Alexandria vs Waterloo

In both, most homes are flats or apartments. In Alexandria, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Waterloo, the large majority of households rent and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Waterloo tends to suit renters.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Alexandria

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (12 vs 8)
  • is already more of a family suburb (30% vs 21%)
  • But Waterloo has more parks and reserves (20 vs 12)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Waterloo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,710,000 vs $2,236,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Alexandria leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 26%)
  • Waterloo has a bigger rental market to choose from (75% vs 53%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Waterloo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.6% vs 4.4%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Alexandria and Waterloo drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Alexandria Waterloo
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Alexandria Waterloo
Walkability 96 / 99
Alexandria — Walkability: 96/100 Waterloo — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 15 / 11
Alexandria — Safety: 15/100 Waterloo — Safety: 11/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Alexandria — Low fire risk: 100/100 Waterloo — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Waterloo has more residents (16,379 vs 9,649); Alexandria has higher household incomes ($138,008 vs $105,456).

Alexandria Waterloo
Population 9,649 16,379
+70% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.8% +12.1%
Median age 34 33
Median household income $138,008/yr
+24% vs other
 $105,456/yr
Median weekly rent $560/wk
+5% vs other
 $530/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Alexandria Waterloo
0-4 4.9% / 4.2%
Alexandria — 0-4: 4.9% Waterloo — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 6.2% / 3.6%
Alexandria — 5-14: 6.2% Waterloo — 5-14: 3.6%
15-19 1.8% / 1.8%
Alexandria — 15-19: 1.8% Waterloo — 15-19: 1.8%
20-24 6.0% / 9.6%
Alexandria — 20-24: 6.0% Waterloo — 20-24: 9.6%
25-34 32.6% / 35.6%
Alexandria — 25-34: 32.6% Waterloo — 25-34: 35.6%
35-44 21.9% / 18.5%
Alexandria — 35-44: 21.9% Waterloo — 35-44: 18.5%
45-54 12.9% / 8.8%
Alexandria — 45-54: 12.9% Waterloo — 45-54: 8.8%
55-64 7.6% / 7.5%
Alexandria — 55-64: 7.6% Waterloo — 55-64: 7.5%
65-74 4.1% / 5.8%
Alexandria — 65-74: 4.1% Waterloo — 65-74: 5.8%
75-84 1.6% / 3.3%
Alexandria — 75-84: 1.6% Waterloo — 75-84: 3.3%
85+ 0.5% / 1.3%
Alexandria — 85+: 0.5% Waterloo — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Alexandria 52.6% lone person
Alexandria — Lone Person: 52.6% Alexandria — Couple Families: 24.1% Alexandria — Group Household: 15.3% Alexandria — One Parent Families: 6.3% Alexandria — Other Families: 1.6%
Waterloo 58.2% lone person
Waterloo — Lone Person: 58.2% Waterloo — Couple Families: 13.5% Waterloo — Group Household: 18.4% Waterloo — One Parent Families: 7.9% Waterloo — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Alexandria 52.8% renting
Alexandria — Owned Outright: 12.6% Alexandria — Mortgage: 34.6% Alexandria — Renting: 52.8%
Waterloo 75.2% renting
Waterloo — Owned Outright: 6.4% Waterloo — Mortgage: 18.4% Waterloo — Renting: 75.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Alexandria Waterloo
Bachelor Degree 33.3% / 28.6%
Alexandria — Bachelor Degree: 33.3% Waterloo — Bachelor Degree: 28.6%
Postgraduate Degree 14.8% / 13.1%
Alexandria — Postgraduate Degree: 14.8% Waterloo — Postgraduate Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 8.2%
Alexandria — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Waterloo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Certificate III & IV 6.3% / 6.7%
Alexandria — Certificate III & IV: 6.3% Waterloo — Certificate III & IV: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / 2.2%
Alexandria — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% Waterloo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.3%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Alexandria Waterloo
China 2.6% / 11.5%
Alexandria — China: 2.6% Waterloo — China: 11.5%
England 5.1% / 5.6%
Alexandria — England: 5.1% Waterloo — England: 5.6%
New Zealand 3.3% / 2.6%
Alexandria — New Zealand: 3.3% Waterloo — New Zealand: 2.6%
Ireland 1.1% / 2.3%
Alexandria — Ireland: 1.1% Waterloo — Ireland: 2.3%
India 1.1% / 1.6%
Alexandria — India: 1.1% Waterloo — India: 1.6%
Indonesia 1.2% / 1.4%
Alexandria — Indonesia: 1.2% Waterloo — Indonesia: 1.4%
Brazil — / 1.8%
Alexandria — Brazil: not among its largest Waterloo — Brazil: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Alexandria 66.2% flats / apartments
Alexandria — Flats / Apartments: 66.2% Alexandria — Townhouses: 29.0% Alexandria — Houses: 4.7%
Waterloo 91.4% flats / apartments
Waterloo — Flats / Apartments: 91.4% Waterloo — Townhouses: 8.1% Waterloo — Houses: 0.5%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Alexandria Waterloo
Median house price $2,236,000 $1,710,000
Median unit price $955,000 $930,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 55 sales
 20 days
from 13 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Alexandria Waterloo
2 bed $1.85M / $1.62M
Alexandria — 2 bed: $1.85M (31 sales) Waterloo — 2 bed: $1.62M (7 sales)

