Living in Colac

In Colac, the median rent tenants pay is €715 a month (2021) and unemployment is 2.9% (2021).

For Colac, median household income was A$1,250 per week in August 2021. The city covered 54.7 km² in 2021. Population density was 229 people per km² in 2025.

Last checked 2026-10-077 sources

Population (built-up area)12,756people31 Dec 2021Official source · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Median gross salary (region)1,885EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Median rent715.4EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02

Unemployment rate2.9%country median 4.5% — 36% belowOfficial source · 2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)

Recorded crime8,790incidents per 100,00030 Jun 2026Official source · Data Tables: Recorded Offences by LGA - Year Ending June 2026

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$260 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,300 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	5,593 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Main residence dwellings	5,127 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Median weekly rent (AUD)	260 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Median monthly rent	715.4 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02¹Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	715.4 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02¹Official

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 worker49%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 40–58%

Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–67%

Student33%strong on education, weak on work · range 26–40%

Family52%strong on family, weak on cost · range 44–60%

Retirement51%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 40–62%

Work and income

Median personal income was A$701 per week in August 2021.

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Colac is 2.9%. Of 100 cities with data, 32 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Colac 2.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in full-time employment	3,375 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Employment rate	56 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Median household income (AUD/week)	1,250 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Median personal income (AUD/week)	701 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Median gross salary (regional)	1,885 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁷Official
Unemployment rate	2.9 %country median 4.5%	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)¹Official

What does a salary buy in Colac?

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

Left over each month€0of €0 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile

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.	outside the model's range
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · 2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02 · 2021-12-31	− €715
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	—

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

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
People who speak a language other than English at home	7.31 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	8,790 incidents per 100,000	30 Jun 2026	Data Tables: Recorded Offences by LGA - Year Ending June 2026²Official

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.

Find courses near Colac

Population and city profile

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	54.73 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	9.9 %	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile DataPacks — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Foreign residents	1,263 people	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile DataPacks — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Population (built-up area)	12,756 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Population density	229.4 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	6,503 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Male residents	6,256 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official

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 G09 PERSONS total across age groups and sex · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	12,756	100.0%
Australia	10,808	84.7%
Country of birth not stated	685	5.4%
England	170	1.3%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	161	1.3%
Taiwan	134	1.1%
Born elsewhere(d)	123	1.0%
New Zealand	116	0.9%
Philippines	77	0.6%
India	61	0.5%
Italy	36	0.3%

Show 30 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Scotland	33	0.3%
Netherlands	32	0.3%
Samoa	30	0.2%
Sri Lanka	29	0.2%
Afghanistan	25	0.2%
Germany	21	0.2%
United States of America	21	0.2%
Malaysia	17	0.1%
Korea, Republic of (South)	16	0.1%
Nepal	14	0.1%
Thailand	14	0.1%
Fiji	13	0.1%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	12	0.1%
Bangladesh	8	0.1%
Egypt	8	0.1%
Pakistan	8	0.1%
Vietnam	8	0.1%
France	7	0.1%
Ireland	7	0.1%
Malta	7	0.1%
Wales	6	0.0%
Greece	5	0.0%
Indonesia	5	0.0%
Iran	5	0.0%
Myanmar	4	0.0%
Singapore	4	0.0%
South Africa	4	0.0%
Canada	3	0.0%
Croatia	3	0.0%
Japan	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹

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	12,756	100.0%
Australia	10,808	84.7%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	1,269	9.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹

Citizenship

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

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	12,756	100.0%
Australian citizen	11,343	88.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	9.95 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Households	5,127 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Labour force participation rate	57.7 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official
Median age	42 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official
Median monthly mortgage repayment (AUD)	1,300 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia¹Official

Alternatives for people set on Colac

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Ballarat as a Colac alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,130 Ballarat vs 8,790 Colacno percentage
Foreign residents: 11.4% Ballarat vs 9.9% Colac+15%
Median gross pay, region: €1,998 Ballarat vs €1,885 Colac+6%

Full comparison More about Ballarat

Alternative cities in Australia

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

All Australia cities

Mudgee12,563 residents Lithgow12,410 residents Muswellbrook12,384 residents Port Augusta13,515 residents Esperance12,003 residents Port Pirie13,896 residents

How does Colac compare?

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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.

Put Colac'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 Colac?

The median gross salary is 1,885 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

What is the unemployment rate in Colac?

The unemployment rate is 2.9 %. Source: 2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack).

How safe is Colac?

Police recorded 8,790 incidents per 100,000. This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Data Tables: Recorded Offences by LGA - Year Ending June 2026.

How many foreign residents live in Colac?

1,263 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: 2021 Census General Community Profile DataPacks — Significant Urban Areas, Australia.

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 10,808 people (84.7%) 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). Colac, Australia: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 10006d8533fe560871d3319aeb084389]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/colac/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_colac-australia-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_e6ac2cfebc4e,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Colac, Australia: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {10006d8533fe560871d3319aeb084389},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/colac/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Colac, Australia: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/colac/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 10006d8533fe560871d3319aeb084389; 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

2021 Census General Community Profile DataPacks — Significant Urban Areas, Australia 2021 Census General Community Profile DataPacks · abs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-25
Data Tables: Recorded Offences by LGA - Year Ending June 2026 files.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au · checked 2026-10-07
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
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.