Sydenham vs Marrickville

In Sydenham, most households own their home. In Marrickville, about half of households rent and about half of homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Marrickville: a median of $2.11 million, against $1.7 million in Sydenham, though rent is higher in Sydenham. Sydenham is closer to the city centre: 8.5 km, against 10.2 km. On these figures, Sydenham tends to suit 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

Marrickville

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (22 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (24 vs 6)

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

First-home buyers

Sydenham

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,700,000 vs $2,110,000)
  • has cheaper units ($780,000 vs $950,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Marrickville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($480/wk vs $580/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Sydenham gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 6%)
  • Marrickville is more walkable (99/100 vs 81/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Marrickville

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (10 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 81/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (78/100 vs 93/100)

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

Investors

Sydenham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.4% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sydenham Marrickville
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.

Sydenham Marrickville
Walkability 81 / 99
Sydenham — Walkability: 81/100 Marrickville — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 7 / 22
Sydenham — Safety: 7/100 Marrickville — Safety: 22/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Sydenham — Low fire risk: 100/100 Marrickville — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Marrickville has more residents (26,570 vs 1,100); Sydenham rents higher ($580/wk vs $480/wk).

Sydenham Marrickville
Population 1,100 26,570
+2315% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.9% -0.1%
Median age 36 37
Median household income $116,740/yr
+3% vs other
 $112,840/yr
Median weekly rent $580/wk
+17% vs other
 $480/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sydenham Marrickville
0-4 4.5% / 4.7%
Sydenham — 0-4: 4.5% Marrickville — 0-4: 4.7%
5-14 7.0% / 8.7%
Sydenham — 5-14: 7.0% Marrickville — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 2.4% / 3.7%
Sydenham — 15-19: 2.4% Marrickville — 15-19: 3.7%
20-24 8.3% / 6.0%
Sydenham — 20-24: 8.3% Marrickville — 20-24: 6.0%
25-34 25.0% / 22.0%
Sydenham — 25-34: 25.0% Marrickville — 25-34: 22.0%
35-44 18.7% / 16.8%
Sydenham — 35-44: 18.7% Marrickville — 35-44: 16.8%
45-54 11.5% / 13.7%
Sydenham — 45-54: 11.5% Marrickville — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 8.5% / 10.4%
Sydenham — 55-64: 8.5% Marrickville — 55-64: 10.4%
65-74 8.3% / 7.3%
Sydenham — 65-74: 8.3% Marrickville — 65-74: 7.3%
75-84 3.6% / 4.8%
Sydenham — 75-84: 3.6% Marrickville — 75-84: 4.8%
85+ 2.1% / 1.9%
Sydenham — 85+: 2.1% Marrickville — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sydenham 36.6% lone person
Sydenham — Lone Person: 36.6% Sydenham — Couple Families: 29.9% Sydenham — Group Household: 16.8% Sydenham — One Parent Families: 13.8% Sydenham — Other Families: 3.0%
Marrickville 40.1% lone person
Marrickville — Lone Person: 40.1% Marrickville — Couple Families: 31.8% Marrickville — Group Household: 12.4% Marrickville — One Parent Families: 13.6% Marrickville — Other Families: 2.2%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sydenham 37.8% renting
Sydenham — Owned Outright: 27.9% Sydenham — Mortgage: 34.3% Sydenham — Renting: 37.8%
Marrickville 47.6% renting
Marrickville — Owned Outright: 24.2% Marrickville — Mortgage: 28.2% Marrickville — Renting: 47.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sydenham Marrickville
Bachelor Degree 24.5% / 24.5%
Sydenham — Bachelor Degree: 24.5% Marrickville — Bachelor Degree: 24.5%
Postgraduate Degree 8.6% / 10.2%
Sydenham — Postgraduate Degree: 8.6% Marrickville — Postgraduate Degree: 10.2%
Certificate III & IV 9.8% / 7.5%
Sydenham — Certificate III & IV: 9.8% Marrickville — Certificate III & IV: 7.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 7.5%
Sydenham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Marrickville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 2.7%
Sydenham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Marrickville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.5%).

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.

