Living in Townsville

In Townsville, unemployment is 5.1% (2026).

In 2025, Townsville had a population of 190,551. For Townsville, median rent was A$310 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,517 in August 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-0412 sources

Population190,551people31 Dec 2025Official source · Regional population 2024–25, Table 2. Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas, Australia

Median gross salary (region)2,344EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Median rent852.9EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · 2021 Townsville, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

Unemployment rate5.1%country median 4.5% — 13% aboveIndependent source · DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026

PM2.5, annual mean7µg/m³country median 6.0 — 17% aboveOfficial source · cdn.who.int

Higher unemployment than 68% of Australian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 78% of Australian cities that publish it.

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

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 Townsville.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€1819

Utilities, 85 m² flat€91

Transport pass€51

Internet, 60 Mbps€48

Fitness club€41

Mobile plan, 10 GB€31

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	41.18 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	48.14 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	1,819 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Townsville. Jun 2026. Prices in Townsville¹⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	12.83 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	31.27 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Townsville. Jun 2026. Prices in Townsville¹⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	51.35 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	91.46 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	71,480 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Main residence dwellings	64,797 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median weekly rent (AUD)	310 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	852.9 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Townsville, Census All persons QuickStats \| Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official

Is Townsville 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 worker57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–66%

Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 56–72%

Student40%strong on education, weak on safety · range 32–48%

Family58%strong on family, weak on safety · range 49–67%

Retirement58%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 47–69%

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 5.1% in March 2026. Median personal income was A$872 per week in August 2021. Median household income was A$1,717 per week in August 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Townsville?

The unemployment rate is 5.1 % (March 2026). Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026¹¹

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Townsville is 5.1%. Of 100 cities with data, 32 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Townsville 5.1%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in full-time employment	55,547 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Employment rate	60.9 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median household income (AUD/week)	1,717 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median personal income (AUD/week)	872 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,344 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁹Official
Unemployment rate	5.1 %country median 4.5%	31 Mar 2026	DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026¹¹Independent

What does a salary buy in Townsville?

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
Utilities
Transport
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 Townsville, Census All persons QuickStats \| Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2021-12-31	− €853
Public transport pass€51 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €51
Utilities, 85 m²€91 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €91
Internet€48 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €48
Mobile plan€31 · market price · Cost of Living in Townsville. Jun 2026. Prices in Townsville · 2026-07-31	− €31
Left over	—

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

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People who speak a language other than English at home	8.26 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official

Language courses and integration in Townsville

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

1verified local records

Multicultural Australia

View official record

Check courses in Townsville How the country programme works

Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Townsville

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Townsville?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int³

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

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

32°25°

31°24°

30°21°

28°18°

26°15°

26°14°

26°15°

28°18°

30°21°

31°23°

32°24°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

253

338

157

122

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in AustraliaAnnual PM2.5 in Townsville is 7.0 µg/m³. Of 37 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 5 to under 6 µg/m³.

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–10

Townsville 7.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7 µg/m³country median 6.0	31 Dec 2019	cdn.who.int³Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 31.9 · Feb 31.7 · Mar 31.3 · Apr 30.2 · May 28.2 · Jun 26.2 · Jul 25.7 · Aug 26.5 · Sep 28.4 · Oct 29.8 · Nov 31.1 · Dec 31.9 °C	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — TOWNSVILLE AERO, 1991-2020²Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 24.7 · Feb 24.7 · Mar 23.5 · Apr 21.1 · May 18 · Jun 15.3 · Jul 14 · Aug 14.8 · Sep 17.9 · Oct 21.1 · Nov 23.1 · Dec 24.5 °C	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — TOWNSVILLE AERO, 1991-2020²Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 28.4 · Feb 28.3 · Mar 27.5 · Apr 25.8 · May 23.3 · Jun 20.8 · Jul 20 · Aug 20.7 · Sep 23.2 · Oct 25.6 · Nov 27.2 · Dec 28.4 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOWNSVILLE AERO⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 252.6 · Feb 338.1 · Mar 156.7 · Apr 54.3 · May 26.3 · Jun 17.1 · Jul 13.9 · Aug 20.3 · Sep 9.9 · Oct 24.3 · Nov 60.6 · Dec 122.2 mm	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — TOWNSVILLE AERO, 1991-2020²Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 8.2 · Feb 7.5 · Mar 7.9 · Apr 8.1 · May 7.9 · Jun 7.7 · Jul 8.5 · Aug 9 · Sep 9.7 · Oct 9.9 · Nov 9.7 · Dec 9.3 hours	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — TOWNSVILLE AERO, 1991-2020²Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 693.3 km² in 2021. Population density was 275 people per km² in 2025.

How many people live in Townsville?

