Living in Broken Hill

The population of Broken Hill, in Australia, was 17,588 in August 2021. The city covered 170.1 km² in 2016. In March 2026, the unemployment rate was 3.1%.

Which Australia-wide rules apply when you move to Broken Hill?

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 Broken Hill.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Median rent was A$220 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$867 in August 2021.

City-level rent is published below; no city-level cost-of-living basket is published for Broken Hill yet.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	8,836 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	7,308 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median Weekly Rent Aud	220 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

5.2% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 907 people of 17,588 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Median personal income was A$647 per week in August 2021. Median household income was A$1,173 per week in August 2021.

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Broken Hill is 3.1%. Of 100 cities with data, 29 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment Full Time Count	4,422 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Employment rate	49.1 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median Household Income Aud Week	1,173 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median Personal Income Aud Week	647 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median gross salary (regional)	1,468 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁶Official
Unemployment rate	3.1 %country median 4.4%	31 Mar 2026	DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026⁷Independent

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Broken Hill. 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 Broken Hill. Sources checked through 11 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Language Other Than English At Home Share Percent	3.39 %	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 Broken Hill. 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 Broken Hill.

Climate and air quality

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

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan 33.8 · Feb 32.7 · Mar 29.1 · Apr 24.5 · May 19.3 · Jun 16.1 · Jul 15.7 · Aug 18 · Sep 21.9 · Oct 25.7 · Nov 29.1 · Dec 31.6 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BROKEN HILL⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 19.3 · Feb 18.7 · Mar 15.3 · Apr 11.3 · May 7.8 · Jun 5.6 · Jul 4.9 · Aug 5.6 · Sep 8.6 · Oct 11.6 · Nov 15 · Dec 17.3 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BROKEN HILL⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 26.5 · Feb 25.7 · Mar 22.2 · Apr 17.9 · May 13.6 · Jun 10.8 · Jul 10.3 · Aug 11.8 · Sep 15.2 · Oct 18.7 · Nov 22 · Dec 24.5 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BROKEN HILL⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 27.3 · Feb 27.2 · Mar 16.1 · Apr 13.4 · May 15.6 · Jun 16.5 · Jul 18.1 · Aug 15.2 · Sep 20.5 · Oct 19.9 · Nov 24.4 · Dec 25 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BROKEN HILL⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Australia

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Australia cities

Batemans Bay17,524 residents Wagga Wagga17,026 residents St Georges Basin - Sanctuary Point17,018 residents Karratha17,013 residents Melbourne16,985 residents Murray Bridge18,243 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	170.1 km²	1 Jul 2016	Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area_albers_sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA.³Official
Foreign-resident share	14 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Foreign residents	907 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	103.8 people/km²	30 Jun 2021	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
Population Female	9,020 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Population Male	8,565 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Population	17,588 people	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

Population fell 16.3% between 2001 and 2025, from 20,929 to 17,515.

International community in Broken Hill

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	17,588	100.0%
Australia	15,119	86.0%
Country of birth not stated	1,567	8.9%
Philippines	201	1.1%
England	137	0.8%
New Zealand	72	0.4%
Born elsewhere(d)	71	0.4%
India	67	0.4%
Germany	35	0.2%
United States of America	27	0.2%
Italy	25	0.1%

Show 27 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Malta	22	0.1%
Scotland	22	0.1%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	18	0.1%
Netherlands	18	0.1%
South Africa	17	0.1%
Thailand	14	0.1%
Canada	10	0.1%
Malaysia	10	0.1%
Papua New Guinea	10	0.1%
Zimbabwe	10	0.1%
Fiji	9	0.1%
Greece	8	0.0%
Sri Lanka	8	0.0%
Ireland	7	0.0%
Nepal	7	0.0%
Vietnam	7	0.0%
Wales	6	0.0%
Indonesia	5	0.0%
Myanmar	5	0.0%
Bangladesh	4	0.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4	0.0%
Croatia	4	0.0%
France	4	0.0%
Japan	4	0.0%
Egypt	3	0.0%
Iran	3	0.0%
Korea, Republic of (South)	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	17,588	100.0%
Australia	15,119	86.0%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	907	5.2%

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	17,588	100.0%
Australian citizen	15,670	89.1%

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

Is Broken Hill 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 worker50%strong on housing, weak on air quality · range 40–60%

Skilled employee56%strong on housing, weak on safety · range 48–64%

Student43%strong on housing, weak on safety · range 35–51%

Family53%strong on family, weak on safety · range 44–62%

Retirement57%strong on housing, weak on admin · range 44–70%

Foreign residents907 people10 Aug 2021Official 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.

Population17,588 people10 Aug 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia

Dwellings8,836 dwellings31 Dec 2021Official source · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Employment rate49.1 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Median gross salary (regional)1,468 EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Unemployment rate3.1 %31 Mar 2026Independent source · DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026

Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-27

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	5.16 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Households	7,308 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Labour force participation rate	52 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median age	44 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median Monthly Mortgage Repayment Aud	867 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Broken Hill 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.

Common questions

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

What is the typical salary around Broken Hill?

The median gross salary is 1,468 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

What is the unemployment rate in Broken Hill?

The unemployment rate is 3.1 %. Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026.

How many people live in Broken Hill?

The published population is 17,588 people. Source: 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia.

How many foreign residents live in Broken Hill?

907 people 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 Broken Hill a good place to live?

Broken Hill 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 Afghanistan live in Broken Hill?

The official country of birth distribution records 0 people (0.0%) 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, September 12). Broken Hill, Australia: rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/broken-hill/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_broken-hill-australia-rent-salary-jobs_9c3b9f9e254a,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Broken Hill, Australia: rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/broken-hill/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Broken Hill, Australia: rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/broken-hill/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BROKEN HILL 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.