North Sydney vs Waverton

North Sydney is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 39 in Waverton. In North Sydney, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Waverton, about half of households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Units cost more in Waverton: a median of $1.32 million, against $1.04 million in North Sydney. North Sydney is closer to the city centre: 4.3 km, against 5.5 km. On these figures, North Sydney tends to suit renters, people living alone, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • North Sydney has more childcare (14 vs 0)
  • Waverton has more separate houses rather than flats (18% vs 6%)

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

First-home buyers

North Sydney

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($1,045,000 vs $1,324,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($3,200,000 vs $3,950,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

North Sydney

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (63% vs 48%)

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

North Sydney

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (94% vs 82%)
  • But Waverton carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 60/100)

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

Investors

North Sydney

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.3% vs -1.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

North Sydney Waverton
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.

North Sydney Waverton
Walkability 100 / 99
North Sydney — Walkability: 100/100 Waverton — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 40 / 71
North Sydney — Safety: 40/100 Waverton — Safety: 71/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
North Sydney — Low fire risk: 100/100 Waverton — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

North Sydney has more residents (8,964 vs 2,981); Waverton has higher household incomes ($150,280 vs $125,060).

North Sydney Waverton
Population 8,964
+67% vs other
 2,981
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.3% -1.3%
Median age 36 39
Median household income $125,060/yr $150,280/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $575/wk $600/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Sydney Waverton
0-4 4.4% / 5.1%
North Sydney — 0-4: 4.4% Waverton — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 6.2% / 7.4%
North Sydney — 5-14: 6.2% Waverton — 5-14: 7.4%
15-19 3.2% / 3.1%
North Sydney — 15-19: 3.2% Waverton — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 5.7% / 5.8%
North Sydney — 20-24: 5.7% Waverton — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 26.3% / 21.3%
North Sydney — 25-34: 26.3% Waverton — 25-34: 21.3%
35-44 19.4% / 15.8%
North Sydney — 35-44: 19.4% Waverton — 35-44: 15.8%
45-54 11.3% / 11.7%
North Sydney — 45-54: 11.3% Waverton — 45-54: 11.7%
55-64 9.4% / 10.8%
North Sydney — 55-64: 9.4% Waverton — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 6.9% / 10.9%
North Sydney — 65-74: 6.9% Waverton — 65-74: 10.9%
75-84 5.2% / 6.5%
North Sydney — 75-84: 5.2% Waverton — 75-84: 6.5%
85+ 2.1% / 1.7%
North Sydney — 85+: 2.1% Waverton — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Sydney 60.7% lone person
North Sydney — Lone Person: 60.7% North Sydney — Couple Families: 22.2% North Sydney — Group Household: 7.5% North Sydney — One Parent Families: 8.0% North Sydney — Other Families: 1.6%
Waverton 45.9% lone person
Waverton — Lone Person: 45.9% Waverton — Couple Families: 32.0% Waverton — Group Household: 11.6% Waverton — One Parent Families: 9.3% Waverton — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

North Sydney 62.6% renting
North Sydney — Owned Outright: 19.4% North Sydney — Mortgage: 18.0% North Sydney — Renting: 62.6%
Waverton 48.0% renting
Waverton — Owned Outright: 33.7% Waverton — Mortgage: 18.3% Waverton — Renting: 48.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Sydney Waverton
Bachelor Degree 32.3% / 33.8%
North Sydney — Bachelor Degree: 32.3% Waverton — Bachelor Degree: 33.8%
Postgraduate Degree 18.0% / 17.9%
North Sydney — Postgraduate Degree: 18.0% Waverton — Postgraduate Degree: 17.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 7.0%
North Sydney — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Waverton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Certificate III & IV 4.2% / 4.3%
North Sydney — Certificate III & IV: 4.2% Waverton — Certificate III & IV: 4.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 4.4%
North Sydney — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Waverton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.8%).

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.

North Sydney Waverton
England 5.4% / 6.5%
North Sydney — England: 5.4% Waverton — England: 6.5%
China 5.8% / 3.3%
North Sydney — China: 5.8% Waverton — China: 3.3%
India 4.6% / 1.8%
North Sydney — India: 4.6% Waverton — India: 1.8%
New Zealand 2.4% / 1.9%
North Sydney — New Zealand: 2.4% Waverton — New Zealand: 1.9%
South Africa 1.4% / 1.5%
North Sydney — South Africa: 1.4% Waverton — South Africa: 1.5%
Philippines 1.6% / —
North Sydney — Philippines: 1.6% Waverton — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North Sydney 85.1% flats / apartments
North Sydney — Flats / Apartments: 85.1% North Sydney — Townhouses: 8.9% North Sydney — Houses: 6.0%
Waverton 49.7% flats / apartments
Waverton — Flats / Apartments: 49.7% Waverton — Townhouses: 32.6% Waverton — Houses: 17.7%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

North Sydney Waverton
Median house price $3,200,000 $3,950,000
Median unit price $1,045,000 $1,324,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 15 sales
 22 days
from 5 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.