The published population was 190,551 people in 2025. Source: Regional population 2024–25, Table 2. Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁶

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 25,304 is not 21.2% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport86.7%
Foreign residents13.3%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	693.3 km²	31 Dec 2021	Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA.⁵Official
Foreign-resident share	21.2 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)⁴Official
Foreign residents	25,304 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.⁴Official
Population density	274.9 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.⁷Official
Female residents	89,995 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Male residents	89,017 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Population	190,551 people	31 Dec 2025	Regional population 2024–25, Table 2. Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁶Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

126,255

149,275

172,294

195,314

190,551200120052011201520212025

Population rose 45.4% between 2001 and 2025, from 131,018 to 190,551.

International community in Townsville

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	179,011	100.0%
Australia	141,075	78.8%
Country of birth not stated	12,634	7.1%
England	4,232	2.4%
New Zealand	3,819	2.1%
Born elsewhere(d)	3,489	1.9%
Philippines	2,002	1.1%
India	1,742	1.0%
South Africa	1,007	0.6%
Papua New Guinea	860	0.5%
Scotland	612	0.3%

Show 42 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Germany	583	0.3%
United States of America	568	0.3%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	433	0.2%
Italy	409	0.2%
Thailand	376	0.2%
Korea, Republic of (South)	372	0.2%
Canada	371	0.2%
Malaysia	371	0.2%
Sri Lanka	326	0.2%
Ireland	317	0.2%
Vietnam	317	0.2%
Zimbabwe	317	0.2%
Netherlands	310	0.2%
Fiji	256	0.1%
Nepal	195	0.1%
Indonesia	188	0.1%
France	170	0.1%
Japan	145	0.1%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	135	0.1%
Singapore	123	0.1%
Wales	123	0.1%
Greece	112	0.1%
Pakistan	110	0.1%
Brazil	99	0.1%
Myanmar	98	0.1%
Poland	85	0.0%
Bangladesh	75	0.0%
Egypt	75	0.0%
Iran	63	0.0%
Samoa	57	0.0%
Taiwan	54	0.0%
Malta	49	0.0%
Afghanistan	41	0.0%
Cambodia	40	0.0%
Iraq	40	0.0%
Croatia	37	0.0%
Mauritius	35	0.0%
Chile	26	0.0%
Turkey	17	0.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	8	0.0%
Lebanon	6	0.0%
North Macedonia	4	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

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	179,011	100.0%
Australia	141,075	78.8%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	25,304	14.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

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

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	179,011	100.0%
Australian citizen	154,859	86.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	14.14 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Households	64,797 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Labour force participation rate	64.1 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median age	35 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median monthly mortgage repayment (AUD)	1,517 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Townsville

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.

Darwin as a Townsville alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 3. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 3.3% Darwin vs 5.1% Townsville−35%
Median gross pay, region: €3,017 Darwin vs €2,344 Townsville+29%
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €161 Darwin vs €91 Townsville+76%
Annual PM2.5: 9.1 µg/m³ Darwin vs 7.0 µg/m³ Townsville+30%
Foreign residents: 37.4% Darwin vs 21.2% Townsvilleno percentage
A meal out: €13 Darwin vs €13 Townsville+5%

Full comparison More about Darwin

Alternative cities in Australia

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

All Australia cities

Hobart226,653 residents Cairns155,574 residents Toowoomba143,942 residents Darwin127,215 residents Geelong289,566 residents Wollongong305,976 residents

How does Townsville compare?

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Townsville in rankings

#13 of 30 in Largest cities in Australia #18 of 30 in Cities with the mildest winters #25 of 30 in Most international cities in Australia #26 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in Australia

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Townsville 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 Townsville'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.

How many people live in Townsville?

The published population was 190,551 people in 2025. Source: Regional population 2024–25, Table 2. Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas, Australia.

Is the air quality good in Townsville?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.

What is the unemployment rate in Townsville?

The unemployment rate is 5.1 % (March 2026). Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026.

What is the typical salary around Townsville?

The median gross salary is 2,344 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

How many foreign residents live in Townsville?

25,304 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..

How much is public transport in Townsville?

A monthly transport pass is 51.35 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2.

Is Townsville a good place to live?

Townsville 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 Townsville?

The official country of birth distribution records 141,075 people (78.8%) 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). Townsville, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs, taxes [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 64636db67337c3be11023603d8bf7e8d]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/townsville/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_townsville-australia-population-rent-salary-jobs-taxes_5999933461d9,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Townsville, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs, taxes},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {64636db67337c3be11023603d8bf7e8d},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/townsville/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Townsville, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs, taxes](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/townsville/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 64636db67337c3be11023603d8bf7e8d; 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 Townsville, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics abs.gov.au · checked 2026-10-03
BOM monthly climate statistics — TOWNSVILLE AERO, 1991-2020 BOM monthly climate statistics · bom.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26
cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
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
Regional population 2024–25, Table 2. Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas, Australia abs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-25
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 TOWNSVILLE AERO WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
www.abs.gov.au abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-27
Cost of Living in Townsville. Jun 2026. Prices in Townsville numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27

Show 2 more sources

DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026 DEWR · dewr.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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.