East Lismore
Three signals define East Lismore: a $552,500 median house price, a household income in just the 27.2nd percentile nationally, and a population shrinking 1.07% a year. The affordability and the contraction are linked, because a regional economy anchored in Healthcare (28.2% of jobs) and Education (16.7%) supports steady but modest wages rather than capital-city bidding pressure. SEIFA reinforces this, with IRSAD at decile 2 and the economic-resources index at decile 1, the lowest tier nationally. Yet detached houses make up 79.0% of dwellings and prices rose 23.9% from $492,500 in 2024 to $610,000 in 2025, so this reads as an affordable, house-dominant regional market under demographic pressure.
Population
4,980
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,236/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
25
Median House
$552K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
At a $552,500 median, East Lismore costs a fraction of metropolitan Sydney, and the math works for owner-occupiers because monthly repayments of $1,430 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.7%, below the 30% stress threshold despite household income in the 27.2nd percentile. The stock suits families: 79.0% are separate houses against just 5.7% apartments, and three-bedroom homes dominate at 46.7% with four-plus-bedroom dwellings a further 24.1%. Recorded prices jumped 23.9% from $492,500 in 2024 to $610,000 in 2025, so entry costs are rising. Ownership splits fairly evenly, with 32.2% owning outright and 28.8% carrying a mortgage, so a buyer competes against established owners more than leveraged recent arrivals.
For Buyers
At a $552,500 median, East Lismore costs a fraction of metropolitan Sydney, and the math works for owner-occupiers because monthly repayments of $1,430 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.7%, below the 30% stress threshold despite household income in the 27.2nd percentile. The stock suits families: 79.0% are separate houses against just 5.7% apartments, and three-bedroom homes dominate at 46.7% with four-plus-bedroom dwellings a further 24.1%. Recorded prices jumped 23.9% from $492,500 in 2024 to $610,000 in 2025, so entry costs are rising. Ownership splits fairly evenly, with 32.2% owning outright and 28.8% carrying a mortgage, so a buyer competes against established owners more than leveraged recent arrivals.
For Investors
The renter share of 39.0% gives landlords a real tenant pool, larger than the mortgage-holder share of 28.8%, and weekly rent of $310 against the $552,500 median implies a gross yield near 2.9%, higher than the sub-2% yields typical of premium capital-city suburbs. Rent grew 36.4% over the decade, ahead of the 22.9% real income growth, which tightens affordability for tenants but supports cashflow for owners. The risks are demographic: the vacancy rate of 6.2% is elevated, and the forecast shows population falling 1.07% annually with net internal migration of minus 480 a year only partly offset by 70 overseas arrivals. Development is modest at 24 applications in 12 months, so new supply is limited, which protects existing rents but signals thin investor confidence.
Development Activity
Total DAs
139
Last 12 Months
25
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+31.6%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in East Lismore iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Trinity Catholic College Lismore
7-12 · 816 students
Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School
K-6 · 189 students
Albert Park Public School
K-6 · 102 students
Demographics
The median age of 39 sits 1.0 year below the national figure, but the trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 4.3 points and the young-resident share down 2.2 points over the decade. The population is notably less international than average: only 10.2% were born overseas, 11.4 points below national, and ancestry is heavily Anglo, led by English (2,017), Irish (738) and Scottish (612). Non-English languages are marginal, with German (14) and Italian (12) the most common, so this is not a migrant-driven market. University qualifications reach 28.3%, slightly below national by 1.8 points, while average household size of 2.3 runs 0.2 below national. Couples with children (1,264 families) outnumber couples without (894), pointing to a family-oriented but slowly aging base.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
79.0%
Houses
15.3%
Townhouse
5.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is genuinely mixed: 39.0% rent, 32.2% own outright and 28.8% carry a mortgage, an unusually high renter share for a house-dominant regional suburb. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 79.0%, with apartments only 5.7%, and three-bedroom homes lead at 46.7%, so the housing is built around families rather than singles or downsizers. The median house price rose 23.9% from $492,500 in 2024 to $610,000 in 2025, a steep one-year move where household income sits in the 27.2nd percentile. Affordability still improved over the longer run, easing from 51.4% of income in 2011 to 46.4% in 2021, because real incomes grew 22.9% over the decade. Mortgage-to-income at 26.7% and rent-to-income at 25.1% both stay under the 30% stress line.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,430
Rent / wk
$310
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$670
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.2%
Unoccupied
130
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
26.4%
Couples, no children
3,381
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce leans heavily on essential services: Healthcare leads at 28.2% (406 workers) and Education follows at 16.7% (241), together more than 44% of local jobs, with Retail at 8.6% and Construction at 6.5%. That concentration in stable public-facing sectors explains the modest but steady incomes you would expect in a regional centre. By occupation, Professionals (452) and Community and Personal Service workers (363) dominate, consistent with the hospital and school base. The labour market is softer than capital-city averages, with unemployment at 6.3% and participation at just 53.1%, partly because 1,455 residents are not in the labour force. SEIFA confirms the constraint, with IER at decile 1 and IRSAD at decile 2, both in the bottom tiers nationally.
