Surry Hills vs Redfern

In both, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Surry Hills is closer to the city centre: 2.9 km, against 4.5 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

Surry Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Redfern

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($2,100,000 vs $2,432,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Redfern

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($500/wk vs $550/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

Surry Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more GPs (10 vs 5)

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

Investors

Surry Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (4.4% vs 3.9%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Surry Hills Redfern
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.

Surry Hills Redfern
Walkability 100 / 100
Surry Hills — Walkability: 100/100 Redfern — Walkability: 100/100
Safety 6 / 6
Surry Hills — Safety: 6/100 Redfern — Safety: 6/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Surry Hills — Low fire risk: 100/100 Redfern — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Surry Hills rents higher ($550/wk vs $500/wk).

Surry Hills Redfern
Population 15,828
+17% vs other
 13,072
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.6% -1.1%
Median age 35 36
Median household income $120,016/yr
+7% vs other
 $111,540/yr
Median weekly rent $550/wk
+9% vs other
 $500/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Surry Hills Redfern
0-4 2.4% / 3.5%
Surry Hills — 0-4: 2.4% Redfern — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 3.2% / 4.7%
Surry Hills — 5-14: 3.2% Redfern — 5-14: 4.7%
15-19 1.3% / 2.0%
Surry Hills — 15-19: 1.3% Redfern — 15-19: 2.0%
20-24 8.1% / 8.2%
Surry Hills — 20-24: 8.1% Redfern — 20-24: 8.2%
25-34 32.6% / 27.4%
Surry Hills — 25-34: 32.6% Redfern — 25-34: 27.4%
35-44 19.7% / 17.5%
Surry Hills — 35-44: 19.7% Redfern — 35-44: 17.5%
45-54 12.7% / 12.6%
Surry Hills — 45-54: 12.7% Redfern — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 9.5% / 10.6%
Surry Hills — 55-64: 9.5% Redfern — 55-64: 10.6%
65-74 5.7% / 7.5%
Surry Hills — 65-74: 5.7% Redfern — 65-74: 7.5%
75-84 3.3% / 4.4%
Surry Hills — 75-84: 3.3% Redfern — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 1.5% / 1.6%
Surry Hills — 85+: 1.5% Redfern — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Surry Hills 66.1% lone person
Surry Hills — Lone Person: 66.1% Surry Hills — Group Household: 17.2% Surry Hills — Couple Families: 10.6% Surry Hills — One Parent Families: 4.4% Surry Hills — Other Families: 1.7%
Redfern 58.4% lone person
Redfern — Lone Person: 58.4% Redfern — Group Household: 17.6% Redfern — Couple Families: 15.8% Redfern — One Parent Families: 6.3% Redfern — Other Families: 2.0%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Surry Hills 67.1% renting
Surry Hills — Owned Outright: 14.1% Surry Hills — Mortgage: 18.8% Surry Hills — Renting: 67.1%
Redfern 63.8% renting
Redfern — Owned Outright: 15.1% Redfern — Mortgage: 21.0% Redfern — Renting: 63.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Surry Hills Redfern
Bachelor Degree 34.0% / 29.2%
Surry Hills — Bachelor Degree: 34.0% Redfern — Bachelor Degree: 29.2%
Postgraduate Degree 14.9% / 13.1%
Surry Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 14.9% Redfern — Postgraduate Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 7.8%
Surry Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Redfern — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Certificate III & IV 5.2% / 5.9%
Surry Hills — Certificate III & IV: 5.2% Redfern — Certificate III & IV: 5.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 2.7%
Surry Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Redfern — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (34.0%).

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.

Surry Hills Redfern
England 6.4% / 4.8%
Surry Hills — England: 6.4% Redfern — England: 4.8%
China 3.3% / 4.3%
Surry Hills — China: 3.3% Redfern — China: 4.3%
New Zealand 3.4% / 3.0%
Surry Hills — New Zealand: 3.4% Redfern — New Zealand: 3.0%
Thailand 3.0% / 1.2%
Surry Hills — Thailand: 3.0% Redfern — Thailand: 1.2%
Indonesia 1.4% / —
Surry Hills — Indonesia: 1.4% Redfern — Indonesia: not among its largest
India — / 1.4%
Surry Hills — India: not among its largest Redfern — India: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Surry Hills 69.8% flats / apartments
Surry Hills — Flats / Apartments: 69.8% Surry Hills — Townhouses: 29.1% Surry Hills — Houses: 1.1%
Redfern 70.0% flats / apartments
Redfern — Flats / Apartments: 70.0% Redfern — Townhouses: 28.6% Redfern — Houses: 1.4%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Surry Hills Redfern
Median house price $2,432,500 $2,100,000
Median unit price $935,000 $980,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 68 sales
 23 days
from 80 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.

