Median price trend for houses
Based on 96 sales in the preceding 12 months
$1,200,000
Up 3.3% over 12 months
- 2 bed
- $690k
- 3 bed
- $1.08m
- 4 bed
- $1.3m
- 5+ bed
- $1.1m
Aerial view
Imagery © Esri
The quick read on
Watson
ACT 2602 · Unincorporated ACT
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
- Median house
- $1,200,000
- Median unit
- $632,000
- Population
- 6,727
- Postcode
- 2602
latest suburb median
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
Watson, Australian Capital Territory
Property market insights for Watson
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Watson ACT
Median rent trend for houses
Based on 68 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$700 per week
Up 3.7% over 12 months
Market data updated October 2026.
The median house price in Watson, ACT is currently $1,200,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. Watson has a 12-month growth rate of 3.3% for houses and 5.7% for units.
Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $690,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,080,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,300,000, Larger houses have a median sale price of $1,100,000 in Watson.
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in Watson is $700 per week. The median house rent has increased 3.7% over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in Watson is $632,000, which has increased 5.7% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $411,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $486,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $850,000 in Watson. The median rent for units and apartments in Watson is $575 per week and has remained unchanged over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
Is Watson safe?
The overall rate for Watson is 4,978 offences per 100,000 residents — broadly in line with Australian Capital Territory.
That is the clearest suburb-wide answer. Open the detailed profile to see how the pattern changes across offence types and different parts of Watson.
Overall crime rate
4,978
offences per 100,000 residents
In line withAustralian Capital Territory
WatsonAustralian Capital Territory: 4,936
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Who lives in Watson?
Watson ACT 2602 is in Australian Capital Territory, within Australian Capital Territory.
6,727 people call Watson home, with an average of 2.4 people per household and a median household income of $2,414 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
- Population
- 6,727
- Median age
- 34 years
- Median mortgage
- $2,067 / month
- 2021 household rent
- $437 / week
Above the benchmarkBelow the benchmarkIn lineAustralian Capital Territory benchmark
Age profile
Share of residents in each age band.
Under 1520.0%Above
15–3430.3%In line
35–5431.2%Above
55–7414.5%Below
75 and over4.2%Below
Homes
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Separate houses58.0%Below
Townhouses29.5%Above
Apartments12.3%Below
Ownership
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Owned outright23.0%Below
Paying a mortgage43.1%Above
Renting33.9%Above
Cars at home
Vehicles available to occupied households.
No car5.3%In line
One car46.0%Above
Two cars38.2%In line
Three or more10.6%Below
Getting to work
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
Worked from home12.9%Above
Drove to work53.3%Below
Train, tram or bus4.9%In line
Walked or cycled6.7%Above
What stands out in Watson
12.9% of workers in Watson worked from home on Census day.
2.8% of Watson residents were born in England.
56.1% of people in Watson described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Questions people ask about Watson
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Watson ACT 2602.
Is Watson family-friendly?Age, family structure and household size describe the community families would be joining.
20.0% of Watson's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is close to the Australian Capital Territory average.
1,772 family households lived in Watson; 44.5% were couple families and 15.5% were one-parent families.
45.1% of local families included children under 15. That is somewhat above the Australian Capital Territory average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
What is the age profile of Watson?The balance between younger adults, families and older residents changes how a suburb feels day to day.
Watson had 6,727 residents at the 2021 Census.
37.4% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
18.7% were 55 or older. That is somewhat below the Australian Capital Territory average.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
What kind of homes are in Watson?The dwelling mix shows whether the suburb is mostly detached homes, townhouses or apartments.
Separate houses made up 58.0% of occupied private dwellings in Watson.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 29.5% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 12.3% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
Do people own or rent in Watson?Tenure shows how many households own outright, have a mortgage or rent.
23.0% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is somewhat below the Australian Capital Territory average.
43.1% were buying their home with a mortgage.
33.9% rented their home. That is close to the Australian Capital Territory average.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
How large are households in Watson?Household-size data shows the mix behind the suburb-wide average.
The average household in Watson had 2.4 people.
One-person households made up 27.5% of occupied homes. That is close to the Australian Capital Territory average.
Two-person households represented 32.9%, while 22.4% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
How do people get to work in Watson?Census-day travel shows the balance between home, road, public transport and active travel.
12.9% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is close to the Australian Capital Territory average.
53.3% drove a car as their only travel method. That is somewhat below the Australian Capital Territory average.
4.9% used only a train, tram or bus, while 6.7% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
How many cars do households have in Watson?Vehicle availability helps describe the routines local households can support.
5.3% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is almost exactly typical for Australian Capital Territory.
One-car households formed 46.0% of the total.
