A New South Wales council area. It covers every suburb inside the council boundary, so it is wider than any one of them.
Population grew +1.1% over the year to 30 June 2025, against +1.5% for Australia over the same period.
Net internal migration was the largest component of that change.
Dwelling approvals were −7.6% against the twelve months before. Approvals are permission to build, not completed dwellings.
Completions in the March quarter 2026 were equivalent to 86% of commencements, for New South Wales. These figures compare pipeline flows and do not track individual approved dwellings through construction.
Achieved rents moved +4.6% over the year, against +5.9% for the middle council area in New South Wales.
These signals are shown separately so you can see what is driving the market. Explore them under Demand & supply below.
At $680 a week, Lake Macquarie is higher than 69% of the 103 NSW council areas we hold.
Half of new leases in Lake Macquarie were between $580 and $800 a week — a quarter came in under $580, and a quarter above $800.
Rents there are up 4.6% over the past year, slower than the typical NSW council area (up 5.9%).
Based on 1,148 new leases, which is a large enough sample to be steady quarter to quarter.
The most common new lease there was a three-bedroom house, at $695 a week across 382 of them.
Houses there rent for $720 and units for $500, so the figure above sits between two different markets.
In June quarter 2026, the median weekly rent rose 1.5% on the quarter before, from $670 to $680. Across the 35 quarterly changes held here, 18 were larger.
Six signals show how demand, supply and rents are moving. Open Data & method on any signal for the figures, rule and source behind it.
Population and migration here were published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for Lake Macquarie itself.
Moderate
How fast the population is growing, against the national rate.
| Population growth, Lake Macquarie | +1.1% | the year to 30 June 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Population growth, Australia | +1.5% | the year to 30 June 2025 |
Strong when growth is at least half a percentage point above the national rate, weak when at least half a point below, moderate in between. Population is one ABS instrument measured the same way everywhere, so a market compares to Australia.
Net internal migration
Which component moved the population most over the latest year the ABS splits it.
| Natural increase, Lake Macquarie | +246 | the year to 30 June 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Net internal migration, Lake Macquarie | +1,535 | the year to 30 June 2025 |
| Net overseas migration, Lake Macquarie | +615 | the year to 30 June 2025 |
The largest of natural increase, net internal migration and net overseas migration by absolute size, so a large outflow is named rather than hidden inside a net total. This states which component was largest. It says nothing about why anyone moved.
Stable
Whether dwelling approvals are running above or below the year before.
| Dwellings approved, Lake Macquarie | 1,208 | the twelve months to June 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| The twelve months before, Lake Macquarie | 1,307 | a year earlier |
| Change on the year before, Lake Macquarie | −7.6% | the twelve months to June 2026 |
Expanding above +10%, contracting below −10%, stable in between, comparing twelve months of approvals against the twelve before them. An approval is permission to build, not a dwelling. Where a market is smaller than the areas the Australian Bureau of Statistics counts approvals for, this is a blend of those areas' own changes, weighted by how much of each the market covers — not a count of approvals here.
Moderate
How much housing is being finished, against how much is being started.
| Dwellings completed, New South Wales | 8,883 | March quarter 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Dwellings started, New South Wales | 10,373 | March quarter 2026 |
| Completions as a share of commencements | 86% | March quarter 2026 |
Strong at or above 95% of commencements, weak below 80%, moderate in between — completions in the quarter compared with commencements in the same quarter, both stated beside this rule. These figures compare pipeline flows and do not track individual approved dwellings through construction.
Low
How fast achieved rents are rising, against the rest of the state.
| Rent change over a year, Lake Macquarie | +4.6% | June quarter 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rent change over a year, the middle council area in New South Wales | +5.9% | June quarter 2026 |
High when rents rose at least one percentage point faster than the state, low when at least a point slower, moderate in between. Compared against the state rather than the nation because each bond authority defines its own series: changes compare, levels do not.