Surry Hills Redfern
1 bed $795K / $745K
Surry Hills — 1 bed: $795K (163 sales) Redfern — 1 bed: $745K (73 sales)

163 vs 73 sales

2 bed $1.47M / $1.19M
Surry Hills — 2 bed: $1.47M (104 sales) Redfern — 2 bed: $1.19M (70 sales)

104 vs 70 sales

3 bed $2.06M / $1.56M
Surry Hills — 3 bed: $2.06M (7 sales) Redfern — 3 bed: $1.56M (19 sales)

7 vs 19 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.

Surry Hills Redfern
1 bed $1.18M / $1.58M
Surry Hills — 1 bed: $1.18M (5 sales) Redfern — 1 bed: $1.58M (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

2 bed $1.99M / $1.75M
Surry Hills — 2 bed: $1.99M (46 sales) Redfern — 2 bed: $1.75M (47 sales)

46 vs 47 sales

3 bed $2.58M / $2.17M
Surry Hills — 3 bed: $2.58M (61 sales) Redfern — 3 bed: $2.17M (46 sales)

61 vs 46 sales

4 bed $3.25M / $3.02M
Surry Hills — 4 bed: $3.25M (23 sales) Redfern — 4 bed: $3.02M (27 sales)

23 vs 27 sales

Zoning mix

Surry Hills Redfern
Residential 84% 64%
Parks and recreation 8% 6%
Other and special use 0% 8%
Commercial 3% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 5%
Environmental 0% 2%
Planning zones cover 100% of Surry Hills and 89% of Redfern. 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

Surry Hills Redfern
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.

Surry Hills Redfern
Houses 3.1%
$1,272/wk on $2.1M
 3.4%
$1,225/wk on $1.9M
Units 4.4%
$810/wk on $950K
 3.9%
$815/wk on $1.1M

Ranking within NSW

Surry Hills Redfern
House price Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Income Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
Schools Higher than 79% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 100% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 18% of NSW

Liveability

Surry Hills scores higher overall (78 vs 73).

Surry Hills Redfern
Grade A
same for both
Score 78/100 73/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Surry Hills Redfern
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
94/100
same for both
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 5
within 5 km
 7
within 5 km

Schools

Surry Hills Redfern
Inside the suburb 5 2
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
1-37 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, 0.0 km
 3
1-37 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, 1.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.6% 3.8%

Schools in Surry Hills

  • Crown Street Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Sydney Distance Education Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Bourke Street Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Inner Sydney High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Oasis College Surry Hills Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Redfern

  • Key College Independent · Secondary · Special school below peers
  • Redfern Jarjum College Independent · Primary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Surry Hills Redfern
Supermarkets 8 7
Cafes & restaurants 155 64
Parks & reserves 15 16
Childcare 10 8
GPs 10 5
Pharmacies 5 4
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 4 3
Fuel stations 0 2

Mobility

Surry Hills Redfern
Walkability score 100/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 2.9 km 4.5 km
+55% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min 12 min
Public transport score 94/100
Tram · Bus
 95/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 414.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 386.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.1%
postcode 2010
 2.3%
postcode 2016
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 2
postcode 2010
 4
postcode 2016

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.

Surry Hills Redfern
Worked from Home 64.8% / 62.7%
Surry Hills — Worked from Home: 64.8% Redfern — Worked from Home: 62.7%
Car (driver) 10.0% / 14.5%
Surry Hills — Car (driver): 10.0% Redfern — Car (driver): 14.5%
Walked Only 12.5% / 7.9%
Surry Hills — Walked Only: 12.5% Redfern — Walked Only: 7.9%
Train 5.6% / 8.0%
Surry Hills — Train: 5.6% Redfern — Train: 8.0%
Bus 3.1% / 2.3%
Surry Hills — Bus: 3.1% Redfern — Bus: 2.3%
Bicycle 1.8% / 3.0%
Surry Hills — Bicycle: 1.8% Redfern — Bicycle: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.8%).

Setting

Surry Hills Redfern
Elevation 47 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.6 km
3.2 km to a named beach
 5.6 km
4.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Surry Hills Redfern
Connectivity score 70/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
14,268 premises
 26%
9,091 premises

Climate

Surry Hills Redfern
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)

Surry Hills Redfern
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

Surry Hills Redfern
Average residential rate $875/yr
same for both
Council Sydney
same for both

Federal electorate

Surry Hills Redfern
Division Sydney
same for both
Member Tanya Plibersek
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Surry Hills Redfern
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Surry Hills

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Nightlife Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Redfern

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Nightlife Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Surry Hills

Surry Hills vs Sydney Surry Hills vs Paddington Surry Hills vs Darlinghurst Surry Hills vs Haymarket Surry Hills vs Chippendale

Other comparisons with Redfern

Redfern vs Waterloo Redfern vs Alexandria Redfern vs Chippendale Redfern vs Darlington Redfern vs Eveleigh
Full data on Surry Hills Full data on Redfern
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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