1,755 couples with children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
88.6%
Houses
6.1%
Townhouse
4.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits into near-equal thirds: 39.7% own outright, 30.1% carry a mortgage and 30.2% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-held, debt-free ownership rather than a churn of recent buyers. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 88.6%, with semi-detached at 6.1% and apartments only 4.5%, so larger family homes dominate: 48.4% have three bedrooms and 29.7% four or more. The median rose from $545,000 in 2024 to $557,500 in 2025, a 2.3% one-year move that trails the rent growth of 56.8% recorded over the decade. Mortgage-to-income at 21.9% and rent-to-income at 21.1% both stay below the 30% stress line, a level of affordability that is rare across NSW and reflects how low the $550,000 median sits against household incomes in the 35.5th percentile.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,300
Rent / wk
$290
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$771
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
13.7%
Unoccupied
433
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
33.1%
Couples, no children
4,702
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in service and public sectors: Healthcare leads at 14.4% (283 workers), Construction follows at 13.0% (256) and Public Administration at 12.3% (241), with Education at 11.3% and Retail at 9.4%. By occupation, Professionals (547) top the list ahead of Community and Personal Service workers (394), Clerical and Administrative staff (389) and Managers (372), a spread that fits a regional centre serving the surrounding Monaro region rather than a single dominant employer. Unemployment is low at 4.0% and the full-time employment rate is 65.2%, though participation reads just 52.7% because the aging profile leaves 2,143 residents not in the labour force. The suburb scores decile 4 on IRSAD, IEO and IRSD, below the national midpoint, with IER at decile 3, marking a below-average but not disadvantaged economic base, and real incomes still grew 21.0% over the decade.
Unemployment
2.7%
Labour Force
3,237
Unemployed
87
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.2%
Part-time
30.8%
Participation
52.7%
Employed
2,839
Occupations
Top Industries
University
24.5%
Postgraduate
5.8%
Born Overseas
17.5%
Dwellings
2,717
Transport to Work
Cooma is built around the car: 82.1% of residents drive to work while only 0.7% use public transport and 8.9% walk or cycle, a split that reflects the sprawling 97.84 km2 footprint and 68.6 residents per km2 density. The suburb scores decile 4 on IRSAD, below the national midpoint, indicating a below-average advantage tier, while 8.3% of residents (507 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the older median age of 44. Volunteering runs at 19.5%, a strong rate for community involvement. Both mortgage-to-income at 21.9% and rent-to-income at 21.1% sit below the 30% stress threshold, making day-to-day housing costs manageable. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in the wider Monaro area.
Drive
82.1%
Public Transport
0.7%
Walk / Cycle
8.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.27%/yr
(-18 people/yr)
EstablishedCooma is contracting: the population is projected to fall 0.27% a year, about 18 people annually, sliding from 6,598 today toward 6,581 by 2031 under the medium forecast. The 10-year change of just 1.3% confirms an established, slow-growth profile rather than expansion. Overseas migration is the only positive driver at roughly 70 residents a year, offset by a net internal outflow of 108, which is the signal the gentrification model flags in rating the suburb not gentrifying with a score of 0. The trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 3.7 points and the young share down 2.4 points over the decade. Affordability has held steady, moving only from 35.7% in 2011 to 37.6% in 2021, so the market is stable rather than being repriced by incoming wealth.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+70
Net Internal / yr
-108
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -108/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Cooma compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cooma a good suburb to live in?
Cooma suits buyers prioritising space and affordability: 88.6% of dwellings are detached houses and the median price is $550,000, far below Sydney. Housing costs are manageable, with mortgage-to-income at 21.9% and rent-to-income at 21.1%, both below the 30% stress line. The trade-off is a below-average SEIFA decile 4 and a shrinking population.
What is the median house price in Cooma?
The median house price is $550,000, with PSI-derived figures rising 2.3% from $545,000 in 2024 to $557,500 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $290 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,300, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.9%, well below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Cooma?
No schools are recorded inside the Cooma suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools across the wider Monaro region. The local population is moderately educated, with university qualifications at 24.5%, which is 5.6 points below the national figure.
Is Cooma safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Cooma in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 4 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage and 8.3% of its residents (507 people) need daily assistance, figures consistent with an established regional centre rather than a high-disadvantage area.
Is Cooma good for property investment?
Weekly rent of $290 against a $550,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.7%, higher than inner-Sydney apartments, and rent has risen 56.8% over the decade. The risk is a 13.7% vacancy rate and a population shrinking 0.27% a year, so returns lean on yield rather than capital growth.
How is Cooma's population changing?
The population is contracting about 0.27% a year, roughly 18 people, falling from 6,786 in 2023 to 6,598 in 2025. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 3.7 points and the young share down 2.4 points over the decade, driven by a net internal outflow of 108 residents annually.
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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