Broad
How much of this market's picture was measured at this market's own geography.
| Demand evidence | measured for this market | how it was made |
|---|---|---|
| Components present | 5 of 5 | on this page |
Broad where the demand evidence was published for this geography and most components are present; partial where it was derived through an official ABS correspondence; limited where it describes a larger area containing this market, or where components are missing. This says nothing about how many observations sit behind any single figure — that is Sample strength, a separate reading.
Observed sales: settlements recorded by the state, not asking prices and not a valuation model. The median describes the sales that settled in the quarter — an observed sample, which is why every figure here carries its count where the publisher released one.
In March quarter 2026, the median sale price rose 5.9% on the quarter before, to $995,000.
Over the year to March quarter 2026, it moved up 13.7%.
Sales demand not measured. The settlement counts above say how many sales the publisher recorded, not how many buyers were competing for them, and APRIQ has no validated method that could turn one into the other — so no sales-demand reading is offered rather than an invented one. The demand evidence APRIQ does hold is population-based, under Demand.
The split the publisher reports. Strata and non-strata are title types rather than dwelling types — but in practice non-strata sales are mostly houses, and strata sales are mostly units, flats and townhouses. The blended figure above describes neither exactly.
| Title type | Median sale price | A quarter below | A quarter above | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellingsevery recorded sale | $995,000 | $850,000 | $1,220,000 | 857 |
| Non-stratawhole-title sales — mostly houses | $1,025,000 | $892,000 | $1,260,000 | 721 |
| Stratastrata-title sales — mostly units, flats and townhouses | $795,000 | $698,000 | $913,000 | 136 |
Median observed sale price of all dwellings, each quarter the publisher reported one. A missing quarter is a gap — usually too few settlements to publish — never a zero.
| Quarter | Median sale price | Change on the quarter before | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| March quarter 2026 | $995,000 | Up 5.9% | 857 |
| December quarter 2025 | $940,000 | Up 1.6% | 1,037 |
| September quarter 2025 | $925,000 | Up 1.9% | 941 |
| June quarter 2025 | $908,000 | Up 3.8% | 875 |
| March quarter 2025 | $875,000 | Up 0.6% | 861 |
| December quarter 2024 | $870,000 | Up 3.6% | 891 |
| September quarter 2024 | $840,000 | No change | 853 |
| June quarter 2024 | $840,000 | Down 3.4% | 849 |
| March quarter 2024 | $870,000 | Up 5.5% | 844 |
| December quarter 2023 | $825,000 | Up 0.6% | 830 |
| September quarter 2023 | $820,000 | Up 2.5% | 799 |
| June quarter 2023 | $800,000 | Down 0.4% | 751 |
| March quarter 2023 | $803,000 | Up 1.6% | 654 |
| December quarter 2022 | $790,000 | Down 1.3% | 697 |
| September quarter 2022 | $800,000 | Down 6.4% | 806 |
| June quarter 2022 | $855,000 | Up 1.2% | 811 |
| March quarter 2022 | $845,000 | Up 3.7% | 836 |
| December quarter 2021 | $815,000 | Up 7.7% | 1,066 |
| September quarter 2021 | $757,000 | Up 8.6% | 1,062 |
| June quarter 2021 | $697,000 | Up 4.8% | 989 |
| March quarter 2021 | $665,000 | Up 4.7% | 1,044 |
| December quarter 2020 | $635,000 | Up 4.1% | 1,164 |
| September quarter 2020 | $610,000 | Up 1.7% | 954 |
| June quarter 2020 | $600,000 | Up 3.4% | 630 |
| March quarter 2020 | $580,000 | Down 0.7% | 761 |
| December quarter 2019 | $584,000 | Up 4.3% | 790 |
| September quarter 2019 | $560,000 | Up 0.9% | 734 |
| June quarter 2019 | $555,000 | Down 0.5% | 706 |
| March quarter 2019 | $558,000 | Down 3.8% | 624 |
| December quarter 2018 | $580,000 | Up 0.5% | 723 |
| September quarter 2018 | $577,000 | Up 1.2% | 646 |
| June quarter 2018 | $570,000 | Up 1.8% | 829 |
| March quarter 2018 | $560,000 | Down 1.8% | 831 |
| December quarter 2017 | $570,000 | Up 5.0% | 956 |
| September quarter 2017 | $543,000 | Down 0.4% | 1,005 |
| June quarter 2017 | $545,000 | — | 885 |
Sale prices are the New South Wales Rent and Sales Report (NSW Department of Communities and Justice), used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. © State of New South Wales (Department of Communities and Justice). Sales are published on a slower clock than rents, so the newest sale quarter usually sits behind the newest rent quarter — the two are never blended, and the yield under Rents & Yield names both periods. Method, sources and licences.
