Living in Colac

Colac is in Australia; its population was 11,352 in August 2021. For Colac, median household income was A$1,200 per week in August 2021. The city covered 54.7 km² in 2016. Population density was 232 people per km² in 2021.

Which Australia-wide rules apply when you move to Colac?

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 Colac.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Median rent was A$310 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,408 in August 2021.

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	5,216 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	4,737 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median Weekly Rent Aud	310 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

11.2% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 1,269 people of 11,352 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$683 per week in August 2021.

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Colac is 3.9%. Of 100 cities with data, 29 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment Full Time Count	2,111 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Employment rate	46.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median Household Income Aud Week	1,200 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median Personal Income Aud Week	683 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median gross salary (regional)	1,550 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁵Official
Unemployment rate	3.9 %country median 4.4%	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Language Other Than English At Home Share Percent	3.75 %	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 Colac. 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 Colac.

Cities of a similar size in Australia

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

All Australia cities

Portland11,230 residents Swan Hill11,186 residents Camden Haven10,914 residents Esperance12,003 residents Mackay10,545 residents Newcastle - Maitland12,272 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	54.73 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	20 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Foreign residents	1,269 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	232 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	5,759 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Population Male	5,598 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Population	11,352 people	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

Population rose 24.4% between 2001 and 2025, from 9,358 to 11,640.

International community in Colac

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 G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	11,352	100.0%
Australia	9,079	80.0%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	1,511	13.3%

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 G09 PERSONS total across age groups and sex · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	11,352	100.0%
Australia	9,079	80.0%
Country of birth not stated	769	6.8%
England	436	3.8%
New Zealand	176	1.6%
Born elsewhere(d)	172	1.5%
Germany	60	0.5%
United States of America	60	0.5%
Scotland	58	0.5%
Vietnam	50	0.4%
India	49	0.4%

Show 34 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Netherlands	42	0.4%
South Africa	40	0.4%
Canada	33	0.3%
Malaysia	31	0.3%
Ireland	23	0.2%
Philippines	23	0.2%
Italy	21	0.2%
Wales	21	0.2%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	20	0.2%
France	19	0.2%
Sri Lanka	19	0.2%
Greece	15	0.1%
Japan	15	0.1%
Indonesia	13	0.1%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	12	0.1%
Croatia	11	0.1%
Papua New Guinea	11	0.1%
Poland	9	0.1%
Cambodia	7	0.1%
Lebanon	7	0.1%
Iran	6	0.1%
Thailand	6	0.1%
Taiwan	5	0.0%
Chile	4	0.0%
Egypt	4	0.0%
Korea, Republic of (South)	4	0.0%
Mauritius	4	0.0%
North Macedonia	4	0.0%
Afghanistan	3	0.0%
Brazil	3	0.0%
Iraq	3	0.0%
Malta	3	0.0%
Turkey	3	0.0%
Zimbabwe	3	0.0%

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	11,352	100.0%
Australian citizen	9,763	86.0%

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

Is Colac 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 worker41%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 31–51%

Skilled employee49%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 41–57%

Student36%strong on education, weak on safety · range 28–44%

Family45%strong on family, weak on safety · range 36–54%

Retirement51%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 38–64%

Foreign residents1,269 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.

Population11,352 people10 Aug 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia

Dwellings5,216 dwellings31 Dec 2021Official source · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Employment rate46.8 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Median gross salary (regional)1,550 EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Unemployment rate3.9 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Australian Bureau of Statistics

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

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	13.31 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Households	4,737 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Labour force participation rate	48.7 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Median age	50 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official
Median Monthly Mortgage Repayment Aud	1,408 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia²Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Colac 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 Colac?

The median gross salary is 1,550 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

What is the unemployment rate in Colac?

The unemployment rate is 3.9 %. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

How many people live in Colac?

The published population is 11,352 people. Source: 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia.

How many foreign residents live in Colac?

1,269 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 Colac a good place to live?

Colac 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 Colac?

The official country of birth distribution records 9,079 people (80.0%) 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). Colac, Australia: rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/colac/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_colac-australia-rent-salary-jobs_3736d7c66150,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Colac, 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/colac/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Colac, Australia: rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/colac/) — 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
www.abs.gov.au abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-27

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.