Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Newtown

Newtown centres on the long, lively King Street strip, where colourful shopfronts, independent boutiques, cafés, vintage stores and a mix of pubs and live-music venues create an eclectic street culture. Residential streets are a mix of Victorian and Federation terraces, workers' cottages and low-rise apartments, so it attracts students, creatives and families who value character housing. The suburb is well served by Newtown station and frequent buses, with nearby green spaces and the University of Sydney adding recreational and cultural options.

About 14,690 people live in Newtown, with a median age of 34 and a typical household income around $2,330 a week. More homes are rented than owned, and most families are couple-based. Several transport and streetscape projects are planned or under way, including station access improvements, a proposed separated cycleway and a Streets Alive master plan for King Street and Enmore Road, while major health and research developments in the nearby Camperdown–university precinct sit close to the area. Whether it suits you depends on the kind of neighbourhood and housing mix you want.

In Newtown, housing costs sit notably above what a typical local household earned at the last Census. A median house at $1,737,500 is about 14.3 times a typical local annual household income at the last Census (that household income was $2,330 a week, or $121,160 a year), while a median unit at $787,000 is about 6.5 times that annual income. On the rental side, a house at $990 a week would take about 42.5% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, a large share, and a unit at $650 a week would take about 27.9%, a moderate share. On these figures, buying sits well above local incomes and renting a unit looks relatively more manageable than buying, while house rents would still take a large share of income.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Over the past year, house values in Newtown rose a solid 5.4% while unit values increased a more modest 2.8%. House rents climbed 4.2% and unit rents rose 3.2% over the same period.

That means for Newtown houses, capital growth outpaced rental growth this year (5.4% compared with 4.2%), while for units the rent increase slightly outpaced price growth (3.2% compared with 2.8%). If rental income is your priority, the rent figures are the most relevant; if capital gain matters more, focus on the value changes. Whether that balance suits your plans depends on your own goals and circumstances.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.