Rising more slowly than the middle of New South Wales
How rents here moved over a year, against the typical council area in New South Wales.
| Rent change over a year here | +4.6% | June quarter 2026 against a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| The middle council area in New South Wales | +5.9% | June quarter 2026 against a year earlier |
| Difference | −1.3 percentage points | June quarter 2026 against a year earlier |
| Markets in the comparison | 103 | June quarter 2026 against a year earlier |
The difference between this market’s one-year rent change and the middle change across every council area the same publisher reports, in percentage points: 3 or more above is well above, 1 above is above, within 1 either way is in line. Changes are compared within one state because each bond authority defines its own series — movement may be compared between them, the rent itself may not.
Quarterly achieved-rent history across the full published series for this market.
| Median weekly rent | $680 | publisher’s figure · June quarter 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| A quarter of new leases came in below | $580 | publisher’s figure · June quarter 2026 |
| A quarter came in above | $800 | publisher’s figure · June quarter 2026 |
| Gross rental yield | 3.55% | calculated from this rent (June quarter 2026) and the sale median under Prices & Sales (March quarter 2026) |
| Rental bonds held | 15,704 | publisher’s figure · June quarter 2026 |
Quarter-by-quarter rent history for the full published series.
| Quarter | Median weekly rent | Change on the quarter before |
|---|---|---|
| June quarter 2026 | $680 | Up 1.5% |
| March quarter 2026 | $670 | No change |
| December quarter 2025 | $670 | Up 3.1% |
| September quarter 2025 | $650 | No change |
| June quarter 2025 | $650 | Up 3.2% |
| March quarter 2025 | $630 | Up 1.6% |
| December quarter 2024 | $620 | Up 3.3% |
| September quarter 2024 | $600 | No change |
| June quarter 2024 | $600 | Up 5.3% |
| March quarter 2024 | $570 | Up 1.8% |
| December quarter 2023 | $560 | Up 1.8% |
| September quarter 2023 | $550 | No change |
| June quarter 2023 | $550 | Up 3.8% |
| March quarter 2023 | $530 | Up 1.0% |
| December quarter 2022 | $525 | Down 0.6% |
| September quarter 2022 | $528 | Up 1.5% |
| June quarter 2022 | $520 | Up 4.0% |
| March quarter 2022 | $500 | Up 2.0% |
| December quarter 2021 | $490 | Up 3.2% |
| September quarter 2021 | $475 | Up 1.1% |
| June quarter 2021 | $470 | Up 4.4% |
| March quarter 2021 | $450 | No change |
| December quarter 2020 | $450 | Up 4.7% |
| September quarter 2020 | $430 | Up 2.4% |
| June quarter 2020 | $420 | Up 1.0% |
| March quarter 2020 | $416 | Down 1.0% |
| December quarter 2019 | $420 | Up 2.4% |
| September quarter 2019 | $410 | No change |
| June quarter 2019 | $410 | No change |
| March quarter 2019 | $410 | Up 2.5% |
| December quarter 2018 | $400 | No change |
| September quarter 2018 | $400 | No change |
| June quarter 2018 | $400 | No change |
| March quarter 2018 | $400 | No change |
| December quarter 2017 | $400 | Up 2.6% |
| September quarter 2017 | $390 | — |
The figure above blends every dwelling type the publisher reports. These are the same quarter, split the way New South Wales splits it.
