Mount Saint Thomas
At 0.54 square kilometres with 1,449 residents, Mount Saint Thomas in Wollongong is one of the more compact owner-occupier pockets in NSW, yet its median house price of $920,000 sits well above what household income at the 66.5th percentile nationally might suggest. The suburb skews toward detached housing (92.2% of dwellings are separate houses) and mortgage holders (43.5% carry a loan). University qualifications reach 33.6%, which is 3.5 percentage points above the national figure, reflecting the suburb's proximity to the University of Wollongong. Healthcare (20.3%) and Education (15.8%) dominate local employment, industries that bring reliable salaried incomes.
Population
1,449
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,835/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
9
Median House
$920K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price reached $920,000 in 2025, up 2.0% from $902,500 in 2024, a modest gain compared to broader NSW coastal markets. At 92.2%, separate houses dominate the stock, so buyers face limited competition from apartment alternatives. Three-bedroom homes make up 51.2% of dwellings and 4-plus bedroom homes a further 22.1%, so the typical purchase is family-scale. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 27.3%, below the 30% stress threshold, meaning the suburb remains serviceable for households at the 66.5th income percentile nationally. Outright owners at 29.0% are a meaningful share, suggesting established residents who bought earlier at lower prices.
For Buyers
The median house price reached $920,000 in 2025, up 2.0% from $902,500 in 2024, a modest gain compared to broader NSW coastal markets. At 92.2%, separate houses dominate the stock, so buyers face limited competition from apartment alternatives. Three-bedroom homes make up 51.2% of dwellings and 4-plus bedroom homes a further 22.1%, so the typical purchase is family-scale. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 27.3%, below the 30% stress threshold, meaning the suburb remains serviceable for households at the 66.5th income percentile nationally. Outright owners at 29.0% are a meaningful share, suggesting established residents who bought earlier at lower prices.
For Investors
Renters make up 27.5% of households and weekly rent runs at $300, which against a $920,000 median house price implies a gross yield around 1.7%, low by regional NSW standards. The vacancy rate of 2.3% is tight, consistent with steady underlying demand in a suburb close to Wollongong's CBD and hospital precinct. Development activity is modest, with 10 applications lodged in the past 12 months, mostly individual dwelling houses and alterations rather than medium-density supply. The 1.9% price growth from 2024 to 2025 is thin, so returns currently lean toward rental income stability rather than rapid capital growth. The 82.8% resident retention rate signals low churn, which supports tenant quality but also limits rental stock turnover.
Development Activity
Total DAs
59
Last 12 Months
9
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-30.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
Mount Saint Thomas skews slightly younger than the national median, with a median age of 37 compared to the national 40, a gap of 3 years. University qualifications at 33.6% run 3.5 percentage points above national, consistent with the suburb's proximity to education and health employers. Overseas-born residents account for 22.4% of the population, broadly in line with the national figure. The dominant ancestry groups are English (518), Irish (190) and Scottish (157), with a smaller Macedonian community (83). Average household size is 2.6, just 0.1 above national, and 45.5% of families are couples with children, reflecting a working-age household base. The volunteering rate of 12.0% indicates moderate civic participation.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
92.2%
Houses
6.5%
Townhouse
1.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Separate houses account for 92.2% of the dwelling stock, among the higher detached-dominant readings in NSW coastal suburbs, with semi-detached at 6.5% and apartments at just 1.3%. Tenure splits across owners outright (29.0%), mortgaged (43.5%) and renters (27.5%), with mortgage holders the largest single group. Three-bedroom dwellings make up 51.2% of the stock and 4-plus bedrooms 22.1%, meaning the suburb is oriented toward family living rather than smaller households. Price history shows $902,500 in 2024 rising to $920,000 in 2025, a 1.9% CAGR, modest in the context of greater Sydney but steady. Rent stress and mortgage stress are both absent: rent-to-income sits at 16.3% and mortgage-to-income at 27.3%, both below standard stress thresholds.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$300
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$819
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
2.3%
Unoccupied
13
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.7%
Couples, no children
1,186
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest local industry at 20.3% of employed residents (103 workers), reflecting proximity to Wollongong Hospital, one of the region's anchor employers. Education follows at 15.8% (80 workers), linked to nearby University of Wollongong campuses and local schools. Construction (10.8%) and Public Administration (9.3%) fill out the top four, indicating a mixed economy rather than dependence on a single sector. By occupation, Professionals lead at 205 workers, well ahead of Clerical/Admin at 99 and Community/Personal at 87. The unemployment rate is 4.7% against a participation rate of 56.6%, with 399 residents not in the labour force, a proportion consistent with the suburb's mix of families and older established residents. Full-time employment runs at 65.4%, above average for a suburb of this size.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.4%
Part-time
29.9%
Participation
56.6%
Employed
627
Occupations
Top Industries
University
33.6%
Postgraduate
8.6%
Born Overseas
22.4%
Dwellings
550
Transport to Work
Car dependency is strong, with 90.9% of employed residents driving to work, compared to 2.2% using public transport. This is consistent with the suburb's position in outer Wollongong rather than on a main rail corridor. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring Wollongong suburbs. The suburb's 6.3% need-assistance rate (88 residents) is a modest figure. Housing stress is absent on both the rental and mortgage sides, with rent-to-income at 16.3% and mortgage-to-income at 27.3%. The 27.5% renter share means most households are owners or purchasers, which typically correlates with longer tenure and neighbourhood stability. SEIFA decile data is not available for this suburb.
Drive
90.9%
Public Transport
2.2%
Walk / Cycle
0.8%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Mount Saint Thomas compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Saint Thomas a good suburb to live in?
Mount Saint Thomas suits working families and professionals in healthcare or education. Household income sits at the 66.5th percentile nationally and housing stress is absent, with mortgage-to-income at 27.3% and rent-to-income at 16.3%. The suburb has a 92.2% detached house stock in a compact 0.54 km2 footprint close to Wollongong's CBD.
What is the median house price in Mount Saint Thomas?
The median house price is $920,000 as of 2025, up 1.9% from $902,500 in 2024. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167. Weekly rent runs at $300, implying a gross yield around 1.7% against the median purchase price.
What schools are in Mount Saint Thomas?
No schools are recorded inside the Mount Saint Thomas boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring Wollongong suburbs. The local population has a university qualification rate of 33.6%, which is 3.5 percentage points above the national figure.
Is Mount Saint Thomas safe?
Crime statistics are not available for Mount Saint Thomas in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, housing stress is absent on both mortgage (27.3% of income) and rental (16.3%) measures, and 82.8% of residents stayed in the suburb in the prior year, suggesting stable, established households rather than high-turnover conditions.
Is Mount Saint Thomas good for property investment?
Weekly rent of $300 against a $920,000 median implies a gross yield around 1.7%, low by regional NSW standards. The vacancy rate of 2.3% is tight and the 27.5% renter share provides a stable tenant pool. Price growth was 1.9% from 2024 to 2025, so the investment case rests on steady income and proximity to Wollongong's major employers rather than short-term capital growth.
How is Mount Saint Thomas's population changing?
No population forecast data is available in this dataset. The current population is 1,449 across 0.54 km2. Resident stability is high, with 82.8% not moving in the prior year and a turnover rate of only 17.2%. Development activity is modest at 10 applications in 12 months, limiting new housing supply.
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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