North Sydney Waverton
3 bed $3.03M / $3.03M
North Sydney — 3 bed: $3.03M (10 sales) Waverton — 3 bed: $3.03M (10 sales)

10 vs 10 sales

4 bed $3.97M / $7.62M
North Sydney — 4 bed: $3.97M (6 sales) Waverton — 4 bed: $7.62M (6 sales)

6 vs 6 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.

North Sydney Waverton
1 bed $750K / $820K
North Sydney — 1 bed: $750K (111 sales) Waverton — 1 bed: $820K (11 sales)

111 vs 11 sales

2 bed $1.31M / $1.32M
North Sydney — 2 bed: $1.31M (99 sales) Waverton — 2 bed: $1.32M (39 sales)

99 vs 39 sales

3 bed $2.2M / $1.78M
North Sydney — 3 bed: $2.2M (27 sales) Waverton — 3 bed: $1.78M (10 sales)

27 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Waverton has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 0%); North Sydney has more commercially zoned land (12% vs 1%).

North Sydney Waverton
Residential 37% 47%
Infrastructure and transport 39% 10%
Environmental 0% 30%
Commercial 12% 1%
Parks and recreation 11% 12%
Planning zones cover 99% of North Sydney and 99% of Waverton. 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

North Sydney Waverton
New dwellings approved 455
across North Sydney
same for both
Approvals change year on year -69%
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.

North Sydney Waverton
Houses 2.9%
$1,550/wk on $2.77M
 —
Units 5.4%
$850/wk on $825K
 —

Ranking within NSW

North Sydney Waverton
House price Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Income Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Schools Higher than 35% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 100% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 3% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 18% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 80% of NSW —

Liveability

Waverton scores higher overall (96 vs 76).

North Sydney Waverton
Grade A A+
Score 76/100 96/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

North Sydney carries more crime risk (60 vs 29).

North Sydney Waverton
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
60/100
 Low
29/100
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 4
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

North Sydney Waverton
Inside the suburb 11 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 5 0
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 0.0 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-North Sydney Campus, 1.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 2.5%

Schools in North Sydney

  • North Sydney Boys High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Cammeraygal High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Marist Catholic College North Shore Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College Independent · Secondary at peers
  • North Sydney Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Wenona School Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Waverton

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

Amenities in the suburb

North Sydney Waverton
Supermarkets 6 0
Cafes & restaurants 104 7
Parks & reserves 16 12
Childcare 14 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 5 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 0

Mobility

North Sydney Waverton
Walkability score 100/100 99/100
Distance to Sydney 4.3 km 5.5 km
+28% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 8 min 12 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 534.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 60.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.6%
postcode 2060
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 4
postcode 2060
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.

North Sydney Waverton
Worked from Home 68.7% / 70.1%
North Sydney — Worked from Home: 68.7% Waverton — Worked from Home: 70.1%
Car (driver) 13.3% / 15.2%
North Sydney — Car (driver): 13.3% Waverton — Car (driver): 15.2%
Train 6.1% / 7.6%
North Sydney — Train: 6.1% Waverton — Train: 7.6%
Walked Only 7.8% / 4.8%
North Sydney — Walked Only: 7.8% Waverton — Walked Only: 4.8%
Car (passenger) 1.5% / 1.2%
North Sydney — Car (passenger): 1.5% Waverton — Car (passenger): 1.2%
Bus 2.0% / 0.6%
North Sydney — Bus: 2.0% Waverton — Bus: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.1%).

Setting

North Sydney Waverton
Elevation 88 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 24 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.0 km
1.0 km to a named beach
 5.0 km
649 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

North Sydney Waverton
Connectivity score 73/100 74/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 24%
10,586 premises
 4%
1,655 premises

Climate

North Sydney Waverton
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

North Sydney Waverton
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 13.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.84 pphm
same for both

Council rates

North Sydney Waverton
Average residential rate $1,035/yr
same for both
Council North Sydney
same for both

Federal electorate

North Sydney Waverton
Division Warringah
same for both
Member Zali Steggall
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

North Sydney Waverton
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

North Sydney

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Transport Hub Urban

Waverton

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Parks Premium Professionals River Townhouses Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North Sydney

North Sydney vs Neutral Bay North Sydney vs Wollstonecraft North Sydney vs Cammeray North Sydney vs Crows Nest North Sydney vs Kirribilli North Sydney vs Milsons Point

Other comparisons with Waverton

Waverton vs Wollstonecraft Waverton vs McMahons Point
Full data on North Sydney Full data on Waverton
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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