Chippendale vs Darlington

In both, most households rent. In Chippendale, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. Chippendale is closer to the city centre: 3.5 km, against 4.2 km. On these figures, Chippendale tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Darlington suits share households.

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

Darlington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (24% vs 11%)

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

First-home buyers

Chippendale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($880,000 vs $1,015,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Chippendale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (78% vs 61%)
  • has cheaper rent ($520/wk vs $650/wk)
  • But Darlington leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 32%)

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 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Chippendale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-9.4% vs -16.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Chippendale Darlington
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.

Chippendale Darlington
Walkability 98 / 97
Chippendale — Walkability: 98/100 Darlington — Walkability: 97/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Chippendale — Low fire risk: 100/100 Darlington — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Chippendale has more residents (7,803 vs 2,597); Darlington has higher household incomes ($124,384 vs $83,512).

Chippendale Darlington
Population 7,803
+67% vs other
 2,597
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -9.4% -16.1%
Median age 28 27
Median household income $83,512/yr $124,384/yr
+49% vs other
Median weekly rent $520/wk $650/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chippendale Darlington
0-4 2.0% / 2.0%
Chippendale — 0-4: 2.0% Darlington — 0-4: 2.0%
5-14 1.5% / 3.1%
Chippendale — 5-14: 1.5% Darlington — 5-14: 3.1%
15-19 3.3% / 8.6%
Chippendale — 15-19: 3.3% Darlington — 15-19: 8.6%
20-24 25.6% / 25.8%
Chippendale — 20-24: 25.6% Darlington — 20-24: 25.8%
25-34 39.5% / 30.0%
Chippendale — 25-34: 39.5% Darlington — 25-34: 30.0%
35-44 14.1% / 10.9%
Chippendale — 35-44: 14.1% Darlington — 35-44: 10.9%
45-54 6.2% / 8.0%
Chippendale — 45-54: 6.2% Darlington — 45-54: 8.0%
55-64 4.4% / 6.3%
Chippendale — 55-64: 4.4% Darlington — 55-64: 6.3%
65-74 2.5% / 3.7%
Chippendale — 65-74: 2.5% Darlington — 65-74: 3.7%
75-84 0.7% / 1.6%
Chippendale — 75-84: 0.7% Darlington — 75-84: 1.6%
85+ 0.2% / 0.3%
Chippendale — 85+: 0.2% Darlington — 85+: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (39.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Chippendale 63.7% lone person
Chippendale — Lone Person: 63.7% Chippendale — Group Household: 22.0% Chippendale — Couple Families: 7.2% Chippendale — One Parent Families: 3.5% Chippendale — Other Families: 3.6%
Darlington 41.2% lone person
Darlington — Lone Person: 41.2% Darlington — Group Household: 33.2% Darlington — Couple Families: 16.2% Darlington — One Parent Families: 7.3% Darlington — Other Families: 2.2%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Chippendale 78.0% renting
Chippendale — Owned Outright: 9.0% Chippendale — Mortgage: 13.0% Chippendale — Renting: 78.0%
Darlington 60.9% renting
Darlington — Owned Outright: 17.7% Darlington — Mortgage: 21.4% Darlington — Renting: 60.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chippendale Darlington
Bachelor Degree 33.5% / 32.2%
Chippendale — Bachelor Degree: 33.5% Darlington — Bachelor Degree: 32.2%
Postgraduate Degree 17.5% / 14.0%
Chippendale — Postgraduate Degree: 17.5% Darlington — Postgraduate Degree: 14.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 5.3%
Chippendale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Darlington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3%
Certificate III & IV 3.7% / 4.5%
Chippendale — Certificate III & IV: 3.7% Darlington — Certificate III & IV: 4.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 2.6%
Chippendale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Darlington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.5%).

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.

