Rozelle vs Balmain

In both, most households own their home. In Balmain, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Balmain: a median of $2.63 million, against $2.33 million in Rozelle. Rozelle is closer to the city centre: 4.4 km, against 5.5 km.

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 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (10 vs 5)
  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 8)
  • But Rozelle has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Rozelle

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper units ($1,135,000 vs $1,330,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,325,000 vs $2,629,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Rozelle Balmain
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.

Rozelle Balmain
Walkability 94 / 95
Rozelle — Walkability: 94/100 Balmain — Walkability: 95/100
Safety 39 / 31
Rozelle — Safety: 39/100 Balmain — Safety: 31/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Rozelle — Low fire risk: 100/100 Balmain — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Balmain skews older (42 vs 40).

Rozelle Balmain
Population 8,553 10,454
+22% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.0% +0.0%
Median age 40 42
Median household income $166,192/yr
+5% vs other
 $158,028/yr
Median weekly rent $650/wk
+4% vs other
 $625/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Rozelle Balmain
0-4 6.5% / 6.1%
Rozelle — 0-4: 6.5% Balmain — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 10.7% / 11.2%
Rozelle — 5-14: 10.7% Balmain — 5-14: 11.2%
15-19 3.8% / 4.0%
Rozelle — 15-19: 3.8% Balmain — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 4.0% / 3.8%
Rozelle — 20-24: 4.0% Balmain — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 15.1% / 12.4%
Rozelle — 25-34: 15.1% Balmain — 25-34: 12.4%
35-44 18.8% / 17.1%
Rozelle — 35-44: 18.8% Balmain — 35-44: 17.1%
45-54 15.8% / 16.3%
Rozelle — 45-54: 15.8% Balmain — 45-54: 16.3%
55-64 11.3% / 12.8%
Rozelle — 55-64: 11.3% Balmain — 55-64: 12.8%
65-74 9.3% / 10.0%
Rozelle — 65-74: 9.3% Balmain — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 3.9% / 5.0%
Rozelle — 75-84: 3.9% Balmain — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 0.6% / 1.3%
Rozelle — 85+: 0.6% Balmain — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Rozelle 41.6% lone person
Rozelle — Lone Person: 41.6% Rozelle — Couple Families: 39.8% Rozelle — One Parent Families: 11.1% Rozelle — Group Household: 6.1% Rozelle — Other Families: 1.4%
Balmain 45.7% lone person
Balmain — Lone Person: 45.7% Balmain — Couple Families: 37.5% Balmain — One Parent Families: 11.0% Balmain — Group Household: 4.5% Balmain — Other Families: 1.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Rozelle 40.4% renting
Rozelle — Owned Outright: 26.6% Rozelle — Mortgage: 33.1% Rozelle — Renting: 40.4%
Balmain 42.2% renting
Balmain — Owned Outright: 29.1% Balmain — Mortgage: 28.7% Balmain — Renting: 42.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Rozelle Balmain
Bachelor Degree 27.8% / 27.7%
Rozelle — Bachelor Degree: 27.8% Balmain — Bachelor Degree: 27.7%
Postgraduate Degree 13.7% / 14.5%
Rozelle — Postgraduate Degree: 13.7% Balmain — Postgraduate Degree: 14.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 7.6%
Rozelle — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Balmain — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6%
Certificate III & IV 5.9% / 5.3%
Rozelle — Certificate III & IV: 5.9% Balmain — Certificate III & IV: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 3.7%
Rozelle — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Balmain — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.8%).

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.

Rozelle Balmain
England 8.3% / 9.1%
Rozelle — England: 8.3% Balmain — England: 9.1%
New Zealand 2.6% / 2.8%
Rozelle — New Zealand: 2.6% Balmain — New Zealand: 2.8%
Ireland 1.4% / 1.3%
Rozelle — Ireland: 1.4% Balmain — Ireland: 1.3%
China 1.3% / 1.2%
Rozelle — China: 1.3% Balmain — China: 1.2%
South Africa 1.1% / 1.0%
Rozelle — South Africa: 1.1% Balmain — South Africa: 1.0%
Scotland 0.9% / 1.0%
Rozelle — Scotland: 0.9% Balmain — Scotland: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Rozelle 38.8% townhouses
Rozelle — Townhouses: 38.8% Rozelle — Flats / Apartments: 36.7% Rozelle — Houses: 24.5%
Balmain 39.9% townhouses
Balmain — Townhouses: 39.9% Balmain — Flats / Apartments: 38.3% Balmain — Houses: 21.8%
Townhouses Flats / Apartments Houses

Property market

Rozelle Balmain
Median house price $2,325,000 $2,629,000
Median unit price $1,135,000 $1,330,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 73 sales
 21 days
from 81 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.

