Your area › New South Wales › Wollongong › West Wollongong
Living in West Wollongong, NSW
West Wollongong is in the Wollongong council area. About 5,223 people lived here at the 2021 Census. Here's who they are, their homes and how they get around, next to the rest of Wollongong and New South Wales.
Rent now
$650 a week
That's the median rent on new leases in Wollongong (2500), the postcode most of West Wollongong is in, in the June quarter 2026. Half of new leases cost more and half cost less.
Who lives here
| Measure | West Wollongong | Wollongong | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35 | 39 | 39 |
| People per home | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Household income, a week (median) | $1,672 | $1,682 | $1,829 |
Homes
| Measure | West Wollongong | Wollongong | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 31% | 35% | 32% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 32% | 32% | 33% |
| Rented | 37% | 31% | 33% |
| Separate houses | 63% | 69% | 66% |
| Flats and apartments | 19% | 19% | 22% |
| Rent, a week (median, 2021) | $370 | $390 | $420 |
| Mortgage repayment, a month (median) | $2,123 | $2,167 | $2,167 |
Shares of homes where people answered the question. Rent and mortgage figures are from 2021, so they're well below today's. See what tenants pay now.
Getting around
| Measure | West Wollongong | Wollongong | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with no car | 9% | 8% | 9% |
| Homes with two or more cars | 54% | 55% | 52% |
| Went to work by car | 59% | 61% | 54% |
| Went to work by public transport | 2% | 2% | 4% |
| Walked or cycled to work | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Worked from home | 33% | 32% | 36% |
How people got to work on Census day, as a share of those who went to work or worked at home. The Census was on 10 August 2021, when Greater Sydney and Melbourne were in lockdown, so many more people there worked from home than usual, and fewer took public transport.
Schools
In West Wollongong
- Lindsay Park Public School Government, primary
- Wollongong West Public School Government, primary
Within 2 km
- Mount St Thomas Public School Government, primary, 1.3 km
- Figtree Heights Public School Government, primary, 1.4 km
- Gwynneville Public School Government, primary, 1.4 km
- Illawarra Hospital School Government, special, 1.4 km
- Keiraville Public School Government, primary, 1.4 km
- Figtree High School Government, secondary, 1.9 km
- Mount Keira Public School Government, primary, 1.9 km
- Nareena Hills Public School Government, primary, 1.9 km
School zones for 2026
- Wollongong West Public School primary
- Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts high school
The middle of West Wollongong is in these government school zones. A zone is set by your exact address, and streets near its edge may be zoned for another school, so check your address with the school before you rent or buy.
Government schools only: New South Wales doesn't publish an open list of Catholic and independent schools. Distances are in a straight line from the middle of West Wollongong. Check enrolment rules with the school or the state's education department. We don't rank or rate schools.
Bushfire map
- 4% of West Wollongong's land is mapped as bushfire prone.
These are planning maps. They decide building rules, like how a new home must be built. They aren't an insurance price or a promise: a place outside them can still burn or flood. Check a street address on the NSW Planning Portal spatial viewer.
More about Wollongong
- What it costs to live in Wollongong: rent, power, fuel, pokies losses and crime, against New South Wales.
- Compare Wollongong with another area.
- Is living in West Wollongong worth the drive? Add up rent and fuel against another suburb.
- Other suburbs in Wollongong.
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, and Suburbs and Localities boundaries, CC BY 4.0. Wollongong figures use the council's 2021 boundaries. Schools: NSW Department of Education, CC BY. School zones: NSW Department of Education, school intake zones, CC BY. Rent: state rental bond data (see the rent pages). Hazards: NSW Rural Fire Service, Bush Fire Prone Land (NSW Planning Portal), CC BY.