Unemployment
5.9%
Labour Force
6,945
Unemployed
410
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.6%
Part-time
36.1%
Participation
53.1%
Employed
2,062
Occupations
Top Industries
University
28.3%
Postgraduate
6.4%
Born Overseas
10.2%
Dwellings
1,940
Transport to Work
East Lismore is car-dependent, with 85.0% of commuters driving and only 0.8% using public transport, well below capital-city averages, while 5.6% walk or cycle. No schools are recorded inside the 6.54 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring parts of Lismore, a trade-off offset by a low density of 761 residents per km2 and the 79.0% detached-house stock. The suburb scores decile 2 on IRSAD and decile 1 on the economic-resources index, the lowest tiers nationally, and 8.6% of residents (393 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the aging trajectory. Volunteering at 17.0% and a residential stability rate of 75.1% point to a settled community where most residents stay put year to year.
Drive
85.0%
Public Transport
0.8%
Walk / Cycle
5.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-1.07%/yr
(-146 people/yr)
EstablishedEast Lismore is contracting, with annual population growth at minus 1.07% and a 10-year change of minus 2.2%, well below the national pace of positive growth and classifying it as an established, declining market. The medium forecast extends the decline from 14,020 in 2026 toward 13,288 by 2031 across the wider area, driven by net internal outflow of 480 residents a year that 70 overseas arrivals cannot offset. Despite the shrinkage, the gentrification shift score reads 27, an early-signs reading, because rent rose 36.4% and real incomes grew 22.9% over the decade even as the headcount fell. The combination of falling population but rising rents and incomes points to a tightening, not a collapsing, market.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+70
Net Internal / yr
-480
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -480/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How East Lismore compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is East Lismore a good suburb to live in?
East Lismore suits families seeking affordable detached housing, with a $552,500 median house price and 79.0% separate houses. The trade-offs are economic: it scores decile 2 on IRSAD and household income sits in the 27.2nd percentile nationally, and the population is shrinking 1.07% a year.
What is the median house price in East Lismore?
The median house price is $552,500. Recorded prices rose 23.9% from $492,500 in 2024 to $610,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $310 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,430, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.7%, below the 30% stress line.
What schools are in East Lismore?
No schools are recorded inside the 6.54 km2 East Lismore boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring parts of Lismore. Education is a major local employer at 16.7% of jobs, and 28.3% of residents hold university qualifications, just 1.8 points below national.
Is East Lismore safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for East Lismore in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 2 on the IRSAD index and 8.6% of its residents (393 people) need daily assistance, figures consistent with a lower-advantage but settled regional area where 75.1% of residents stay put year to year.
Is East Lismore good for property investment?
Rent of $310 a week against a $552,500 median gives a gross yield near 2.9%, higher than premium capital-city suburbs. Rent grew 36.4% over the decade, but the 6.2% vacancy rate and a population falling 1.07% a year mean returns lean on yield and rent growth rather than capital appreciation.
How is East Lismore's population changing?
The population of about 4,980 is contracting 1.07% annually, with a 10-year change of minus 2.2%. Net internal migration removes 480 residents a year while only 70 overseas arrivals offset it. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 4.3 points and the young-resident share down 2.2 points over the decade.
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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