31 vs 7 sales

3 bed $2.37M / $1.76M
Alexandria — 3 bed: $2.37M (38 sales) Waterloo — 3 bed: $1.76M (8 sales)

38 vs 8 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Alexandria Waterloo
1 bed $715K / $700K
Alexandria — 1 bed: $715K (81 sales) Waterloo — 1 bed: $700K (103 sales)

81 vs 103 sales

2 bed $1.1M / $1.03M
Alexandria — 2 bed: $1.1M (95 sales) Waterloo — 2 bed: $1.03M (156 sales)

95 vs 156 sales

3 bed $1.73M / $1.34M
Alexandria — 3 bed: $1.73M (28 sales) Waterloo — 3 bed: $1.34M (33 sales)

28 vs 33 sales

Zoning mix

Alexandria has more industrially zoned land (58% vs 0%).

Alexandria Waterloo
Residential 21% 73%
Industrial 58% 0%
Parks and recreation 13% 6%
Commercial 0% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 7%
same for both
Planning zones cover 100% of Alexandria and 94% of Waterloo. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Alexandria Waterloo
New dwellings approved 2,350
across Sydney
same for both
Approvals change year on year +929%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Alexandria Waterloo
Houses 3.0%
$1,200/wk on $2.05M
 2.6%
$935/wk on $1.85M
Units 4.4%
$800/wk on $950K
 5.6%
$950/wk on $880K

Ranking within NSW

Alexandria Waterloo
House price Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Income Higher than 91% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 100% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 23% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW

Liveability

Alexandria scores higher overall (82 vs 74).

Alexandria Waterloo
Grade A
same for both
Score 82/100 74/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Alexandria Waterloo
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
85/100
 High
89/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 12
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

Alexandria Waterloo
Inside the suburb 2
same for both
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Sydney, 2.6 km
 3
1-37 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, 1.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.9% 4.7%

Schools in Alexandria

  • Alexandria Park Community School Government · Combined above peers
  • Central Sydney Intensive English High School Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Waterloo

  • Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Yudi Gunyi School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Alexandria Waterloo
Supermarkets 4 9
Cafes & restaurants 41 67
Parks & reserves 12 20
Childcare 12 8
GPs 3
same for both
Pharmacies 4 3
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 4 2
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Alexandria Waterloo
Walkability score 96/100 99/100
Distance to Sydney 6.7 km
+7% vs other
 6.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 13 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 383.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 351.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 4.9%
postcode 2015
 3.7%
postcode 2017
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 9
postcode 2015
 1
postcode 2017

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Alexandria Waterloo
Worked from Home 66.3% / 60.5%
Alexandria — Worked from Home: 66.3% Waterloo — Worked from Home: 60.5%
Car (driver) 17.9% / 18.6%
Alexandria — Car (driver): 17.9% Waterloo — Car (driver): 18.6%
Walked Only 5.4% / 6.6%
Alexandria — Walked Only: 5.4% Waterloo — Walked Only: 6.6%
Train 5.6% / 4.3%
Alexandria — Train: 5.6% Waterloo — Train: 4.3%
Bus 1.5% / 5.7%
Alexandria — Bus: 1.5% Waterloo — Bus: 5.7%
Bicycle 2.2% / 2.6%
Alexandria — Bicycle: 2.2% Waterloo — Bicycle: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.3%).

Setting

Alexandria Waterloo
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.5 km 5.2 km
4.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Alexandria Waterloo
Connectivity score 64/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the building
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 20%
8,005 premises
 28%
10,571 premises

Climate

Alexandria Waterloo
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Alexandria Waterloo
PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.73 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Alexandria Waterloo
Average residential rate $875/yr
same for both
Council Sydney
same for both

Federal electorate

Alexandria Waterloo
Division Sydney
same for both
Member Tanya Plibersek
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Alexandria Waterloo
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Alexandria

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

Waterloo

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Parks Professionals Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Alexandria

Alexandria vs Mascot Alexandria vs Rosebery Alexandria vs Redfern Alexandria vs Zetland Alexandria vs Erskineville Alexandria vs St Peters

Other comparisons with Waterloo

Waterloo vs Redfern Waterloo vs Zetland Waterloo vs Kensington
Full data on Alexandria Full data on Waterloo
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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