Rozelle Balmain
1 bed $923K / $905K
Rozelle — 1 bed: $923K (48 sales) Balmain — 1 bed: $905K (29 sales)

48 vs 29 sales

2 bed $1.53M / $1.4M
Rozelle — 2 bed: $1.53M (37 sales) Balmain — 2 bed: $1.4M (43 sales)

37 vs 43 sales

3 bed $2.38M / $1.76M
Rozelle — 3 bed: $2.38M (11 sales) Balmain — 3 bed: $1.76M (12 sales)

11 vs 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.

Rozelle Balmain
1 bed $1.72M / $1.39M
Rozelle — 1 bed: $1.72M (9 sales) Balmain — 1 bed: $1.39M (5 sales)

9 vs 5 sales

2 bed $1.9M / $2.17M
Rozelle — 2 bed: $1.9M (82 sales) Balmain — 2 bed: $2.17M (63 sales)

82 vs 63 sales

3 bed $2.42M / $2.75M
Rozelle — 3 bed: $2.42M (75 sales) Balmain — 3 bed: $2.75M (80 sales)

75 vs 80 sales

4 bed $3.09M / $4.03M
Rozelle — 4 bed: $3.09M (36 sales) Balmain — 4 bed: $4.03M (38 sales)

36 vs 38 sales

5 bed $2.8M / $6.58M
Rozelle — 5 bed: $2.8M (5 sales) Balmain — 5 bed: $6.58M (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Rozelle Balmain
Residential 46% 73%
Other and special use 24% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 4%
Parks and recreation 8%
same for both
Commercial 5% 6%
Industrial 5% 0%
Planning zones cover 98% of Rozelle and 99% of Balmain. 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

Rozelle Balmain
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.

Rozelle Balmain
Houses 2.8%
$1,400/wk on $2.6M
 3.0%
$1,450/wk on $2.55M
Units 3.5%
$800/wk on $1.2M
 3.6%
$760/wk on $1.1M

Ranking within NSW

Rozelle Balmain
House price Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Income Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Schools Higher than 52% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 20% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 13% of NSW

Liveability

Balmain scores higher overall (86 vs 80).

Rozelle Balmain
Grade A
same for both
Score 80/100 86/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Rozelle Balmain
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
61/100
 Moderate
69/100
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 3
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Rozelle Balmain
Inside the suburb 4 2
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Sydney, 2.7 km
 3
Sydney C.Q.U. Campus, 3.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.0% 2.1%

Schools in Rozelle

  • Sydney Secondary College Balmain Campus Government · Secondary above peers
  • Inner Sydney Montessori School Independent · Primary at peers
  • Rozelle Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Aloysius' College, Rozelle Independent · Secondary

Schools in Balmain

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

Amenities in the suburb

Rozelle Balmain
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 8 18
Parks & reserves 8 13
Childcare 5 10
GPs 4 5
Pharmacies 3 4
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
Fuel stations 4 0
Waterways 1
same for both

Mobility

Rozelle Balmain
Walkability score 94/100 95/100
Distance to Sydney 4.4 km 5.5 km
+25% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 8 min 11 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 483.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 296.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.6%
postcode 2039
 3.1%
postcode 2041
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 12
postcode 2039
 12
postcode 2041

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.

Rozelle Balmain
Worked from Home 68.1% / 69.3%
Rozelle — Worked from Home: 68.1% Balmain — Worked from Home: 69.3%
Car (driver) 21.1% / 20.4%
Rozelle — Car (driver): 21.1% Balmain — Car (driver): 20.4%
Walked Only 3.5% / 4.3%
Rozelle — Walked Only: 3.5% Balmain — Walked Only: 4.3%
Bus 3.2% / 3.2%
Rozelle — Bus: 3.2% Balmain — Bus: 3.2%
Bicycle 1.8% / 1.1%
Rozelle — Bicycle: 1.8% Balmain — Bicycle: 1.1%
Car (passenger) 1.4% / 1.1%
Rozelle — Car (passenger): 1.4% Balmain — Car (passenger): 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.3%).

Setting

Rozelle Balmain
Elevation 23 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.8 km
2.8 km to a named beach
 7.0 km
1.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Rozelle Balmain
Connectivity score 74/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 16%
4,895 premises
 4%
6,113 premises

Climate

Rozelle Balmain
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)

Rozelle Balmain
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

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Rozelle

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

Balmain

Apartments Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban Village Feel

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Rozelle

Rozelle vs Annandale Rozelle vs Lilyfield

Other comparisons with Balmain

Balmain vs Birchgrove Balmain vs Balmain East
Full data on Rozelle Full data on Balmain
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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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