48.8% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
Who's moving to Watson, and who stays?Address history shows how settled or recently mobile residents were at the Census date.
44.6% were at the same address five years earlier, while 55.4% reported a different address.
26.2% of residents were born outside Australia. That is somewhat below the Australian Capital Territory average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
What languages are spoken in Watson?Language at home gives a direct view of the community’s everyday linguistic mix.
76.7% of residents used only English at home.
19.7% used a language other than English at home.
2.2% spoke Mandarin at home, 0.7% spoke Cantonese and 0.5% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
Where were Watson residents born?Birthplace adds another layer to the local story, separate from ancestry and language.
26.2% of Watson's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 73.8% was born in Australia.
1.7% of residents were born in China.
2.0% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 86.1%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
What ancestries shape Watson?Ancestry responses show how residents describe family and cultural background.
English ancestry accounted for 35.4% of ancestry responses in Watson.
Australian ancestry made up 34.7% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 4.6% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
What work do people do in Watson?Occupation describes a person’s role; industry describes the sector employing them.
37.9% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is well above the Australian Capital Territory average.
Managers accounted for 20.4% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 11.1%.
Health care and social assistance employed 9.7% of workers, and education and training employed 12.3%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
How active is the workforce in Watson?Participation, employment pattern and unemployment describe the resident labour force.
The labour-force participation rate was 75.2%, compared with 69.6% across Australian Capital Territory.
46.9% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 22.1% worked part time.
Unemployment was 2.8%, compared with 3.8% across Australian Capital Territory.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
What does the health profile of Watson show?Selected long-term health conditions help describe community service needs.
61.6% reported no selected long-term health condition.
11.8% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
9.8% reported asthma, 6.3% arthritis and 2.6% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
How educated is Watson?Qualifications describe the study pathways represented among local residents.
36.4% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is close to the Australian Capital Territory average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 27.0% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 9.9%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 12.1%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
What do incomes and housing costs look like in Watson?Census income and household payments give historical context for local living costs.
Median household income was $2,414 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $2,067.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $437 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
How does Watson compare with Australian Capital Territory?A few clear differences place the suburb in its wider metropolitan context.
Working from home was 12.9% in Watson, compared with 10.9% across Australian Capital Territory.
Outright ownership was 23.0% locally and 27.3% across Australian Capital Territory. That is somewhat below the Australian Capital Territory average.
Renting accounted for 33.9% in Watson, against 31.5% across Australian Capital Territory.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
A buyer’s quick guide to Watson
Is Watson expensive?
The median house price is $1,200,000, while units and apartments sit at $632,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
Is Watson good for families?
The Census counted 1,772 local families, and 20.0% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
What can I get for $1.5m in Watson?
4-bedroom houses have a median around $1,300,000, the closest bedroom benchmark we hold to a $1.5m budget. Individual homes can differ substantially with block size, renovation and location.
Medians describe recorded market activity across the suburb; they are historical context, not a valuation or forecast for an individual home.
Explore the area
Streets and suburbs around Watson
73 streets in Watson
Street-by-street reports are not published yet. The streets below are the ones this suburb covers.
- A'Beckett St
- Ada Evans St
- Adams Pl
- Andrews St
- Antill St
- Aspinall St
- Beechworth St
- Bettie Mcnee St
- Bicheno
- Blair Pl
- Blair St
- Buninyong Street
- Burnside St
- Carcoar Terrace
- Cooper Pl
- Cullen St
- Darley Pl
- Dickinson St
Show all 73 streetsShow fewer streets
- Dobbie Pl
- Dobson Pl
- Dobson St
- Dodds Pl
- Dowling St
- Ehrlich Cct
- Federal Hwy
- Field St
- Fleming St
- Flos Greig St
- Foster Pl
- Gwynne St
- Hallenstein Ln
- Hanson Pl
- Harding St
- Hearn St
- Higinbotham St
- Holroyd St
- Hood Pl
- Ian Nicol St
- Irvine St
- Jordan Pl
- Kerferd St
- Kilduff St
- Knox St
- Lukin Pl
- Mabel Miller Ln
- Madden Pl
- Manning St
- Mary Kitson St
- Mccawley St
- Mcclemans St
- Molesworth St
- Nanango Way
- Negus Crescent
- Peden Pl
- Phillip Ave
- Phillipa Weeks St
- Phippard Ct
- Piddington St
- Roma Mitchell Cr
- Rooth Pl
- Shewcroft St
- Simpson St
- Stow Pl
- Street Pl
- Tay St
- Therry Pl
- Wade St
- Watson Pl
- Whitmore Cr
- Williams St
- Willunga Ct
- Windeyer St
- Woolcock St
12 suburbs surrounding Watson
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Is Watson right for your search?
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Read the thinking
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.