Moonah
A median house price of $712,500 sitting beside a household income in just the 41.8th percentile nationally is the tension that defines Moonah. The suburb scores decile 1 on the SEIFA index of economic resources and decile 2 on relative disadvantage, yet its median house price has climbed 16.8% in two years, from $610,000 in 2024 to $712,500 in 2026. University qualifications reach 46.8%, which is 16.7 points above the national figure, and the median age of 35 runs 5.0 years below national. That gap between modest local incomes and rising prices is the clearest signal of an established Hobart suburb being reshaped by buyers from outside it.
Population
5,884
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,421/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$712K
YTD 2026
At $712,500 the Moonah median is steep relative to local incomes that sit in the 41.8th percentile, but the dwelling stock favours buyers chasing a standalone home: 84.8% are separate houses, with apartments at just 5.4% and semi-detached at 8.9%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 47.7% and two-bedroom at 30.3%, so the market is built around small families and downsizers rather than large households. Prices rose 16.8% over two years, from $610,000 in 2024 to $712,500 in 2026, faster than incomes grew. Despite that, the mortgage-to-income ratio holds at 22.5%, below the 30% stress threshold, because average monthly repayments of $1,387 stay manageable against household income. Outright owners (28.1%) trail mortgage holders (31.7%), pointing to a market of working buyers rather than long-settled, debt-free residents.
For Buyers
At $712,500 the Moonah median is steep relative to local incomes that sit in the 41.8th percentile, but the dwelling stock favours buyers chasing a standalone home: 84.8% are separate houses, with apartments at just 5.4% and semi-detached at 8.9%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 47.7% and two-bedroom at 30.3%, so the market is built around small families and downsizers rather than large households. Prices rose 16.8% over two years, from $610,000 in 2024 to $712,500 in 2026, faster than incomes grew. Despite that, the mortgage-to-income ratio holds at 22.5%, below the 30% stress threshold, because average monthly repayments of $1,387 stay manageable against household income. Outright owners (28.1%) trail mortgage holders (31.7%), pointing to a market of working buyers rather than long-settled, debt-free residents.
For Investors
A 40.2% renter share gives Moonah a deep tenant pool, the largest tenure group ahead of mortgage holders at 31.7%. Weekly rent of $330 against the $712,500 median implies a gross yield near 2.4%, modest, though rents have grown 51.1% over the decade, the fastest-moving number in the suburb's profile. The 6.8% vacancy rate is on the higher side and tempers the supply-shortage case. Demand support is uneven: net overseas migration adds 55 residents a year while internal migration removes 160, so the population leans on arrivals from abroad. No development applications were recorded in the past 12 months, meaning little new supply is entering. The investment case here rests more on rent escalation and gentrification than on yield, with the gentrification score reading 64 in the active stage.
Schools in Moonah iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Therese's Catholic School
Prep-6 · 207 students
Bowen Road Primary School
K-6 · 212 students
Demographics
The median age of 35 is 5.0 years below the national figure, a young profile for an established suburb and consistent with a renter-heavy, working-age population. Overseas-born residents reach 28.7%, which is 7.1 points above national. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,104), Irish (611) and Scottish (487), while the top non-English languages are Nepali (201), Punjabi (69) and Mandarin (61), an unusually South-Asian-weighted mix for Tasmania. University qualifications at 46.8% run 16.7 points above national, well ahead of the state norm. Christianity (1,955 residents) leads on religion, but Hinduism (490) and Islam (202) register more strongly than in most Hobart suburbs, reflecting the same migration that drives the Nepali and Punjabi language counts. Average household size is 2.4, close to national.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
84.8%
Houses
8.9%
Townhouse
5.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits three ways: 31.7% carry a mortgage, 40.2% rent and 28.1% own outright. Renters outnumbering both owner groups marks Moonah as a working, transitional market rather than one of long-held, debt-free wealth. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 84.8% separate houses, with apartments at only 5.4%, so supply is dominated by standalone homes on land. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 47.7% and two-bedroom 30.3%, while 4-plus bedroom homes are just 14.4%. The median house price rose from $610,000 in 2024 to $712,500 in 2026, a 16.8% two-year move, and the long-run record shows a 7.6% compound annual growth rate over 30 years from a 1996 median of $80,000. Both mortgage-to-income at 22.5% and rent-to-income at 23.2% stay below the 30% stress threshold, so households are stretched but not yet in formal stress.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,387
Rent / wk
$330
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$733
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.8%
Unoccupied
170
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
28.4%
Couples, no children
4,086
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in service sectors led by Healthcare at 19.4% (427 workers), Education at 11.9% (261) and Hospitality at 10.0% (220), with Public Admin at 9.9% and Retail at 8.3%. By occupation, Professionals (679) lead, followed by Community and Personal Service workers (509) and Clerical and Admin (336), a mix that fits the 46.8% university qualification rate. Unemployment is elevated at 7.8% and the participation rate reads 62.3%, both consistent with the decile 1 IER score on economic resources. The SEIFA spread is telling: decile 5 on education and occupation (IEO) against decile 2 on relative disadvantage (IRSD), because a well-qualified resident base coexists with low aggregate household wealth in a renter-heavy suburb. Real incomes still grew 14.6% over the decade.
