Is North Sydney a nice place to live?

North Sydney centres on office towers and high-rise apartments around the station, a busy commercial spine on Miller Street and the sporting oval at North Sydney Oval. The community has many renters and households made up largely of couples without children, with 62.6% of homes rented and incomes above the NSW median. Regular train and bus services and easy access across the Sydney Harbour Bridge provide direct city connections, parks sit beside the water, and the Olympic Pool has reopened after a multi-year redevelopment with a refurbished 50-metre outdoor pool and new indoor facilities.

Is it expensive to live in North Sydney?

A typical local household earned about $2,405 a week at the most recent Census. In North Sydney, average weekly rents are about $1,395 for houses and $850 for units, so renting a house would take roughly 58% of that weekly household income and renting a unit about 35%. The median unit price of $961,000 works out to about 7.7 times a typical local annual household income, which sits well above local incomes. On these figures, house rent takes a large share of a typical local household's income and unit rent a sizeable share; buying a unit also sits well above local incomes. Whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and circumstances. Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Is North Sydney a good place to invest?

North Sydney's unit values fell a notable 9.8% over the past 12 months while unit rents rose a solid 6.2%. House values rose a solid 5.3% while house rents edged up 1.5%. That means for houses capital growth outpaced rental income, while for units rental income increased even as capital value declined. 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.

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North Sydney suburb profile

North Sydney is an inner-north suburb near Sydney Harbour, where a cluster of office towers and high-rise apartments around the station gives way to tree-lined streets and hilly residential pockets. Housing mixes modern apartment blocks and terraces with older federation and interwar houses tucked into quieter side streets.

The area combines a busy commercial spine along Miller Street and a compact village of cafes and shops with parks beside the water and the sporting oval at North Sydney Oval. Regular train and bus services and easy access across the Sydney Harbour Bridge provide direct connections to the city.

North Sydney property market performance

Current median dwelling price$1,843,000Past 3 months

Property growth-2.2%Past 12 months

North Sydney's median unit price is $961,000, a notable fall of 9.8% over the last 12 months. There is no reliable median house price for North Sydney because too few houses have sold here recently for a published median. Houses sold more quickly than units, with a median time on market of 29 days compared with 42 days for units.

In North Sydney, unit rents rose solidly by 6.2% over the last 12 months while unit values declined markedly over the same period.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	N/A	$961K
Change in value Past 12 months	5.3%	-9.8%
Sold Past 3 months	8	48
Median days on market Past 12 months	29	42
Average rent Past 12 months	$1395	$850
Change in rent Past 12 months	1.5%	6.3%

5 year median price trend for houses and units

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North Sydney demographics

North Sydney is a community of many renters, with couples without children at home and incomes above the median for NSW.

Couples without children make up 58.0% of families and 62.6% of homes are rented. At the 2021 Census, 8,964 people lived in North Sydney.

North Sydney and NSW

	Suburb	NSW
Median age years	36	39
Median household income weekly	$2,405	$1,829
Couples with children share of families	29.4%	44.7%
Couples without children share of families	58.0%	37.9%
One-parent families share of families	10.5%	15.8%
Homes owned outright share of homes	19.4%	32.6%
Homes with a mortgage share of homes	18.0%	33.6%
Homes rented share of homes	62.6%	33.7%

Source: ABS 2021 Census. Shares of homes exclude other and not-stated tenure.

North Sydney infrastructure, key developments and investment opportunities

North Sydney’s North Sydney Olympic Pool, at Alfred Street South, Milsons Point, reopened in 2026 after its multi-year redevelopment; the redeveloped complex includes a refurbished 50-metre outdoor pool and new indoor facilities (opening weekend 7 August 2026).

Also in 2026 early works began on the new North Sydney Ambulance Station at 224–230 Falcon Street, with works starting 31 August 2026 and the station designed to provide internal parking for up to eight emergency ambulance vehicles. The North Sydney Public School upgrade was completed in 2024, delivering 19 new flexible learning spaces. The Western Harbour Tunnel, which will connect the Warringah Freeway to the Rozelle Interchange, is due to open in 2028.

Suburbs near North Sydney

Some popular suburbs near North Sydney include:

How does North Sydney compare to nearby suburbs?

Median unit prices: North Sydney’s median unit price is 46.6% lower than Mcmahons Point’s.
House price growth: Property prices in nearby Mcmahons Point have risen 19.0% more than in North Sydney over the past year.
Unit price growth: Property prices in nearby Lavender Bay have risen 10.6% more than in North Sydney over the past year.
Selling speed for units: Properties in North Sydney are selling 8.7% faster than in Mcmahons Point.
Investment considerations: In North Sydney, the rental yield for house is 51.1% higher than the Sydney average, while the rental yield for units is 7.6% higher.
House price growth: Over the past 12 months, house prices in North Sydney have grown 64.9% higher than the average rate of growth across Sydney.
Unit price growth:Over the past 12 months, unit prices in North Sydney have grown 24.4% higher than the average rate of growth for units across Sydney.

Common questions about North Sydney

Is North Sydney a nice place to live?
North Sydney centres on office towers and high-rise apartments around the station, a busy commercial spine on Miller Street and the sporting oval at North Sydney Oval.

The community has many renters and households made up largely of couples without children, with 62.6% of homes rented and incomes above the NSW median. Regular train and bus services and easy access across the Sydney Harbour Bridge provide direct city connections, parks sit beside the water, and the Olympic Pool has reopened after a multi-year redevelopment with a refurbished 50-metre outdoor pool and new indoor facilities.
Is it expensive to live in North Sydney?
A typical local household earned about $2,405 a week at the most recent Census. In North Sydney, average weekly rents are about $1,395 for houses and $850 for units, so renting a house would take roughly 58% of that weekly household income and renting a unit about 35%.

The median unit price of $961,000 works out to about 7.7 times a typical local annual household income, which sits well above local incomes. On these figures, house rent takes a large share of a typical local household's income and unit rent a sizeable share; buying a unit also sits well above local incomes. Whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.
Is North Sydney a good place to invest?
North Sydney's unit values fell a notable 9.8% over the past 12 months while unit rents rose a solid 6.2%.

House values rose a solid 5.3% while house rents edged up 1.5%. That means for houses capital growth outpaced rental income, while for units rental income increased even as capital value declined.

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.

Choose the right real estate agents in North Sydney

There are 121 real estate agents in North Sydney, but they don’t all deliver the same results.

Some agents have a much stronger presence in the suburb, with just 5 agents handling around 24.2% of all sales in the past year.

Commission rates in North Sydney typically range from 1.75% to 2.42%. Comparing agents—including what they charge, what’s included, and how they structure their fees—is not only important when choosing an agent, the right structure can help ensure your chosen agent is motivated to achieve the best possible result.