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Suburb profile · Otago · NZ

Musselburgh NZ

Musselburgh is in Otago, New Zealand, with population 1,524.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

$650/wk
1/01/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$650
$450
1/01/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median rent
$650/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D7 vs NZ
Population
1,524
2K local footprint
D3 vs NZ
Income
$44K/yr
Median personal income
D7 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 4
Mid-range deprivation
D4 vs NZ
Schools
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$588K
+8.5% over 5yr
0.7%YoY
Lower quartile
$484K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,565
QV-based HPI
1.1%5yr
Income to buy
7.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
2,427
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Dunedin City territorial authority (as at 2026-02). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for Musselburgh, not a Musselburgh-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2021Peak · 2026

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +1.3%/yr · 5-yr +6.0%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

$44K personal · yr+7% vs Otago suburb median

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure.

Building activity

Latest consents
8
0 houses · 8 units
14.3%YoY D9 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
864
Was 804 in 2018
7.5%vs 2018 D4 vs NZ

Full data detail

Musselburgh Otago — Property Data and Demographics

Musselburgh is a small community in Otago with a population of 1,524 and a median age of 38. Median personal income is $44K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Otago population estimates moved +1.2% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.6% a year from 2018 to 2023, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 804 in 2018 to 864 in 2023 (+7.5%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Median weekly rent in Musselburgh is $650 (650 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 77% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Musselburgh: NZDep decile 4 (moderate deprivation).

In 2026, Musselburgh recorded 8 building approvals (0 houses, 8 units), up 14.3% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability77% Stretched
DeprivationDecile 4· Moderate
Development+14%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$650
House · wk$650
Rent / income76.6%
Lodgements48
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)8
Units8
YoY change+14.3%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,524
Median age38
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$44,100
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived4/10
NZDep score959

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,284
Māori192
Asian123
Pacific Peoples57
MELAA39
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance126
Education and Training108
Retail Trade99
Professional, Scientific and Technical96
Public Administration and Safety81
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics2
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining2
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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EMPTY SET

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Sources & freshness
Usable evidence

Musselburgh is usable, but it still needs cross-checking.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
MBIE rental bond data · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Musselburgh still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is useful, but thinner than the strongest NZ suburb profiles.

Read it as a quick locality brief, particularly when weighing it against larger or better-covered suburbs.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops.

The lighter areas here are school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops, so one sparse reading should not stand in for the whole suburb story.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

If it still looks worth a look, use compare, the region hub, or a larger nearby suburb to check the story against denser coverage.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Frame the locality with this page, then pressure-test the story in compare, the region hub, or a better-covered nearby suburb before calling it complete.

Stronger nearby reads

If Musselburgh feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Brighton most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop -100 · rent -$60/wk · income +$1K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Kew (Dunedin City) most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop +200 · rent +$28/wk · income -$3K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Opoho most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop -300 · rent +$18/wk · income -$3K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Musselburgh FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Musselburgh?

    The median weekly rent in Musselburgh is $650/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Musselburgh?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 77% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for Musselburgh?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Musselburgh show: Stretched, Moderate, Steady. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Musselburgh?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  5. How often is the Musselburgh data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.