Sydney vs The Rocks

Sydney is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 43 in The Rocks. 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 The Rocks: a median of $2 million, against $1.05 million in Sydney, and rent is higher there too. Sydney is closer to the city centre: 1.1 km, against 1.4 km. On these figures, Sydney tends to suit renters, young adults, and share households, while The Rocks 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 5 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (7 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (11 vs 2)
  • has more parks and reserves (36 vs 7)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Sydney has cheaper units ($1,050,000 vs $2,000,000)
  • The Rocks leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 28%)

Weighs unit prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Sydney

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($600/wk vs $850/wk)
  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (75% vs 60%)
  • But The Rocks leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 27%)

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

Commuting to the city

Sydney

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (14% vs 7%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Sydney has more GPs (27 vs 1)
  • The Rocks has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 7%)

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

Investors

Sydney

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (-3.4% vs -18.7%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (4.0% vs 3.3%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Sydney and The Rocks 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 The Rocks
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 The Rocks
Walkability 100 / 98
Sydney — Walkability: 100/100 The Rocks — Walkability: 98/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Sydney — Low fire risk: 100/100 The Rocks — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Sydney has more residents (16,667 vs 629); The Rocks has higher household incomes ($227,448 vs $115,804).

Sydney The Rocks
Population 16,667
+96% vs other
 629
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.4% -18.7%
Median age 32 43
Median household income $115,804/yr $227,448/yr
+96% vs other
Median weekly rent $600/wk $850/wk
+42% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sydney The Rocks
0-4 2.5% / 3.7%
Sydney — 0-4: 2.5% The Rocks — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 2.6% / 2.2%
Sydney — 5-14: 2.6% The Rocks — 5-14: 2.2%
15-19 1.8% / 1.4%
Sydney — 15-19: 1.8% The Rocks — 15-19: 1.4%
20-24 11.0% / 2.9%
Sydney — 20-24: 11.0% The Rocks — 20-24: 2.9%
25-34 39.3% / 23.2%
Sydney — 25-34: 39.3% The Rocks — 25-34: 23.2%
35-44 20.6% / 18.1%
Sydney — 35-44: 20.6% The Rocks — 35-44: 18.1%
45-54 8.9% / 13.7%
Sydney — 45-54: 8.9% The Rocks — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 6.2% / 15.7%
Sydney — 55-64: 6.2% The Rocks — 55-64: 15.7%
65-74 4.2% / 13.2%
Sydney — 65-74: 4.2% The Rocks — 65-74: 13.2%
75-84 2.2% / 5.1%
Sydney — 75-84: 2.2% The Rocks — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 0.7% / 0.6%
Sydney — 85+: 0.7% The Rocks — 85+: 0.6%

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 — Couple Families: 13.0% Sydney — Group Household: 21.0% Sydney — One Parent Families: 6.2% Sydney — Other Families: 3.8%
The Rocks 71.4% lone person
The Rocks — Lone Person: 71.4% The Rocks — Couple Families: 16.9% The Rocks — Group Household: 3.7% The Rocks — One Parent Families: 7.9% The Rocks — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household 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%
The Rocks 60.5% renting
The Rocks — Owned Outright: 27.2% The Rocks — Mortgage: 12.3% The Rocks — Renting: 60.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sydney The Rocks
Bachelor Degree 31.3% / 36.6%
Sydney — Bachelor Degree: 31.3% The Rocks — Bachelor Degree: 36.6%
Postgraduate Degree 13.5% / 16.5%
Sydney — Postgraduate Degree: 13.5% The Rocks — Postgraduate Degree: 16.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 14.5% / 8.9%
Sydney — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.5% The Rocks — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Certificate III & IV 4.3% / 3.0%
Sydney — Certificate III & IV: 4.3% The Rocks — Certificate III & IV: 3.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 2.4%
Sydney — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% The Rocks — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.6%).

