Balmain vs Birchgrove

Balmain is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 46 in Birchgrove. In both, most households own their home. In Balmain, about half of households are people living alone. In Birchgrove, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Birchgrove: a median of $3.14 million, against $2.63 million in Balmain, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Balmain tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Birchgrove suits couples.

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

Balmain

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (10 vs 1)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 9)
  • But Birchgrove carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 69/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Balmain has cheaper houses ($2,629,000 vs $3,140,000)
  • Birchgrove has cheaper units ($1,200,000 vs $1,330,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Balmain

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 28%)
  • has cheaper rent ($625/wk vs $700/wk)

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

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Balmain has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • Birchgrove carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 69/100)

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

Investors

Balmain

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.0% vs 2.4%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Balmain Birchgrove
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.

Balmain Birchgrove
Walkability 95 / 92
Balmain — Walkability: 95/100 Birchgrove — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 31 / 72
Balmain — Safety: 31/100 Birchgrove — Safety: 72/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Balmain — Low fire risk: 100/100 Birchgrove — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Balmain has more residents (10,454 vs 3,228); Birchgrove has higher household incomes ($187,356 vs $158,028).

Balmain Birchgrove
Population 10,454
+69% vs other
 3,228
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.0% -2.3%
Median age 42 46
Median household income $158,028/yr $187,356/yr
+19% vs other
Median weekly rent $625/wk $700/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Balmain Birchgrove
0-4 6.1% / 5.0%
Balmain — 0-4: 6.1% Birchgrove — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 11.2% / 12.5%
Balmain — 5-14: 11.2% Birchgrove — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 4.0% / 5.2%
Balmain — 15-19: 4.0% Birchgrove — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 3.8% / 3.1%
Balmain — 20-24: 3.8% Birchgrove — 20-24: 3.1%
25-34 12.4% / 9.4%
Balmain — 25-34: 12.4% Birchgrove — 25-34: 9.4%
35-44 17.1% / 13.5%
Balmain — 35-44: 17.1% Birchgrove — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 16.3% / 16.0%
Balmain — 45-54: 16.3% Birchgrove — 45-54: 16.0%
55-64 12.8% / 15.0%
Balmain — 55-64: 12.8% Birchgrove — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 10.0% / 13.2%
Balmain — 65-74: 10.0% Birchgrove — 65-74: 13.2%
75-84 5.0% / 6.1%
Balmain — 75-84: 5.0% Birchgrove — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 1.3% / 1.1%
Balmain — 85+: 1.3% Birchgrove — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Balmain 37.5% couple families
Balmain — Couple Families: 37.5% Balmain — Lone Person: 45.7% Balmain — One Parent Families: 11.0% Balmain — Group Household: 4.5% Balmain — Other Families: 1.3%
Birchgrove 48.4% couple families
Birchgrove — Couple Families: 48.4% Birchgrove — Lone Person: 37.4% Birchgrove — One Parent Families: 10.0% Birchgrove — Group Household: 3.3% Birchgrove — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Balmain 42.2% renting
Balmain — Owned Outright: 29.1% Balmain — Mortgage: 28.7% Balmain — Renting: 42.2%
Birchgrove 27.5% renting
Birchgrove — Owned Outright: 42.0% Birchgrove — Mortgage: 30.5% Birchgrove — Renting: 27.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Balmain Birchgrove
Bachelor Degree 27.7% / 30.5%
Balmain — Bachelor Degree: 27.7% Birchgrove — Bachelor Degree: 30.5%
Postgraduate Degree 14.5% / 16.7%
Balmain — Postgraduate Degree: 14.5% Birchgrove — Postgraduate Degree: 16.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 6.6%
Balmain — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Birchgrove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Certificate III & IV 5.3% / 3.9%
Balmain — Certificate III & IV: 5.3% Birchgrove — Certificate III & IV: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 3.7%
Balmain — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Birchgrove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.5%).

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.

Balmain Birchgrove
England 9.1% / 10.0%
Balmain — England: 9.1% Birchgrove — England: 10.0%
New Zealand 2.8% / 2.4%
Balmain — New Zealand: 2.8% Birchgrove — New Zealand: 2.4%
Ireland 1.3% / 1.1%
Balmain — Ireland: 1.3% Birchgrove — Ireland: 1.1%
Scotland 1.0% / 1.0%
Balmain — Scotland: 1.0% Birchgrove — Scotland: 1.0%
China 1.2% / 0.7%
Balmain — China: 1.2% Birchgrove — China: 0.7%
Germany — / 1.0%
Balmain — Germany: not among its largest Birchgrove — Germany: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Balmain 39.9% townhouses
Balmain — Townhouses: 39.9% Balmain — Flats / Apartments: 38.3% Balmain — Houses: 21.8%
Birchgrove 53.0% townhouses
Birchgrove — Townhouses: 53.0% Birchgrove — Flats / Apartments: 18.8% Birchgrove — Houses: 28.2%
Townhouses Flats / Apartments Houses

Property market

Balmain Birchgrove
Median house price $2,629,000 $3,140,000
Median unit price $1,330,000 $1,200,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 21 days
from 81 sales
 22 days
from 14 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.

