Northern Rivers, NSW
boho · beachy · wellness · foodie
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Drive to the coast
2 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
11 min
By road
Airport access
32 min
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
24.6°C
Rainfall
Very wet
Byron Bay is a place where the visitor economy is impossible to separate from everyday life. The permanent population is only about 10,500, yet the town supports a dense mix of restaurants, boutiques, wellness businesses, surf culture and nightlife because so many people pass through.
The population is about 13% higher than in 2016, and housing pressure is unmistakable: the median house price is around $3.23 million and three-bedroom rents about $1,150 a week. For residents, the upside is that beaches, food, markets and creative businesses sit close together, while schools, healthcare and shopping are stronger than the town’s size would normally support.
The downside is congestion, crowds and a sense that public space is shared with visitors much of the year. Rainfall is very high, even though the climate is warm, and the town itself offers little of the rural seclusion people sometimes associate with the wider Northern Rivers.
The airport is about half an hour away and Brisbane roughly two hours by road. Byron works best when you actively want the energy, social life and wellness-heavy coastal culture. If the goal is anonymity, quiet or value for money, the very things that make Byron famous can become the reasons not to live there.
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Anyone actively looking for beaches, cafés, wellness, creative culture and a busy social scene around them is much more likely to enjoy Byron Bay. Remote workers, entrepreneurs, creatives and active couples can thrive if constant visitor activity feels energising rather than intrusive. If quiet is the whole reason for leaving the city, Byron will work against that goal.
There is very little quiet and tourism is at its heaviest, so crowds and seasonal pressure are not side issues. Rainfall is also very high. There is little rural-space feel in town, and anyone seeking a low-key or strongly residential beach community should consider Avoca Beach or Old Bar instead.
Surf and swim at famous beaches
Browse markets and boutiques
Tap into the town's creative food and wellness culture
More from Londoner in Sydney
Discover loads of things to do in Byron Bay in New South Wales that go beyond sitting on the beach!
Read the guideMedian house price
$3,225,000
191% above the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$1,225,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$1,150
≈ $4,983/month
Houses here typically sell from $2,115,000 to $5,405,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $1,050,000 to $1,565,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Good
4–9 shopping centres within 20km
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 12 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 14.7%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Mullumbimby, Evans Head, Lennox Head, Ballina and Murwillumbah.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Byron Bay (UCL 113004) · 2021 Census
The age profile is close to the national one, with 17.1% aged 65 or over against 17.2% and 13.4% children against 18.2%.
Population
10,538
Population growth
+12.5%
Byron Bay (SA2 112011240)
Median age
39 years
Labour force participation
61.4%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$839
Per week · ≈ $43,628/year
Median family income
$2,091
Per week
Median household income
$1,750
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
58.4%
Rented
37.4%
Born in Australia
63.4%
Born overseas
28.1%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.