Living in Alice Springs

In Alice Springs, the median rent tenants pay is €1,032 a month (2021) and unemployment is 1.7% (2026).

Median personal income was A$1,131 per week in August 2021. In August 2021, Alice Springs had a population of 25,912. Foreign-born residents accounted for 26.2% of the population in 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-079 sources

Population25,912people10 Aug 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia

Median gross salary (region)3,041EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Median rent1,032EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02

Unemployment rate1.7%country median 4.5% — 62% belowIndependent source · DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026

Which Australia-wide rules apply when you move to Alice Springs?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in AustraliaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Alice Springs.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Median rent was A$375 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,800 in August 2021.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€70

Mobile plan, 10 GB€46

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	69.92 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Telstra nbn100⁵Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	45.79 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Telstra Upfront Basic⁶Official · national market
Dwellings	10,065 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Main residence dwellings	8,891 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median weekly rent (AUD)	375 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median monthly rent	1,032 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02²Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,032 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02²Official

Is Alice Springs a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker56%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 46–66%

Skilled employee69%strong on work, weak on safety · range 61–77%

Student45%strong on education, weak on safety · range 37–53%

Family69%strong on family, weak on safety · range 60–78%

Retirement35%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 22–48%

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

26.2% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 6,793 of 25,912 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 1.7% in March 2026. Median household income was A$2,142 per week in August 2021.

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Alice Springs is 1.7%. Of 100 cities with data, 32 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Alice Springs 1.7%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in full-time employment	9,793 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Employment rate	66.9 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median household income (AUD/week)	2,142 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median personal income (AUD/week)	1,131 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,041 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁸Official
Unemployment rate	1.7 %country median 4.5%	31 Mar 2026	DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026⁹Independent

What does a salary buy in Alice Springs?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,395of €2,543 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,543
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · 2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02 · 2021-12-31	− €1,032
Internet€70 · official · Telstra nbn100 · 2026-07-31	− €70
Mobile plan€46 · official · Telstra Upfront Basic · 2026-07-31	− €46
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,395

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Alice Springs Salary needed to live in Alice Springs

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Alice Springs. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Workforce Australia — Public employment service

Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Australia service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Alice Springs. Sources checked through 11 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People who speak a language other than English at home	24.44 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Alice Springs. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) — State Language Course

Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

For eligible migrants, humanitarian entrants.

EnglishIn Person, Online, HybridFree

Open official information

Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) — Newcomer Adaptation

Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

For humanitarian entrants.

In Person, HybridFree

Open official information

Open the full Australia section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Alice Springs.

Find courses near Alice Springs

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

37°22°

36°20°

34°17°

30°12°

24°8°

20°4°

21°4°

24°5°

29°10°

32°14°

34°18°

36°20°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

317

274

298

291

268

253

284

314

302

317

298

295

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan 37.2 · Feb 35.9 · Mar 33.6 · Apr 29.5 · May 23.8 · Jun 20.2 · Jul 20.8 · Aug 23.6 · Sep 28.9 · Oct 31.9 · Nov 34.4 · Dec 35.7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT⁷Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 21.6 · Feb 20.5 · Mar 17.3 · Apr 12.4 · May 7.7 · Jun 4.3 · Jul 3.7 · Aug 5.4 · Sep 10.5 · Oct 14.3 · Nov 17.8 · Dec 20.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT⁷Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 29.4 · Feb 28.2 · Mar 25.5 · Apr 21 · May 15.7 · Jun 12.3 · Jul 12.2 · Aug 14.5 · Sep 19.7 · Oct 23.1 · Nov 26.1 · Dec 28 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT⁷Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 48.9 · Feb 40.7 · Mar 19.3 · Apr 19.3 · May 18 · Jun 10.3 · Jul 12.1 · Aug 3.8 · Sep 7.6 · Oct 18.7 · Nov 33.8 · Dec 40.1 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT⁷Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 317.1 · Feb 274.3 · Mar 298.4 · Apr 290.9 · May 268 · Jun 253.2 · Jul 284.2 · Aug 313.5 · Sep 302.1 · Oct 317 · Nov 297.7 · Dec 295.3 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT⁷Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. Elsewhere: Ventura (United States) ±8.8 °C, Downey (United States) ±8.8 °C, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) ±8.0 °C, Telde (Spain) ±8.0 °C, Urban Honolulu (United States) ±8.0 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The city covered 327.7 km² in 2021. Population density was 94.2 people per km² in 2025.