Chippendale Darlington
China 19.6% / 9.1%
Chippendale — China: 19.6% Darlington — China: 9.1%
Indonesia 5.6% / 1.1%
Chippendale — Indonesia: 5.6% Darlington — Indonesia: 1.1%
England 2.3% / 3.9%
Chippendale — England: 2.3% Darlington — England: 3.9%
New Zealand 2.2% / 3.6%
Chippendale — New Zealand: 2.2% Darlington — New Zealand: 3.6%
India 2.4% / 1.9%
Chippendale — India: 2.4% Darlington — India: 1.9%
Thailand 3.0% / 1.1%
Chippendale — Thailand: 3.0% Darlington — Thailand: 1.1%
Malaysia 2.4% / 1.2%
Chippendale — Malaysia: 2.4% Darlington — Malaysia: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chippendale 90.1% flats / apartments
Chippendale — Flats / Apartments: 90.1% Chippendale — Townhouses: 9.8% Chippendale — Houses: 0.1%
Darlington 20.1% flats / apartments
Darlington — Flats / Apartments: 20.1% Darlington — Townhouses: 76.1% Darlington — Houses: 3.8%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Chippendale Darlington
Median house price $1,840,000 $2,000,000
Median unit price $880,000 $1,015,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 15 sales
 22 days
from 12 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.

Chippendale Darlington
2 bed $1.53M / $1.66M
Chippendale — 2 bed: $1.53M (6 sales) Darlington — 2 bed: $1.66M (12 sales)

6 vs 12 sales

3 bed $1.89M / $2.35M
Chippendale — 3 bed: $1.89M (14 sales) Darlington — 3 bed: $2.35M (13 sales)

14 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Chippendale Darlington
Infrastructure and transport 27% 54%
Residential 52% 44%
Commercial 5% 2%
Parks and recreation 3% 1%
Planning zones cover 86% of Chippendale and 100% of Darlington. 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

Chippendale Darlington
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.

Chippendale Darlington
Houses 3.5%
$1,200/wk on $1.8M
 —
Units 5.6%
$950/wk on $875K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Chippendale Darlington
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Income Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 43% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 89% of NSW —

Liveability

Darlington scores higher overall (96 vs 80).

Chippendale Darlington
Grade A A+
Score 80/100 96/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Chippendale Darlington
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
83/100
 —
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 7
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Chippendale Darlington
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
University of Technology Sydney (City Campus), 0.8 km
 3
The University of Sydney, 1.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 16.6% 24.5%

Schools in Chippendale

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Darlington

  • Darlington Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Chippendale Darlington
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 71 15
Parks & reserves 5 6
Childcare 4 3
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 1 0

Mobility

Chippendale Darlington
Walkability score 98/100 97/100
Distance to Sydney 3.5 km 4.2 km
+20% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 9 min 11 min
Public transport score 92/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 169.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 84.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.3%
postcode 2008
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 2
postcode 2008
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.

Chippendale Darlington
Worked from Home 59.8% / 60.7%
Chippendale — Worked from Home: 59.8% Darlington — Worked from Home: 60.7%
Car (driver) 10.1% / 14.7%
Chippendale — Car (driver): 10.1% Darlington — Car (driver): 14.7%
Walked Only 12.0% / 9.8%
Chippendale — Walked Only: 12.0% Darlington — Walked Only: 9.8%
Train 8.8% / 8.6%
Chippendale — Train: 8.8% Darlington — Train: 8.6%
Bus 5.1% / 2.3%
Chippendale — Bus: 5.1% Darlington — Bus: 2.3%
Bicycle 1.9% / 2.7%
Chippendale — Bicycle: 1.9% Darlington — Bicycle: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.7%).

Setting

Chippendale Darlington
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.5 km
4.3 km to a named beach
 6.6 km

NBN connectivity

Chippendale Darlington
Connectivity score 75/100 83/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 16%
3,133 premises
 39%
1,283 premises

Climate

Chippendale Darlington
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)

Chippendale Darlington
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ 5.3 µg/m³
PM10 13.8 µg/m³ 12.9 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.84 pphm 0.73 pphm

Council rates

Chippendale Darlington
Average residential rate $875/yr
same for both
Council Sydney
same for both

Federal electorate

Chippendale Darlington
Division Sydney
same for both
Member Tanya Plibersek
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Chippendale Darlington
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Chippendale

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Nightlife Parks Professionals Students Transport Hub Urban

Darlington

Inner Parks Premium Professionals Students Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chippendale

Chippendale vs Surry Hills Chippendale vs Redfern Chippendale vs Glebe Chippendale vs Camperdown Chippendale vs Haymarket Chippendale vs Ultimo

Other comparisons with Darlington

Darlington vs Newtown Darlington vs Redfern Darlington vs Camperdown Darlington vs Eveleigh
Full data on Chippendale Full data on Darlington
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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