Ultimo vs Chippendale

In both, most households rent and the large majority of homes are flats or apartments. In Ultimo, about half of households are people living alone. In Chippendale, most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Chippendale: a median of $880,000, against $804,000 in Ultimo. Ultimo is closer to the city centre: 2.6 km, against 3.5 km. On these figures, Chippendale tends to suit young adults and 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

Ultimo

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (11 vs 4)
  • is already more of a family suburb (22% vs 11%)

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

First-home buyers

Ultimo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,580,000 vs $1,840,000)

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

Chippendale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-9.4% vs -16.2%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ultimo Chippendale
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.

Ultimo Chippendale
Walkability 100 / 98
Ultimo — Walkability: 100/100 Chippendale — Walkability: 98/100
Safety 12 / 17
Ultimo — Safety: 12/100 Chippendale — Safety: 17/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ultimo — Low fire risk: 100/100 Chippendale — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ultimo has higher household incomes ($93,860 vs $83,512); Ultimo skews older (30 vs 28).

Ultimo Chippendale
Population 7,410 7,803
+5% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -16.2% -9.4%
Median age 30 28
Median household income $93,860/yr
+11% vs other
 $83,512/yr
Median weekly rent $500/wk $520/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ultimo Chippendale
0-4 3.0% / 2.0%
Ultimo — 0-4: 3.0% Chippendale — 0-4: 2.0%
5-14 3.6% / 1.5%
Ultimo — 5-14: 3.6% Chippendale — 5-14: 1.5%
15-19 3.6% / 3.3%
Ultimo — 15-19: 3.6% Chippendale — 15-19: 3.3%
20-24 17.0% / 25.6%
Ultimo — 20-24: 17.0% Chippendale — 20-24: 25.6%
25-34 35.8% / 39.5%
Ultimo — 25-34: 35.8% Chippendale — 25-34: 39.5%
35-44 17.3% / 14.1%
Ultimo — 35-44: 17.3% Chippendale — 35-44: 14.1%
45-54 8.1% / 6.2%
Ultimo — 45-54: 8.1% Chippendale — 45-54: 6.2%
55-64 5.2% / 4.4%
Ultimo — 55-64: 5.2% Chippendale — 55-64: 4.4%
65-74 3.9% / 2.5%
Ultimo — 65-74: 3.9% Chippendale — 65-74: 2.5%
75-84 1.6% / 0.7%
Ultimo — 75-84: 1.6% Chippendale — 75-84: 0.7%
85+ 0.8% / 0.2%
Ultimo — 85+: 0.8% Chippendale — 85+: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (39.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ultimo 50.0% lone person
Ultimo — Lone Person: 50.0% Ultimo — Group Household: 24.6% Ultimo — Couple Families: 14.6% Ultimo — One Parent Families: 7.0% Ultimo — Other Families: 3.8%
Chippendale 63.7% lone person
Chippendale — Lone Person: 63.7% Chippendale — Group Household: 22.0% Chippendale — Couple Families: 7.2% Chippendale — One Parent Families: 3.5% Chippendale — Other Families: 3.6%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ultimo 73.4% renting
Ultimo — Owned Outright: 13.4% Ultimo — Mortgage: 13.2% Ultimo — Renting: 73.4%
Chippendale 78.0% renting
Chippendale — Owned Outright: 9.0% Chippendale — Mortgage: 13.0% Chippendale — Renting: 78.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Ultimo Chippendale
China 16.8% / 19.6%
Ultimo — China: 16.8% Chippendale — China: 19.6%
Thailand 7.1% / 3.0%
Ultimo — Thailand: 7.1% Chippendale — Thailand: 3.0%
Indonesia 4.0% / 5.6%
Ultimo — Indonesia: 4.0% Chippendale — Indonesia: 5.6%
India 4.4% / 2.4%
Ultimo — India: 4.4% Chippendale — India: 2.4%
Malaysia 2.5% / 2.4%
Ultimo — Malaysia: 2.5% Chippendale — Malaysia: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).

