Free market report · Data to July 2026
North Sydney property market
North Sydney is one of the 453 council areas we track on the Momentum Dial, our property clock. This page is the plain-numbers read: where it sits in the cycle, who lives there, what's being built, and the suburbs inside it.
North Sydney is home to 73,705 people. On the Buyers First Momentum Dial its house market currently reads Recovering, while units read Rising. Same council, different clocks, which is exactly why we track them separately. Worth knowing up front: this is one of the most socio-economically advantaged councils in the country, which shows up in its prices. Here's the rest of the picture, in plain numbers.
Houses · cycle position
Recovering
The North Sydney house market is still soft, but the rate of decline is easing. Recoveries start exactly here, though not every easing turns into one.
-3% to +6%
Modelled 12-month price range
-0.4%
Modelled 12-month rent change
Units · cycle position
Rising
The unit market is accelerating. Growth is building pace rather than fading, which is the phase most investors wish they had caught in hindsight.
-3% to +9%
Modelled 12-month price range
+4.5%
Modelled 12-month rent change
At a glance · houses
$3,413,183
Typical house, August 2026
+4.7% a year since 2010
+3.2%
Growth a year, last 10 years
+0.2% a year over the last 5
$1,529
Rent a week
2.3% gross yield
3 of 15
Years prices fell since 2010
Worst: 2025, -1%
The clock measures growth momentum, not price. Peak means growing fastest, not about to fall. Cycle data and projections sourced from HtAG Analytics. See North Sydney on the clock.
Free · One per person
Want all of this written up for North Sydney?
The full report is this data as a written document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside North Sydney, and the numbers that cut against the area. I write them by hand, so it comes from me rather than out of a system.
The numbers, explained
North Sydney in charts.
The typical house in North Sydney went from $1,598,291 in 2010 to $3,413,183 in August 2026. That is +114% in total, +4.7% a year. 3 down years out of 15, never more than 2 in a row. Cycles, not collapses.
Houses · price change each year · 2011 to 2026
Prices in North Sydney fell in 3 of the last 15 years
+114%
Since 2010
+3.2%
Per year, last 10 years
3 of 15
Years going backwards
-0.7%
Worst year (2025)
What this shows. How much the typical house price in North Sydney went up or down each year. Teal bars are up years, red bars are down years, and the faded bar is this year so far.
Why it matters. The size of a good year matters less than how many bad years there were and whether they came in a row. Boring? Absolutely. But the length of the down stretch is what decides whether you get out the other side. Typical price at December each year, data from HtAG Analytics.
You don't need to know property to read this. Every chart below opens with the point in one line, then says what it shows and why we care. Teal is a good sign, amber is okay, red means watch it.
The scorecard · 7 things we check
North Sydney scores 23 out of 35. Solid.
the fall is easing, which is where recoveries start
3 of 15 years
1.3 new homes approved per 100 that exist
population growing 0.6% a year
3.4% unemployed, Australia 4.2%
a house costs 21.9 years of a local household's income
1.6% of rentals are empty, so about 2 in every 100
What this shows. Seven quick checks on North Sydney, each scored out of five. Five is the reading we most want to see.
Why it matters. No single number tells you whether an area is a good buy. Together they show whether the pieces line up. These are bands, not rules: a council outside a band can still be the right buy for the right person, and one inside every band can still be wrong for you.
House prices since 2010 · North Sydney vs the 5 most similar councils in NSW
North Sydney has grown more slowly than similar councils over ten years
+0.2% vs +3.4%
A year, last 5 years
+3.2% vs +3.9%
A year, last 10 years
+4.8% vs +5.8%
A year, last 15 years
What this shows. The typical house price in North Sydney every year, in teal, next to the middle of the five councils in NSW closest to it in size and starting price: Waverley, Willoughby, Canada Bay, Woollahra, Strathfield. The small "vs" number in each tile is those councils.
Why it matters. Sometimes a slower market is catching up, sometimes it is being passed. The jobs and supply readings on this page tell you which.