| Dwelling type | Median weekly rent | Rent change — 1 year | New leases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Townhouses | $730 | Up 10.6% | 73 |
| Houses | $720 | Up 5.9% | 869 |
| Units and flats | $500 | No change | 187 |
| All dwellings | $680 | Up 4.6% | 1,148 |
The council areas immediately above and below Lake Macquarie when ranked by the same figure for the same period — nearby in the state ranking, not necessarily nearby on a map.
| Council area | Median rent | Rent change — 1 year |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | $670 | Up 3.1% |
| Wollongong | $670 | Up 3.1% |
| Hawkesbury | $680 | Up 7.9% |
| Lake Macquarie | $680 | Up 4.6% |
| Liverpool | $680 | Up 4.6% |
| Wingecarribee | $700 | Up 7.7% |
| Strathfield | $720 | Up 2.9% |
Or put them in columns: Compare with similarly ranked markets.
Latest achieved rents by dwelling type and bedroom count. Blank cells indicate no published figure for that combination.
| Size | Houses | Townhouses | Units and flats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $45037 new leases | Not published | $39065 new leases |
| 2 bedrooms | $595145 new leases | $585count withheld | $53099 new leases |
| 3 bedrooms | $695382 new leases | $75041 new leases | $650count withheld |
| 4 bedrooms | $850304 new leases | $800count withheld | Not published |
The council’s own figure above is computed over every bond inside the boundary. These are the postcodes within it that the publisher reports separately, ranked by the same figure in the same quarter. Which postcode sits in which council is not something the bond publisher states; it comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics boundary correspondence, and is used to link the pages, never to compute a figure.
| Postcode | Median weekly rent | Rent change — 1 year | New leases | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postcode 2282Eleebana, Lakelands and Warners Bay | $725 | Down 0.7% | 54 | |
| Postcode 2281Blacksmiths, Cams Wharf and Catherine Hill Bay and 8 more | $700 | No change | 93 | |
| Postcode 2285Cameron Park, Cardiff and Cardiff Heights and 4 more | $700 | Up 2.9% | 249 | |
| Postcode 2290Bennetts Green, Charlestown and Dudley and 7 more | $700 | Up 7.7% | 185 | |
| Postcode 2284Argenton, Boolaroo and Booragul and 4 more | $680 | Up 4.6% | 77 | |
| Postcode 2264Balcolyn, Bonnells Bay and Brightwaters and 11 more | $668 | Up 11.3% | 130 | |
| Postcode 2265Cooranbong and Martinsville | $650 | Up 8.3% | 61 | |
| Postcode 2280Belmont, Belmont North and Belmont South and 5 more | $650 | Up 3.2% | 109 | |
| Postcode 2283Arcadia Vale, Awaba and Balmoral (Lake Macquarie - NSW) and 12 more | $645 | Up 7.5% | 102 |
Lake Macquarie is a council area, the same boundary the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes population for, so the figures here were measured for this page's own geography. Population is estimated at 30 June each year and revised for years afterwards; each row names the period it describes.
The three components the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes for the year to 30 June 2025, which add to the change in estimated resident population over that year. Each is a count over those twelve months, not a level at the end of them — unlike the population figure above, which is a headcount at a date. They are net figures: net internal migration of −300 means 300 more people left than arrived, not that 300 people left. All three are shown together because each is only meaningful against the other two. This is a single year — the ABS publishes the split annually and APRIQ holds one edition of it, so it is not a trend and no direction can be read from it.
| Component | People |
|---|---|
| Natural increase | +246 |
| Net internal migration | +1,535 |
| Net overseas migration | +615 |
| Total change in population | +2,396 |
The year to 30 June 2025 · knowable 31 March 2026 · ABS regional population, components of change. APRIQ publishes the three together and draws no conclusion from them: what a given number of arrivals means for housing depends on household size and formation, which are not held.
