Sydney vs Darlinghurst

Sydney is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 37 in Darlinghurst. In both, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Sydney: a median of $1.05 million, against $960,000 in Darlinghurst, and rent is higher there too. Sydney is closer to the city centre: 1.1 km, against 3.3 km. On these figures, Sydney tends to suit renters, young adults, and share households, while Darlinghurst suits people living alone.

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

Sydney

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (11 vs 3)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (36 vs 17)

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

First-home buyers

Sydney

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($650,000 vs $2,862,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Sydney has a bigger rental market to choose from (75% vs 63%)
  • Darlinghurst has cheaper rent ($550/wk vs $600/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sydney

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (14% vs 5%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (1.1 km vs 3.3 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (4 min vs 9 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Sydney

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more GPs (27 vs 4)

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

Investors

Darlinghurst

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.3% vs 4.0%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sydney Darlinghurst
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.

Sydney Darlinghurst
Walkability 100 / 99
Sydney — Walkability: 100/100 Darlinghurst — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 2 / 8
Sydney — Safety: 2/100 Darlinghurst — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Sydney — Low fire risk: 100/100 Darlinghurst — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Sydney has more residents (16,667 vs 10,615); Darlinghurst skews older (37 vs 32).

Sydney Darlinghurst
Population 16,667
+36% vs other
 10,615
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.4% -6.2%
Median age 32 37
Median household income $115,804/yr $118,508/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $600/wk
+8% vs other
 $550/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sydney Darlinghurst
0-4 2.5% / 2.2%
Sydney — 0-4: 2.5% Darlinghurst — 0-4: 2.2%
5-14 2.6% / 3.0%
Sydney — 5-14: 2.6% Darlinghurst — 5-14: 3.0%
15-19 1.8% / 1.5%
Sydney — 15-19: 1.8% Darlinghurst — 15-19: 1.5%
20-24 11.0% / 6.6%
Sydney — 20-24: 11.0% Darlinghurst — 20-24: 6.6%
25-34 39.3% / 30.8%
Sydney — 25-34: 39.3% Darlinghurst — 25-34: 30.8%
35-44 20.6% / 20.0%
Sydney — 35-44: 20.6% Darlinghurst — 35-44: 20.0%
45-54 8.9% / 13.2%
Sydney — 45-54: 8.9% Darlinghurst — 45-54: 13.2%
55-64 6.2% / 11.3%
Sydney — 55-64: 6.2% Darlinghurst — 55-64: 11.3%
65-74 4.2% / 7.1%
Sydney — 65-74: 4.2% Darlinghurst — 65-74: 7.1%
75-84 2.2% / 3.3%
Sydney — 75-84: 2.2% Darlinghurst — 75-84: 3.3%
85+ 0.7% / 0.9%
Sydney — 85+: 0.7% Darlinghurst — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (39.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sydney 56.1% lone person
Sydney — Lone Person: 56.1% Sydney — Group Household: 21.0% Sydney — Couple Families: 13.0% Sydney — One Parent Families: 6.2% Sydney — Other Families: 3.8%
Darlinghurst 72.6% lone person
Darlinghurst — Lone Person: 72.6% Darlinghurst — Group Household: 12.8% Darlinghurst — Couple Families: 9.2% Darlinghurst — One Parent Families: 4.5% Darlinghurst — Other Families: 0.9%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sydney 74.8% renting
Sydney — Owned Outright: 13.8% Sydney — Mortgage: 11.4% Sydney — Renting: 74.8%
Darlinghurst 63.1% renting
Darlinghurst — Owned Outright: 17.2% Darlinghurst — Mortgage: 19.7% Darlinghurst — Renting: 63.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sydney Darlinghurst
Bachelor Degree 31.3% / 34.8%
Sydney — Bachelor Degree: 31.3% Darlinghurst — Bachelor Degree: 34.8%
Postgraduate Degree 13.5% / 15.4%
Sydney — Postgraduate Degree: 13.5% Darlinghurst — Postgraduate Degree: 15.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 14.5% / 8.3%
Sydney — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.5% Darlinghurst — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Certificate III & IV 4.3% / 5.4%
Sydney — Certificate III & IV: 4.3% Darlinghurst — Certificate III & IV: 5.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 3.1%
Sydney — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Darlinghurst — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (34.8%).

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.

Sydney Darlinghurst
Thailand 12.4% / 2.1%
Sydney — Thailand: 12.4% Darlinghurst — Thailand: 2.1%
Indonesia 12.9% / —
Sydney — Indonesia: 12.9% Darlinghurst — Indonesia: not among its largest
China 9.7% / 1.6%
Sydney — China: 9.7% Darlinghurst — China: 1.6%
England 2.4% / 6.3%
Sydney — England: 2.4% Darlinghurst — England: 6.3%
New Zealand — / 4.0%
Sydney — New Zealand: not among its largest Darlinghurst — New Zealand: 4.0%
India 3.5% / —
Sydney — India: 3.5% Darlinghurst — India: not among its largest
South Africa — / 1.3%
Sydney — South Africa: not among its largest Darlinghurst — South Africa: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sydney 99.9% flats / apartments
Sydney — Flats / Apartments: 99.9% Sydney — Townhouses: 0.0% Sydney — Houses: 0.1%
Darlinghurst 79.5% flats / apartments
Darlinghurst — Flats / Apartments: 79.5% Darlinghurst — Townhouses: 19.6% Darlinghurst — Houses: 0.9%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Sydney Darlinghurst
Median house price $650,000 $2,862,500
Median unit price $1,050,000 $960,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 31 days
from 31 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.