Momentum · the last 36 months
Prices in North Sydney are moving at a steady pace
$3,411,815
3-month price, August 2026
-0.7%
3-month price vs 12-month price
270 vs 373
Houses sold, last 12 months vs the 12 before
What this shows. Two versions of the same price. The dotted teal line averages the last three months, so it reacts fast. The grey line averages the last twelve, so it moves slowly. The bars are how many houses sold each month.
Why it matters. The three-month and twelve-month prices are moving together. No acceleration either way.
New homes · approvals as a share of all the homes here
Not many new homes are being built in North Sydney
What this shows. For every 100 homes already in North Sydney, how many new ones the council approved each year. The teal band is the range we call balanced.
Why it matters. Fewer new homes means the ones that exist stay in demand. It can also mean building here is hard or slow, which cuts the same way. The home count is the population divided by the average household size, so treat the rate as a guide rather than a census.
Affordability · house price in years of local household income
A house in North Sydney costs 21.9 years of a local family's income
What this shows. Take the typical house price and divide it by what a typical household here earns in a year. A bar of 7 means seven years of the whole household's income buys one house.
Why it matters. Expensive for the people who live here. Prices at this level need outside buyers to keep moving, and outside buyers are the first to leave when things wobble. Income is the 2021 Census figure carried forward at 3.5% a year, so it is an estimate, not a measurement.
Rents · typical weekly house rent, last 36 months · and how many rentals sit empty
Rent in North Sydney is $1,529 a week, up 7.3% in a year
$1,529
A week, August 2026
+7.3%
Change in the last year
1.6%
Rentals sitting empty (balanced)
What this shows. What a typical house in North Sydney rents for each week, month by month. The empty-rentals number is the share of rental homes with nobody in them: under 1.5% is tight, over 3% means tenants have plenty of choice.
Why it matters. Rents rising faster than inflation means more people want to live here than there are homes to rent. That pressure eventually shows up in prices.
Rental yield · a year of rent as a share of the price, North Sydney vs similar councils
Rent covers 2.3% of the price each year in North Sydney
What this shows. Yield is simple: a whole year of rent divided by the house price. A $500,000 house renting for $500 a week earns $26,000 a year, which is a 5.2% yield.
Why it matters. Higher than similar councils, which are around 1.8%. The rent does more of the heavy lifting here, so holding costs less out of pocket. We don't buy on yield alone and we never set a yield cut-off; it is one piece of the picture, next to growth.
The people
Who lives in North Sydney.
The population has grown a steady +0.6% a year over the last five years. Interesting mix underneath: locals have been leaving on net (-3,802 over three years) while overseas migration more than filled the gap (6,455). Worth understanding who is arriving and what housing they need. The median age is 38 and the median household brings in $2,524 a week (Census 2021). 52% of households rent, a deep tenant pool if you're buying to hold, and more investor competition when stock is tight.
Population · ABS estimates 2015 to 2025
North Sydney is growing steadily: 73,705 people, up +0.6% a year
73,705
People, 2025
+0.6% vs +0.6%
A year, last 5 years · typical NSW council
+0.4%
A year, last 10 years
Why it matters. Steady growth is enough to keep demand ahead of supply, as long as building stays sensible.
Where the growth came from · last 3 years
Overseas arrivals are doing the heavy lifting in North Sydney: 6,455 in three years
Net change: +4,119 people over three years.
What this shows. Three ways a place gains or loses people: babies born minus people who died, people who moved here from another part of Australia, and people who arrived from overseas. Bars to the right add people, bars to the left take them away.
Why it matters. Overseas arrivals usually rent first, so this kind of growth shows up in rents before it shows up in prices.
Age and households · Census 2021
North Sydney is younger than the typical NSW council: median age 38 vs 42
North Sydney Typical NSW council (middle of 122)
Why it matters. A younger area means first-home buyers, growing families and renters. Three-bedroom houses near schools and jobs are the bread and butter.
Income and who owns the homes · Census 2021
North Sydney is a renters' market: 52% of homes are rented, vs 25% in the typical NSW council
Own or paying off Renting Other
Why it matters. Lots of renters means a deep tenant pool if you are buying to hold, and more investor competition when stock is tight.
New supply
What's being approved to build.