Estimated resident population at 30 June each year, as most recently restated by the ABS. Every point is an estimate rather than a count — the Census is the count, and the years between are carried forward from births, deaths and migration.
| Estimated resident population | 224,540 | 30 June 2025 · knowable 31 March 2026 · ABS regional population |
|---|---|---|
| Annual population growth | Up 1.1% | the year to 30 June 2025 · knowable 31 March 2026 · calculated from the two estimates named |
| Population growth a year over five years | Up 1.2% | the five years to 30 June 2025 · knowable 31 March 2026 · calculated from the two estimates named |
Population is the Australian Bureau of Statistics Regional Population release, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Population figures are dated by the ABS release that restated them, so a figure for an earlier year became knowable on the day that release went up rather than in the year it describes. Method, sources and licences.
Growing about as fast as Australia
How fast the population here is changing, against how fast Australia is changing.
| Annual population growth here | +1.1% | the year to 30 June 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Australia, the same year | +1.5% | the year to 30 June 2025 |
| Difference | −0.5 percentage points | the year to 30 June 2025 |
| Growth a year over five years | +1.2% | the five years to 30 June 2025 |
The difference between this market’s annual population growth and Australia’s, in percentage points: 1.5 or more above is well above the national rate, 0.5 above is above it, within 0.5 either way is in line with it, and a fall is named as a fall. Both figures are ABS estimated resident population at 30 June, the same instrument measured the same way, so they may be compared directly.
Counted for Lake Macquarie on Census night, 10 August 2021. A Census count is a stock on one night, not a series: it cannot show a trend, and five years on it describes 2021, not today. It is here because how many households there are and how many people share a dwelling are the denominators every demand question eventually needs.
| Households — occupied private dwellings | 80,677 | one count: an occupied private dwelling on Census night is the ABS definition of a household |
|---|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.5 people | per occupied private dwelling, across 80,677 of them |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile (tables G02, G35, G36), used under CC BY 4.0. © Commonwealth of Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
Lake Macquarie is a council area, the same boundary the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes dwelling approvals for. Approvals are counted monthly and summed here by quarter; where they are compared against population, the comparison is made over one twelve-month window both series cover — usually an earlier year than the latest approvals figure — so each row names its own period.
The approved dwelling pipeline kept pace with population over the year to 30 June 2025: 1.8 more residents for each dwelling approved, against an average Australian household of about 2.5 people at the 2021 Census.
Dwelling approvals in the twelve months to June 2026 were 7.6% lower than the twelve months before.
Dwelling approvals are an indicator of the future housing pipeline, not completed dwellings. Approved work can lapse, and what proceeds is finished months or years later.
New residential dwellings approved each quarter, summed from the monthly figures the ABS publishes. A quarter missing any of its months is left out rather than shown short. These are approvals, not completions.
| Dwellings approved | 1,208 | the twelve months to June 2026 · knowable 6 August 2026 · ABS building approvals |
|---|---|---|
| Houses approved | 798 | the twelve months to June 2026 · knowable 6 August 2026 · ABS building approvals |
| Townhouses, units and apartments approved | 410 | the twelve months to June 2026 · knowable 6 August 2026 · ABS building approvals |
| Approved dwellings per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | the twelve months to June 2026 against 30 June 2025 · knowable 6 August 2026 · calculated from the two figures named |
| People added per dwelling approved | 1.8 | the year to 30 June 2025 · knowable 6 August 2026 · calculated over one twelve-month window both series cover |
| Change in approvals on the year before | Down 7.6% | the twelve months to June 2026 against the twelve months to June 2025 · knowable 6 August 2026 · four quarters against the four before them |
Dwelling approvals are the Australian Bureau of Statistics Building Approvals release, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Method, sources and licences.