Qualifications

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

Ultimo Chippendale
Bachelor Degree 29.2% / 33.5%
Ultimo — Bachelor Degree: 29.2% Chippendale — Bachelor Degree: 33.5%
Postgraduate Degree 15.3% / 17.5%
Ultimo — Postgraduate Degree: 15.3% Chippendale — Postgraduate Degree: 17.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 7.9%
Ultimo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Chippendale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9%
Certificate III & IV 4.7% / 3.7%
Ultimo — Certificate III & IV: 4.7% Chippendale — Certificate III & IV: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 2.0%
Ultimo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Chippendale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ultimo 88.2% flats / apartments
Ultimo — Flats / Apartments: 88.2% Ultimo — Townhouses: 11.7% Ultimo — Houses: 0.2%
Chippendale 90.1% flats / apartments
Chippendale — Flats / Apartments: 90.1% Chippendale — Townhouses: 9.8% Chippendale — Houses: 0.1%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Ultimo Chippendale
Median house price $1,580,000 $1,840,000
Median unit price $804,000 $880,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 36 days
from 10 sales
 23 days
from 15 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.

Ultimo Chippendale
1 bed $685K / $665K
Ultimo — 1 bed: $685K (58 sales) Chippendale — 1 bed: $665K (89 sales)

58 vs 89 sales

2 bed $1M / $1.1M
Ultimo — 2 bed: $1M (48 sales) Chippendale — 2 bed: $1.1M (69 sales)

48 vs 69 sales

3 bed $1.6M / $1.75M
Ultimo — 3 bed: $1.6M (9 sales) Chippendale — 3 bed: $1.75M (19 sales)

9 vs 19 sales

Zoning mix

Ultimo Chippendale
Residential 79% 52%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 27%
Commercial 2% 5%
Parks and recreation 3%
same for both
Planning zones cover 94% of Ultimo and 86% of Chippendale. 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

Ultimo Chippendale
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.

Ultimo Chippendale
Houses — 3.5%
$1,200/wk on $1.8M
Units 5.5%
$800/wk on $750K
 5.6%
$950/wk on $875K

Ranking within NSW

Ultimo Chippendale
House price Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Income Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Schools Higher than 6% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 100% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 43% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW

Liveability

Chippendale scores higher overall (80 vs 60).

Ultimo Chippendale
Grade B A
Score 60/100 80/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Ultimo Chippendale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
88/100
 High
83/100
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 6
within 5 km
 7
within 5 km

Schools

Ultimo Chippendale
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
University of Technology Sydney (City Campus), 0.7 km
 3
University of Technology Sydney (City Campus), 0.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 11.2% 16.6%

Schools in Ultimo

  • International Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Ultimo Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Westbourne College Sydney Independent · Secondary
  • GOAL College Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Chippendale

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

Amenities in the suburb

Ultimo Chippendale
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 60 71
Parks & reserves 9 5
Childcare 11 4
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 1
same for both

Mobility

Ultimo Chippendale
Walkability score 100/100 98/100
Distance to Sydney 2.6 km 3.5 km
+35% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 7 min 9 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 92/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 185.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 169.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 2007
 3.3%
postcode 2008
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 1
postcode 2007
 2
postcode 2008

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.

Ultimo Chippendale
Worked from Home 50.0% / 59.8%
Ultimo — Worked from Home: 50.0% Chippendale — Worked from Home: 59.8%
Walked Only 16.2% / 12.0%
Ultimo — Walked Only: 16.2% Chippendale — Walked Only: 12.0%
Car (driver) 11.6% / 10.1%
Ultimo — Car (driver): 11.6% Chippendale — Car (driver): 10.1%
Train 9.2% / 8.8%
Ultimo — Train: 9.2% Chippendale — Train: 8.8%
Bus 6.6% / 5.1%
Ultimo — Bus: 6.6% Chippendale — Bus: 5.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.8%).

Setting

Ultimo Chippendale
Elevation 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.6 km
3.9 km to a named beach
 6.5 km
4.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Ultimo Chippendale
Connectivity score 72/100 75/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 18%
5,723 premises
 16%
3,133 premises

Climate

Ultimo Chippendale
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)

Ultimo Chippendale
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

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

Federal electorate

Ultimo Chippendale
Division Sydney
same for both
Member Tanya Plibersek
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ultimo Chippendale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ultimo

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Inner Multicultural Nightlife Parks Professionals River Students Urban

Chippendale

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

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ultimo

Ultimo vs Sydney Ultimo vs Pyrmont Ultimo vs Glebe Ultimo vs Haymarket

Other comparisons with Chippendale

Chippendale vs Surry Hills Chippendale vs Redfern Chippendale vs Glebe Chippendale vs Camperdown Chippendale vs Haymarket Chippendale vs Darlington
Full data on Ultimo Full data on Chippendale
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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