Sydney Darlinghurst
1 bed $790K / $730K
Sydney — 1 bed: $790K (145 sales) Darlinghurst — 1 bed: $730K (169 sales)

145 vs 169 sales

2 bed $1.26M / $1.72M
Sydney — 2 bed: $1.26M (125 sales) Darlinghurst — 2 bed: $1.72M (102 sales)

125 vs 102 sales

3 bed $2.81M / $4.2M
Sydney — 3 bed: $2.81M (33 sales) Darlinghurst — 3 bed: $4.2M (12 sales)

33 vs 12 sales

Zoning mix

Sydney has more commercially zoned land (51% vs 7%).

Sydney Darlinghurst
Residential 1% 75%
Commercial 51% 7%
Parks and recreation 30% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 16%
Planning zones cover 85% of Sydney and 99% of Darlinghurst. 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

Sydney Darlinghurst
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.

Sydney Darlinghurst
Houses — 2.5%
$1,200/wk on $2.5M
Units 4.0%
$1,050/wk on $1.35M
 5.3%
$880/wk on $860K

Ranking within NSW

Sydney Darlinghurst
House price Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Income Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Schools Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 20% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 100% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 1% of NSW Higher than 10% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 7% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 25% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW

Liveability

Sydney scores higher overall (71 vs 65).

Sydney Darlinghurst
Grade A B
Score 71/100 65/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Sydney Darlinghurst
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
98/100
 High
92/100
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

Sydney Darlinghurst
Inside the suburb 7 3
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 3 2
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Sydney C.Q.U. Campus, 0.0 km
 3
1-37 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, 1.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.9% 2.2%

Schools in Sydney

  • St Andrew's Cathedral Gawura School Independent · Primary above peers
  • St Andrew's Cathedral School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Conservatorium High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Macquarie Grammar School Independent · Secondary at peers
  • St Mary's Cathedral College Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Australian International High School Independent · Secondary

Schools in Darlinghurst

  • Darlinghurst Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • SCEGGS Darlinghurst Independent · Combined at peers
  • Sydney Grammar School Independent · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sydney Darlinghurst
Supermarkets 17 0
Cafes & restaurants 465 105
Parks & reserves 36 17
Childcare 11 3
GPs 27 4
Pharmacies 33 3
Hospitals 1 4
Police stations 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 48 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

Darlinghurst sits further from the CBD (3.3 km vs 1.1 km).

Sydney Darlinghurst
Walkability score 100/100 99/100
Distance to Sydney 1.1 km 3.3 km
+200% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 4 min 9 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus · Ferry
 94/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 2139.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 327.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 7.1%
postcode 2000
 3.1%
postcode 2010
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 0
postcode 2000
 2
postcode 2010

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.

Sydney Darlinghurst
Worked from Home 46.7% / 62.4%
Sydney — Worked from Home: 46.7% Darlinghurst — Worked from Home: 62.4%
Walked Only 21.1% / 15.3%
Sydney — Walked Only: 21.1% Darlinghurst — Walked Only: 15.3%
Car (driver) 8.2% / 11.6%
Sydney — Car (driver): 8.2% Darlinghurst — Car (driver): 11.6%
Train 13.0% / 4.6%
Sydney — Train: 13.0% Darlinghurst — Train: 4.6%
Bus 6.7% / 3.9%
Sydney — Bus: 6.7% Darlinghurst — Bus: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.4%).

Setting

Sydney Darlinghurst
Elevation 66 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 58 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.0 km
3.0 km to a named beach
 5.0 km
2.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Sydney Darlinghurst
Connectivity score 68/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 7%
33,598 premises
 14%
9,094 premises

Climate

Sydney Darlinghurst
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)

Sydney Darlinghurst
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

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

Federal electorate

Sydney Darlinghurst
Division Sydney Wentworth
Member Tanya Plibersek Allegra Spender
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Sydney

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Nightlife Parks Professionals River Trains Trams Transport Hub Urban

Darlinghurst

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

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sydney

Sydney vs Surry Hills Sydney vs Pyrmont Sydney vs Haymarket Sydney vs Ultimo Sydney vs Woolloomooloo Sydney vs Millers Point

Other comparisons with Darlinghurst

Darlinghurst vs Surry Hills Darlinghurst vs Paddington Darlinghurst vs Potts Point Darlinghurst vs Woolloomooloo Darlinghurst vs Edgecliff Darlinghurst vs Rushcutters Bay
Full data on Sydney Full data on Darlinghurst
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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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