Unemployment
5.1%
Labour Force
3,243
Unemployed
166
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.7%
Part-time
35.5%
Participation
62.3%
Employed
2,859
Occupations
Top Industries
University
46.8%
Postgraduate
18.3%
Born Overseas
28.7%
Dwellings
2,343
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high at 71.1% of commuters driving, with public transport at 10.9% and active travel at 8.6%, a car-led pattern typical of a Hobart suburb without rail. On disadvantage, Moonah scores decile 3 on IRSAD and decile 2 on IRSD, below the national midpoint, so the area carries more relative disadvantage than the average suburb. Volunteering runs at 18.2% and 6.0% of residents (337 people) need daily assistance. Rent-to-income at 23.2% keeps tenants below the stress threshold despite the 40.2% renter share. No schools are recorded inside the 2.84 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off at the suburb's density of 2,068 residents per km2.
Drive
71.1%
Public Transport
10.9%
Walk / Cycle
8.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.62%/yr
(+26 people/yr)
EstablishedMoonah is a slow-growth established suburb, with annual population growth of 0.62%, about 26 people a year, well below the rate of greenfield growth corridors. The 10-year change of 16.5% shows steadier expansion behind that recent flattening. Overseas migration of 55 a year is the sole positive driver, offset by a net internal outflow of 160, so the suburb depends entirely on arrivals from abroad to grow. The gentrification score reads 64 in the active stage, and the supporting signals back it: rents grew 51.1% and real incomes climbed 14.6% over the decade. Affordability worsened from 43.7% in 2011 to 46.8% in 2021, the cost of that gentrification.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+55
Net Internal / yr
-160
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -160/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Moonah compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Moonah a good suburb to live in?
Moonah scores decile 5 on the SEIFA education and occupation index but decile 2 on relative disadvantage, so it is mixed. University qualifications reach 46.8%, which is 16.7 points above national, and the median age of 35 is 5.0 years below national, suiting younger working households over those seeking a high-advantage area.
What is the median house price in Moonah?
The median house price is $712,500 as of 2026, up 16.8% from $610,000 in 2024. Weekly rent averages $330 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,387, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.5%, below the 30% stress threshold despite local incomes in the 41.8th percentile.
What schools are in Moonah?
No schools are recorded inside the 2.84 km2 Moonah boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is well educated, with university qualifications at 46.8%, which is 16.7 points above the national figure.
Is Moonah safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Moonah in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 2 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, below the national midpoint, and 6.0% of its 5,884 residents need daily assistance, figures that point to a moderate-disadvantage profile.
Is Moonah good for property investment?
Rent of $330 a week against the $712,500 median gives a gross yield near 2.4%, modest, and the 6.8% vacancy rate is on the higher side. Rents grew 51.1% over the decade and the gentrification score reads 64, so returns lean on rent growth rather than yield.
How is Moonah's population changing?
Population growth is 0.62% a year, about 26 people, with a 16.5% rise over 10 years. Net overseas migration adds 55 residents a year while internal migration removes 160, so growth depends on arrivals from abroad against an outflow to other parts of Australia.
What languages are spoken in Moonah?
About 28.7% of residents were born overseas, 7.1 points above the national figure. English dominates, but Nepali (201 speakers), Punjabi (69), Mandarin (61) and Urdu (40) are the most common non-English languages, an unusually South-Asian-weighted mix for a Tasmanian suburb.
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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