Belfield
A $1,540,000 median house price sits oddly against an IRSD score in decile 2, the second-lowest disadvantage tier nationally, and the gap defines Belfield. The premium price reflects scarce detached stock in a compact 1.78 km2 footprint at 3,677 residents per km2, while the low IRSD decile reflects a migrant working population where 40.0% were born overseas, 18.4 points above national. Lebanese ancestry leads at 1,260 residents and Arabic is the top non-English language with 485 speakers. The price actually fell 9.1% from $1,600,000 in 2024 to $1,455,000 in 2025, so the headline median masks a softening market.
Population
6,555
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,727/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
36
Median House
$1.5M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
Belfield's $1,540,000 median is firmly above most of metropolitan Sydney's middle market, yet recent buyers have caught a falling knife: prices dropped 9.1% from $1,600,000 in 2024 to $1,455,000 in 2025. The stock favours families, with 66.9% separate houses against just 8.9% apartments, and three-bedroom dwellings the most common at 39.6%, followed by 4-plus bedroom homes at 29.2%. The affordability pressure is real because the mortgage-to-income ratio reads 33.4%, above the 30% stress threshold, with monthly repayments around $2,500. Outright owners (33.1%) slightly edge out mortgage holders (35.5%), so the buyer pool is a mix of established owners and stretched recent entrants rather than first-home affordability seekers.
For Buyers
Belfield's $1,540,000 median is firmly above most of metropolitan Sydney's middle market, yet recent buyers have caught a falling knife: prices dropped 9.1% from $1,600,000 in 2024 to $1,455,000 in 2025. The stock favours families, with 66.9% separate houses against just 8.9% apartments, and three-bedroom dwellings the most common at 39.6%, followed by 4-plus bedroom homes at 29.2%. The affordability pressure is real because the mortgage-to-income ratio reads 33.4%, above the 30% stress threshold, with monthly repayments around $2,500. Outright owners (33.1%) slightly edge out mortgage holders (35.5%), so the buyer pool is a mix of established owners and stretched recent entrants rather than first-home affordability seekers.
For Investors
A 31.4% renter share and $460 weekly rent give landlords a steady tenant base, but the yield math is thin: against the $1,540,000 median, that rent implies a gross yield near 1.6%, low even for Sydney. The 5.9% vacancy rate is moderate rather than tight, so finding tenants is achievable without bidding wars. Demand support leans entirely on migration, with net overseas inflow of 316 residents a year offset by net internal outflow of 236, leaving thin natural growth. Development activity is modest at 34 applications in 12 months, mostly single dwelling houses and complying development rather than new apartment supply. With prices down 9.1% over the last year, the investment case rests on long-run capital growth and the 31.7% rent growth recorded over the decade rather than current yield.
Development Activity
Total DAs
233
Last 12 Months
36
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-5.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Belfield iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Michael's Catholic Primary School
K-6 · 239 students
Demographics
Belfield's median age of 40 matches the national figure exactly, but the population is more international than typical: 40.0% were born overseas, 18.4 points above national. Ancestry is led by Lebanese (1,260), then Italian (839) and Chinese (827), and the top non-English languages are Arabic (485 speakers), Mandarin (181) and Greek (157). University qualifications reach 38.3%, which is 8.2 points above the national figure, a sign of a more educated population than the modest household income suggests. Average household size is 2.9, which is 0.4 above national, consistent with the family-heavy profile where couples with children form 2,310 families. Christianity (4,189) dominates, with Islam (421) and Buddhism (285) the notable minority faiths.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
66.9%
Houses
23.7%
Townhouse
8.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits fairly evenly: 33.1% own outright, 35.5% carry a mortgage and 31.4% rent. The near-balance between outright and mortgaged owners points to a transitional ownership base rather than purely established wealth. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 66.9% separate houses, with semi-detached dwellings at 23.7% and apartments only 8.9%, which keeps house prices elevated through limited density. Three-bedroom homes lead at 39.6% and 4-plus bedroom at 29.2%, reinforcing the family orientation. The median house price slid from $1,600,000 to $1,455,000 across 2024-2025, a 9.1% one-year fall. Mortgage-to-income at 33.4% exceeds the stress threshold while rent-to-income at 26.6% stays below it, a split showing that buying here strains budgets far more than renting does.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,500
Rent / wk
$460
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$672
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.9%
Unoccupied
138
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
33.4% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
17.5%
Couples, no children
5,527
Total families
Economy & Employment
The resident workforce concentrates in Healthcare at 16.5% (288 workers), Education at 12.2% (213) and Construction at 11.6% (202), with Professional/Tech at 8.4% and Retail at 7.5%. By occupation, Professionals (604) lead, followed by Clerical/Admin (457) and Managers (355). Unemployment is moderate at 5.4% and the full-time employment rate is 61.5%. The SEIFA picture is mixed and revealing: IEO sits at decile 6 for education and occupation, yet IRSD reads decile 2 and IER decile 3, both well below national midpoints. That divergence happens because a skilled, qualified workforce earns relatively modest household income, with the household figure in the 60.7th percentile, so disadvantage indexes weighted to income score lower than skills alone would predict.