Sydenham Marrickville
Vietnam 4.4% / 5.6%
Sydenham — Vietnam: 4.4% Marrickville — Vietnam: 5.6%
England 3.2% / 3.4%
Sydenham — England: 3.2% Marrickville — England: 3.4%
Greece 1.8% / 3.9%
Sydenham — Greece: 1.8% Marrickville — Greece: 3.9%
China 3.7% / 1.3%
Sydenham — China: 3.7% Marrickville — China: 1.3%
New Zealand 2.3% / 2.0%
Sydenham — New Zealand: 2.3% Marrickville — New Zealand: 2.0%
Thailand 3.0% / 0.8%
Sydenham — Thailand: 3.0% Marrickville — Thailand: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sydenham 53.6% townhouses
Sydenham — Townhouses: 53.6% Sydenham — Houses: 34.0% Sydenham — Flats / Apartments: 12.4%
Marrickville 18.5% townhouses
Marrickville — Townhouses: 18.5% Marrickville — Houses: 32.0% Marrickville — Flats / Apartments: 49.5%
Townhouses Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Sydenham Marrickville
Median house price $1,700,000 $2,110,000
Median unit price $780,000 $950,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 16 sales
 26 days
from 189 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.

Sydenham Marrickville
2 bed $1.52M / $1.87M
Sydenham — 2 bed: $1.52M (14 sales) Marrickville — 2 bed: $1.87M (75 sales)

14 vs 75 sales

3 bed $1.77M / $2.11M
Sydenham — 3 bed: $1.77M (16 sales) Marrickville — 3 bed: $2.11M (121 sales)

16 vs 121 sales

4 bed $2.21M / $2.71M
Sydenham — 4 bed: $2.21M (9 sales) Marrickville — 4 bed: $2.71M (59 sales)

9 vs 59 sales

Zoning mix

Sydenham Marrickville
Residential 48% 55%
Infrastructure and transport 20% 10%
Parks and recreation 18% 11%
Industrial 9% 18%
Commercial 5% 4%
Environmental 0% 2%
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

Sydenham Marrickville
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.

Sydenham Marrickville
Houses 5.4%
$1,500/wk on $1.45M
 3.0%
$1,100/wk on $1.91M
Units — 4.0%
$700/wk on $900K

Ranking within NSW

Sydenham Marrickville
House price Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Income Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 48% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 18% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 25% of NSW

Liveability

Marrickville is more walkable (99 vs 81).

Sydenham Marrickville
Grade B A
Score 68/100 70/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Sydenham carries more crime risk (93 vs 78).

Sydenham Marrickville
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
93/100
 High
78/100
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 8
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Sydenham Marrickville
Inside the suburb 0 9
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Sydney, 3.4 km
 3
The University of Sydney, 3.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.0% 2.3%

Schools in Sydenham

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

Schools in Marrickville

  • Casimir Catholic College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Wilkins Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Ferncourt Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Marrickville Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Brigid's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Marrickville High School Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sydenham Marrickville
Supermarkets 0 13
Cafes & restaurants 2 100
Parks & reserves 6 24
Childcare 0 22
GPs 0 10
Pharmacies 0 9
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 8
Fuel stations 0 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 4

Mobility

Sydenham Marrickville
Walkability score 81/100 99/100
Distance to Sydney 8.5 km 10.2 km
+20% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 20 min 21 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 182.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 583.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 2044
 1.5%
postcode 2204
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 22
postcode 2044
 15
postcode 2204

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.

Sydenham Marrickville
Worked from Home 47.5% / 58.3%
Sydenham — Worked from Home: 47.5% Marrickville — Worked from Home: 58.3%
Car (driver) 29.1% / 25.6%
Sydenham — Car (driver): 29.1% Marrickville — Car (driver): 25.6%
Train 12.2% / 6.1%
Sydenham — Train: 12.2% Marrickville — Train: 6.1%
Walked Only 5.5% / 4.3%
Sydenham — Walked Only: 5.5% Marrickville — Walked Only: 4.3%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 1.8%
Sydenham — Car (passenger): 2.3% Marrickville — Car (passenger): 1.8%
Bus 1.9% / 2.2%
Sydenham — Bus: 1.9% Marrickville — Bus: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.3%).

Setting

Sydenham Marrickville
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km 4.2 km

NBN connectivity

Sydenham Marrickville
Connectivity score 75/100 76/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
516 premises
 9%
14,558 premises

Climate

Sydenham Marrickville
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)

Sydenham Marrickville
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Sydenham Marrickville
Average residential rate $1,342/yr
same for both
Council Inner West
same for both

Federal electorate

Sydenham Marrickville
Division Grayndler
same for both
Member Anthony Albanese
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sydenham Marrickville
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sydenham

Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains Transport Hub Urban

Marrickville

Apartments Cafe Culture Gentrifying Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sydenham

Sydenham vs St Peters Sydenham vs Tempe

Other comparisons with Marrickville

Marrickville vs Earlwood Marrickville vs Newtown Marrickville vs Dulwich Hill Marrickville vs Wolli Creek Marrickville vs Petersham Marrickville vs Stanmore
Full data on Sydenham Full data on Marrickville
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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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