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 6,793 is not 32.9% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport73.8%
Foreign residents26.2%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	327.7 km²	31 Dec 2021	Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA.³Official
Foreign-resident share	32.9 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Foreign residents	6,793 people	10 Aug 2021	Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality.²Official
Population density	94.21 people/km²	31 Dec 2025	Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation.⁴Official
Female residents	13,309 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Male residents	12,598 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Population	25,912 people	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

25,515

27,434

29,353

31,272

30,875200120052011201520212025

Population rose 15.0% between 2001 and 2025, from 26,849 to 30,875.

International community in Alice Springs

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G09 PERSONS total across age groups and sex · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	25,912	100.0%
Australia	17,380	67.1%
Country of birth not stated	1,729	6.7%
India	962	3.7%
New Zealand	826	3.2%
Born elsewhere(d)	788	3.0%
United States of America	687	2.7%
England	618	2.4%
Philippines	589	2.3%
Nepal	213	0.8%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	192	0.7%

Show 39 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Zimbabwe	181	0.7%
South Africa	165	0.6%
Sri Lanka	123	0.5%
Germany	104	0.4%
Fiji	103	0.4%
Vietnam	90	0.3%
Scotland	82	0.3%
Ireland	74	0.3%
Italy	69	0.3%
Papua New Guinea	67	0.3%
Thailand	67	0.3%
Indonesia	66	0.3%
Pakistan	66	0.3%
Taiwan	66	0.3%
France	58	0.2%
Canada	54	0.2%
Malaysia	44	0.2%
Netherlands	44	0.2%
Korea, Republic of (South)	42	0.2%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	36	0.1%
Japan	36	0.1%
Bangladesh	35	0.1%
Samoa	32	0.1%
Brazil	31	0.1%
Wales	24	0.1%
Chile	17	0.1%
Poland	17	0.1%
Mauritius	16	0.1%
Myanmar	15	0.1%
Greece	14	0.1%
Singapore	14	0.1%
Egypt	13	0.1%
Iran	10	0.0%
Cambodia	9	0.0%
Lebanon	6	0.0%
Turkey	4	0.0%
Afghanistan	3	0.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3	0.0%
Malta	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	25,912	100.0%
Australia	17,380	67.1%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	6,793	26.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Citizenship

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	25,912	100.0%
Australian citizen	20,299	78.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	26.22 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Households	8,891 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Labour force participation rate	69.3 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median age	34 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median monthly mortgage repayment (AUD)	1,800 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Alternatives for people set on Alice Springs

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Alice Springs from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Alternative cities in Australia

Other cities in Australia to compare with Alice Springs, nearest in population first.

All Australia cities

Taree26,858 residents Bacchus Marsh24,717 residents Goulburn24,565 residents Morisset - Cooranbong27,787 residents Maryborough27,820 residents Burnie - Wynyard27,826 residents

How does Alice Springs compare?

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Alice Springs in rankings

#1 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Australia #4 of 30 in Most international cities in Australia #7 of 30 in Cities with the most published annual sunshine #16 of 30 in Cities with the hottest summers #17 of 30 in Cities with the lowest published annual rainfall

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Alice Springs when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Alice Springs's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the typical salary around Alice Springs?

The median gross salary is 3,041 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

What is the unemployment rate in Alice Springs?

The unemployment rate is 1.7 %. Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026.

How many people live in Alice Springs?

The published population is 25,912 people. Source: 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia.

How many foreign residents live in Alice Springs?

6,793 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality..

Is Alice Springs a good place to live?

Alice Springs may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Alice Springs?

The official country of birth distribution records 17,380 people (67.1%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Alice Springs, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 4e29992729fc03a561d13f8a8cc43567]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/alice-springs/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_alice-springs-australia-population-rent-salary-jobs_b396f25814fe,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Alice Springs, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {4e29992729fc03a561d13f8a8cc43567},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/alice-springs/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Alice Springs, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/alice-springs/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 4e29992729fc03a561d13f8a8cc43567; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Australian Bureau of Statistics abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-03
Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-08-10
Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA. geo.abs.gov.au · checked 2016-07-01
Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-06-30
Telstra nbn100 telstra.com.au · checked 2026-09-15
Telstra Upfront Basic telstra.com.au · checked 2026-09-15
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ALICE SPRINGS AIRPORT WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
www.abs.gov.au abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-27
DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026 DEWR · dewr.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.