Balmain Birchgrove
1 bed $905K / $988K
Balmain — 1 bed: $905K (29 sales) Birchgrove — 1 bed: $988K (10 sales)

29 vs 10 sales

2 bed $1.4M / $1.4M
Balmain — 2 bed: $1.4M (43 sales) Birchgrove — 2 bed: $1.4M (13 sales)

43 vs 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.

Balmain Birchgrove
2 bed $2.17M / $2.15M
Balmain — 2 bed: $2.17M (63 sales) Birchgrove — 2 bed: $2.15M (17 sales)

63 vs 17 sales

3 bed $2.75M / $3.01M
Balmain — 3 bed: $2.75M (80 sales) Birchgrove — 3 bed: $3.01M (35 sales)

80 vs 35 sales

4 bed $4.03M / $5.18M
Balmain — 4 bed: $4.03M (38 sales) Birchgrove — 4 bed: $5.18M (19 sales)

38 vs 19 sales

5 bed $6.58M / $9.1M
Balmain — 5 bed: $6.58M (6 sales) Birchgrove — 5 bed: $9.1M (6 sales)

6 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Balmain Birchgrove
Residential 73% 70%
Parks and recreation 8% 27%
Other and special use 9% 0%
Commercial 6% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 2%
Planning zones cover 99% of Balmain and 98% of Birchgrove. 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

Balmain Birchgrove
New dwellings approved 849
across Inner West
same for both
Approvals change year on year -25%
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.

Balmain Birchgrove
Houses 3.0%
$1,450/wk on $2.55M
 2.4%
$1,250/wk on $2.7M
Units 3.6%
$760/wk on $1.1M
 —

Ranking within NSW

Balmain Birchgrove
House price Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Income Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 97% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 13% of NSW —

Liveability

Birchgrove scores higher overall (95 vs 86).

Balmain Birchgrove
Grade A A+
Score 86/100 95/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Balmain carries more crime risk (69 vs 28).

Balmain Birchgrove
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
69/100
 Low
28/100
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 6
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Balmain Birchgrove
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Sydney C.Q.U. Campus, 3.0 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 2.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.1% 2.3%

Schools in Balmain

  • Balmain Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Fr John Therry Catholic Primary School Balmain - Rozelle Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Birchgrove

  • Birchgrove Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Balmain Birchgrove
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 18 1
Parks & reserves 13 9
Childcare 10 1
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 4 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Balmain Birchgrove
Walkability score 95/100 92/100
Distance to Sydney 5.5 km 6.1 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 11 min 13 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 62/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 296.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 21.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.1%
postcode 2041
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 12
postcode 2041
same for both

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.

Balmain Birchgrove
Worked from Home 69.3% / 70.4%
Balmain — Worked from Home: 69.3% Birchgrove — Worked from Home: 70.4%
Car (driver) 20.4% / 21.4%
Balmain — Car (driver): 20.4% Birchgrove — Car (driver): 21.4%
Walked Only 4.3% / 3.3%
Balmain — Walked Only: 4.3% Birchgrove — Walked Only: 3.3%
Bus 3.2% / 1.9%
Balmain — Bus: 3.2% Birchgrove — Bus: 1.9%
Car (passenger) 1.1% / 1.6%
Balmain — Car (passenger): 1.1% Birchgrove — Car (passenger): 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.4%).

Setting

Balmain Birchgrove
Elevation 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 29 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.0 km
1.9 km to a named beach
 6.6 km
1.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Balmain Birchgrove
Connectivity score 75/100 74/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
6,113 premises
 0%
1,570 premises

Climate

Balmain Birchgrove
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm 1,176 mm
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C —
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Balmain Birchgrove
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 15.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.62 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Balmain Birchgrove
Average residential rate $1,342/yr
same for both
Council Inner West
same for both

Federal electorate

Balmain Birchgrove
Division Sydney
same for both
Member Tanya Plibersek
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Balmain Birchgrove
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Balmain

Apartments Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban Village Feel

Birchgrove

Inner Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban
Full data on Balmain Full data on Birchgrove
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or