Last week The Daily Advertiser featured an article on Wagga’s ranking of 14th in Australia for affordable housing (see the full article here), which takes into account the median house price in comparison to the median household income. The Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey is crucial recognition of the city’s stable economy and housing market, and as a worldwide measure Wagga ranks 258th – ahead of Sydney (51st in Australia, 366th in the world), Canberra (Aus: 28th; world: 310th) and Melbourne (Aus: 50th; world: 362nd).

What is significant is that Wagga ranks top in New South Wales and is one of the few locations in the top 20 cities that has no connection to the mining industry. While Western Australian centres Karratha and Kalgoorlie top the list, places like these haven’t featured in any list of affordability since before the mining boom – the current downturn in mining has played a significant factor in the decrease in housing prices in those areas.

When you think of what drives Wagga, many people immediately point to the university and the defence bases, but Wagga has a broad-base economy – it has a strong business centre and is central to health services for the wider region, which brings stability and diversity to the market.

Wagga also features on a list of trending Aussie destinations according to an analysis of Flight Centre bookings, with a seven percent increase in bookings this year, meaning it’s also on the tourism radar.