Unemployment
5.1%
Labour Force
11,315
Unemployed
573
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.5%
Part-time
33.1%
Participation
41.2%
Employed
2,070
Occupations
Top Industries
University
38.3%
Postgraduate
8.8%
Born Overseas
40.0%
Dwellings
2,182
Transport to Work
Belfield runs heavily on cars: 84.6% of commuters drive while only 5.7% use public transport and 1.7% walk or cycle, well above the national reliance on driving and a sign of limited rail access. The suburb scores decile 5 on IRSAD, mid-range nationally, but decile 2 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, a lower tier that reflects income-sensitive measures rather than visible hardship. Volunteering runs at 9.4% and 7.6% of residents (475 people) need daily assistance. Rent-to-income at 26.6% keeps tenants below the stress threshold, though buyers face a steeper 33.4% mortgage burden. No schools are recorded inside the 1.78 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the dense, low-rise setting.
Drive
84.6%
Public Transport
5.7%
Walk / Cycle
1.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.55%/yr
(+116 people/yr)
EstablishedBelfield is a slow, steady grower rather than a boom suburb: annual population growth registers 0.55% and the 10-year change is 9.2%, classifying it as established. Medium forecasts lift the area population from 21,206 toward 21,788 by 2031, a gentle climb. Growth depends almost entirely on overseas migration, which adds 316 residents a year, while net internal migration removes 236, so without overseas arrivals the suburb would shrink. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying with a score of 10, fitting a suburb whose young-resident share fell 2.7 points while the senior share rose 2.6 points. Affordability improved from 69.1% in 2011 to 60.8% in 2021, and real incomes grew 21.8% over the decade, modest gains rather than a transformation.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+316
Net Internal / yr
-236
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -236/yr, Strong overseas inflow +316/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Belfield compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Belfield a good suburb to live in?
Belfield suits families, with 66.9% separate houses and an average household size of 2.9, above the national figure. University qualifications reach 38.3%, 8.2 points above national. The trade-offs are a high $1,540,000 median house price and heavy car reliance, with 84.6% of commuters driving.
What is the median house price in Belfield?
The median house price is $1,540,000. Prices fell 9.1% from $1,600,000 in 2024 to $1,455,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $460 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,500, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 33.4%, above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Belfield?
No schools are recorded inside the 1.78 km2 Belfield boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 38.3%, which is 8.2 points above the national figure.
Is Belfield safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Belfield in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 5 on the IRSAD advantage index, mid-range nationally, and 7.6% of its 6,555 residents need daily assistance, broadly typical for a settled residential area.
Is Belfield good for property investment?
Rent of $460 a week against a $1,540,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.6%, low for Sydney, and prices fell 9.1% over the past year. The 5.9% vacancy rate is moderate, and net overseas migration of 316 a year supports demand, so returns rely on long-run capital growth rather than yield.
How is Belfield's population changing?
Population growth is 0.55% annually with a 9.2% rise over 10 years, classifying Belfield as established. Growth depends on overseas migration adding 316 residents a year, offset by net internal outflow of 236. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 2.6 points and the young share down 2.7 points.
What languages are spoken in Belfield?
About 40.0% of residents were born overseas, 18.4 points above the national figure. The most common non-English languages are Arabic (485 speakers), Mandarin (181), Greek (157) and Italian (140), reflecting a strongly Lebanese, Italian and Chinese resident mix.
How much development is happening in Belfield?
There were 34 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, modest for the area. Most are single dwelling houses and complying development certificates rather than new apartment supply, consistent with an established, low-density suburb where apartments make up just 8.9% of stock.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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