464 dwellings were approved in FY26, 7 of them houses. Approvals are clearly trending up, so more supply is coming. Whether that's a problem depends on whether the population keeps outrunning it. On the non-residential side, $199 million of building was approved in FY26, $6 million of it public money. Governments build where they expect people. Within that, $134 million of education and health buildings have been approved across the last three financial years. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal governments give about where they expect families.
Homes approved · ABS, by financial year
Not much new is being built in North Sydney: 464 homes approved in FY26
Houses Units, townhouses and other
464
Homes approved, FY26
2%
Of them houses
1.3%
New homes per 100 that exist
What this shows. How many new homes the council approved each financial year, split into houses and everything else. Approved is not built, but it is the earliest warning of supply on the way.
Why it matters. When little gets built, the homes already here do not have much competition. Good for prices, as long as people keep arriving.
Non-residential building approved · ABS
Government spending on buildings in North Sydney is rising: $6m approved in FY26
Government projects All non-residential
$199m
All sectors, FY26
$6m
Government, FY26
$134m
Schools and health, last 3 years
What this shows. The dollar value of shops, offices, schools, hospitals and other non-home buildings approved each year. The darker bar is the government's share.
Why it matters. Governments build where they expect people. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal they give about where families are heading. For the named projects behind these numbers, ask for the full report.
Jobs
Who's working in North Sydney.
Work here runs on professional services (22% of jobs), ahead of finance and health care and social assistance. 3,242 more residents are in work than five years ago (+7.4%). Unemployment sits at 3.4%, comfortably under the national 4.2%. On the ABS advantage index this council ranks in the top 10% of the country, which you'll notice in the price tags.
Jobs · SALM, March 2026
3,242 more people in North Sydney have a job than five years ago
46,941
Residents in work
3.4% vs 4.2%
Unemployed · Australia
+7.4%
Jobs change, 5 years
North Sydney Australia
Why it matters. Strong jobs growth shows up in housing demand with a lag. People get the job first and buy the house a year or two later.
Who employs people here · Census 2021
Professional services is the biggest employer in North Sydney, 22% of jobs
What this shows. The five industries that employ the most residents, as a share of all jobs. The pill is the ABS advantage score: North Sydney sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally, where 10 is the most advantaged.
Why it matters. One industry carrying a fifth or more of the jobs is a concentration risk. If it wobbles, the whole town feels it.
The outlook
Is North Sydney worth buying into?
Put the drivers together and the case for North Sydney is: a job base that has expanded, public building spend trending up. None of this guarantees anything. It tells you where to look harder, which is what a report like this is for.
Free · Written by hand · One per person
This page is the public data. The full report is that written up as a document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside North Sydney. One per person.
Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.
Inside the LGA
The suburbs of North Sydney.
Next step. See what's for sale in North Sydney on realestate.com.au or Domain. Then send me the address before you make an offer. That is the part the data cannot do.
All 14 suburbs and localities in North Sydney
Cammeray · Cremorne · Cremorne Point · Crows Nest · Kirribilli · Kurraba Point · Lavender Bay · McMahons Point · Milsons Point · Neutral Bay · North Sydney · St Leonards · Waverton · Wollstonecraft
Free · Written by hand · One per person
Want the full workup on North Sydney?
This page is the public data. The full report is the written workup: current price, rent, gross yield and vacancy, growth over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years, days on market and demand, and the supply coming down the pipe, for North Sydney or any suburb in it. Same data we run for clients. I pull it and email it through, usually within a business day. One per person, no charge, and no 14-part email sequence afterwards. All I ask is that if it lands, you take the fifteen minute call at the end of it.
Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.
Keep comparing
Markets of a similar size in NSW.
A council only makes sense in context. These are the NSW markets closest to North Sydney in population, each with its own written report.
General information only, not financial or investment advice. Cycle positions and projections are modelled LGA-level figures to July 2026, sourced from HtAG Analytics. Population and approvals are ABS estimates; employment is SALM smoothed data; income, age and tenure are Census 2021. None of it can see street quality, flood maps, zoning or the contract, which is where deals are actually won and lost. Get advice on your own situation before acting.
Data finds the area. It doesn't buy the house.
We narrow 15,000 suburbs to the top 5 for each client, then find the street and the property. If North Sydney is on your list, that's a conversation worth having early.