Approving below the national rate
How many dwellings this market approved over twelve months for every thousand residents, against the national rate. Approvals are permission to build, not completed dwellings.
| Approved dwellings per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | the twelve months to June 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Australia, the same twelve months | 7.4 | the twelve months to June 2026 |
| Change on the twelve months before | −7.6% | the twelve months to June 2026 against the twelve months to June 2025 |
| People added per dwelling approved | 1.8 | the year to 30 June 2025 |
This market’s approved dwellings per thousand residents divided by Australia’s: twice the national rate or more is well above it, a quarter above is above it, within a fifth either way is in line, and below four fifths is below. Both are ABS building approvals over the same twelve months. An approval is permission to build — some of it lapses, and the rest completes months or years later — so this describes a pipeline and never housing that exists.
Counted for Lake Macquarie on Census night, 10 August 2021. The stock every approval above eventually adds to, as it stood on one night in 2021. The occupied count is the households figure under Demand — the ABS definition makes them one count, so it is printed once rather than twice. The occupied and unoccupied counts are separately rounded by the ABS and do not exactly sum to the total, so no missing figure is derived here.
| Private dwellings | 86,059 | all private dwellings on Census night |
|---|---|---|
| Unoccupied on Census night | 5,384 | holiday homes and empty dwellings included; not a rental vacancy rate |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile (tables G02, G35, G36), used under CC BY 4.0. © Commonwealth of Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes commencements, dwellings under construction and completions for states and territories and nowhere finer — there is no council or suburb breakdown of any of them. These figures describe New South Wales as a whole, not this market, and are shown because the approval figures above cannot say on their own whether approved dwellings are being built.
| Approved | 51,967 | the twelve months to March 2026 · knowable 6 August 2026 · ABS building approvals, summed over the state |
|---|---|---|
| Approved and not yet started | 12,745 | March quarter 2026 · knowable 8 July 2026 · ABS building activity — a count at this date |
| Started | 51,714 | the twelve months to March 2026 · knowable 8 July 2026 · ABS building activity |
| Under construction | 80,522 | March quarter 2026 · knowable 8 July 2026 · ABS building activity — a count at this date |
| Completed | 44,804 | the twelve months to March 2026 · knowable 8 July 2026 · ABS building activity |
The first three lines are permission and intent. Only the last counts homes that exist.
Dwellings were started at 100% of the rate they were approved over the twelve months to March 2026.
Fewer were finished than started (87% as many), so the number under construction grew.
What is under construction represents about 1.8 years of building at the current rate of completions.
These are counts of activity in a period, not a cohort. The Australian Bureau of Statistics does not publish which approvals became which commencements, so none of these figures says what share of any particular approvals was built.
No APRIQ forward rent forecast is published for Lake Macquarie yet. The forecasting model remains in historical backtesting.
The method’s public record so far, across every market at once and clearly a backtest, not a prediction: at 1 quarter ahead, 83.8% of 10,476 graded backtests landed inside their ranges, at a median width of ±7.9%.
See the full historical record on the forecast scorecard. Backtest results describe historical model performance, not a prediction for this market.
Check sample size, data period, geography, source and calculation rules for this market.
Strong
How many observations sit behind the current figure on this page.
| New leases behind the current figure | 1,148 | June quarter 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Quarters of history | 36 | to June quarter 2026 |
| How current | The latest quarter published anywhere | June quarter 2026 |
| Origin | As the publisher published it | June quarter 2026 |
| Knowability | Dated by the publisher’s own release timing | June quarter 2026 |
Strong needs 200 or more new leases behind the current figure; moderate needs 50. Fewer than that reads as thin: one unusual property can move the figure. A withheld count cannot earn better than thin, because a suppressed number is unknown rather than small. How current the figure is, is a separate fact stated as dates beside this reading, never folded into this word.
Which period the current rent figure describes, how it sits against the newest quarter published anywhere, and whose clock dated it — as dates, because a graded word would hide exactly the part worth checking.
| Describes | June quarter 2026 |
|---|---|
| Standing | This is the latest quarter published anywhere. |
| Dated by | Dated by the publisher’s own release timing. |
Market data sources are named beside the figures above. APRIQ keeps the publication period, source, licence and calculation method available for inspection. See full sources & methodology →