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 The Rocks
China 9.7% / 5.1%
Sydney — China: 9.7% The Rocks — China: 5.1%
Indonesia 12.9% / —
Sydney — Indonesia: 12.9% The Rocks — Indonesia: not among its largest
Thailand 12.4% / —
Sydney — Thailand: 12.4% The Rocks — Thailand: not among its largest
England 2.4% / 7.6%
Sydney — England: 2.4% The Rocks — England: 7.6%
India 3.5% / 2.5%
Sydney — India: 3.5% The Rocks — India: 2.5%
New Zealand — / 2.7%
Sydney — New Zealand: not among its largest The Rocks — New Zealand: 2.7%
Japan — / 2.2%
Sydney — Japan: not among its largest The Rocks — Japan: 2.2%

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%
The Rocks 95.3% flats / apartments
The Rocks — Flats / Apartments: 95.3% The Rocks — Townhouses: 4.7% The Rocks — Houses: 0.0%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Sydney The Rocks
Median house price $650,000 —
Median unit price $1,050,000 $2,000,000
Median land price —
same for both

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 The Rocks
1 bed $790K / $1.3M
Sydney — 1 bed: $790K (145 sales) The Rocks — 1 bed: $1.3M (21 sales)

145 vs 21 sales

2 bed $1.26M / $2.27M
Sydney — 2 bed: $1.26M (125 sales) The Rocks — 2 bed: $2.27M (16 sales)

125 vs 16 sales

3 bed $2.81M / $5.03M
Sydney — 3 bed: $2.81M (33 sales) The Rocks — 3 bed: $5.03M (10 sales)

33 vs 10 sales

Development activity

Sydney The Rocks
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 The Rocks
Houses —
same for both
Units 4.0%
$1,050/wk on $1.35M
 3.3%
$1,700/wk on $2.65M

Ranking within NSW

Sydney The Rocks
House price Higher than 99% of NSW —
Income Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Schools Higher than 60% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 1% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 100% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 25% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW

Liveability

The Rocks scores higher overall (98 vs 71).

Sydney The Rocks
Grade A A+
Score 71/100 98/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Sydney The Rocks
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
98/100
 —
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
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Sydney The Rocks
Inside the suburb 7 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Sydney C.Q.U. Campus, 0.0 km
 3
Sydney C.Q.U. Campus, 1.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.9% 2.1%

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 The Rocks

  • Observatory Hill Environmental Education Centre Government · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Sydney The Rocks
Supermarkets 17 0
Cafes & restaurants 465 36
Parks & reserves 36 7
Childcare 11 2
GPs 27 1
Pharmacies 33 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 2 1
Banks & Bank@Post 48 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 4 1

Mobility

Sydney The Rocks
Walkability score 100/100 98/100
Distance to Sydney 1.1 km 1.4 km
+27% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 4 min 5 min
Electric vehicle share 7.1%
postcode 2000
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 0
postcode 2000
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.

Sydney The Rocks
Worked from Home 46.7% / 61.8%
Sydney — Worked from Home: 46.7% The Rocks — Worked from Home: 61.8%
Walked Only 21.1% / 15.4%
Sydney — Walked Only: 21.1% The Rocks — Walked Only: 15.4%
Car (driver) 8.2% / 13.2%
Sydney — Car (driver): 8.2% The Rocks — Car (driver): 13.2%
Train 13.0% / 6.3%
Sydney — Train: 13.0% The Rocks — Train: 6.3%
Bus 6.7% / 1.1%
Sydney — Bus: 6.7% The Rocks — Bus: 1.1%
Bicycle 1.5% / 1.4%
Sydney — Bicycle: 1.5% The Rocks — Bicycle: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.8%).

Setting

Sydney The Rocks
Elevation 66 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.0 km
3.0 km to a named beach
 4.6 km
2.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Sydney The Rocks
Connectivity score 68/100 72/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 7%
33,598 premises
 14%
1,517 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Sydney The Rocks
Division Sydney
same for both
Member Tanya Plibersek
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sydney The Rocks
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

The Rocks

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals River Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sydney

Sydney vs Surry Hills Sydney vs Pyrmont Sydney vs Darlinghurst Sydney vs Haymarket Sydney vs Ultimo Sydney vs Woolloomooloo

Other comparisons with The Rocks

The Rocks vs Millers Point The Rocks vs Dawes Point
Full data on Sydney Full data on The Rocks
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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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