Eastlakes
Apartments make up 69.2% of dwellings in Eastlakes, and 52.5% of residents rent, so this is a tenant market far more than a homeowner one. The result shows up in a 10.5% vacancy rate, well above the level a balanced rental market would carry. Median household income sits in the 30.9th percentile nationally, low for inner Sydney, yet 54.8% of residents were born overseas, which is 33.2 points above the national figure, and 44.4% hold a university qualification, 14.3 points above national. The $790,000 median house price and a median age of 40, level with national, round out a dense suburb of 6,347 people packed into 2.0 km2.
Population
6,347
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,300/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
23
Median House
$790K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $790,000 median house price is modest for inner Sydney, and it rose 6.4% over a single year, from $750,000 in 2024 to $798,250 in 2025. Buyers should note what that figure represents, because only 28.6% of dwellings are separate houses while 69.2% are apartments, so a freestanding home competes for scarce stock. Two-bedroom dwellings dominate at 55.8% and three-bedroom at 24.8%, with 4-plus bedroom homes just 12.3%, reflecting the apartment-heavy build. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 38.5%, well above the 30% stress threshold because local household income sits only in the 30.9th percentile nationally. That gap between price and income is the central affordability tension for owner-occupiers here.
For Buyers
The $790,000 median house price is modest for inner Sydney, and it rose 6.4% over a single year, from $750,000 in 2024 to $798,250 in 2025. Buyers should note what that figure represents, because only 28.6% of dwellings are separate houses while 69.2% are apartments, so a freestanding home competes for scarce stock. Two-bedroom dwellings dominate at 55.8% and three-bedroom at 24.8%, with 4-plus bedroom homes just 12.3%, reflecting the apartment-heavy build. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 38.5%, well above the 30% stress threshold because local household income sits only in the 30.9th percentile nationally. That gap between price and income is the central affordability tension for owner-occupiers here.
For Investors
A 52.5% renter share and weekly rent of $380 give landlords a large tenant pool, and rent grew 22.2% over the decade. The caution sign is the 10.5% vacancy rate, which points to genuine oversupply in the apartment segment that forms 69.2% of dwellings. Demand support is split: net overseas migration adds 286 residents a year while internal migration removes 337, and overseas inflow is the primary growth driver. Against the $790,000 median, weekly rent of $380 implies a gross yield near 2.5%, modest but stronger than the premium eastern suburbs. Development activity is restrained at 22 applications in 12 months, so new competing supply is limited. With population trending down 0.97% a year, the case rests on rent escalation and tenant depth rather than capital growth or volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
150
Last 12 Months
23
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-28.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Eastlakes iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Eastlakes Public School
K-6 · 154 students
Demographics
The median age of 40 is level with the national figure, but the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 3.7 points while the young share fell 2.7 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 54.8%, which is 33.2 points above national and among the highest in Sydney. Ancestry is led by English (792), Chinese (620) and Greek (567), and the top non-English languages are Bengali (273), Greek (205) and Mandarin (79), a mix that reflects layered migration waves. University qualifications at 44.4% run 14.3 points above national, unusually high for a suburb in the 30.9th income percentile, because many residents are early-career renters rather than established earners. Average household size is 2.4, just 0.1 below national. Islam (1,007 residents) is a notable second religion behind Christianity (3,191).
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
28.6%
Houses
2.0%
Townhouse
69.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily to renting: 52.5% rent, 25.7% own outright and only 21.8% carry a mortgage. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to a base of long-held units alongside a large transient tenant population. The stock is 69.2% apartments and just 2.0% semi-detached, leaving separate houses at 28.6%, which keeps detached-house prices firm through scarcity. Two-bedroom dwellings account for 55.8% and three-bedroom 24.8%, while 4-plus bedroom homes are 12.3%. The median house price rose from $750,000 to $798,250 across 2024-2025, a 6.4% one-year move. Mortgage-to-income at 38.5% sits well above the stress threshold while rent-to-income at 29.2% stays just under it, a divergence that shows buying is far harder than renting relative to the local income in the 30.9th percentile.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$380
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$631
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
10.5%
Unoccupied
292
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
38.5% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.3%
Couples, no children
4,806
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce leans toward services rather than high finance: Healthcare leads at 16.8% (311 workers), Education follows at 10.7% (199) and Retail at 10.1% (188), with Professional/Tech at 9.1% and Transport at 8.4%. By occupation, Professionals (593) lead, followed by Clerical/Admin (358) and Community/Personal (312). Unemployment is elevated at 7.3% and participation reads just 47.5%, low because 2,164 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with the aging and student-renter mix. The SEIFA picture is split: the IEO score for education and occupation reaches decile 6, reflecting the 44.4% university rate, yet IRSD and IER both fall to decile 2 because low household incomes and the renter majority depress resource-based measures. IRSAD lands in the middle at decile 5.
Unemployment
10.2%
Labour Force
4,286
Unemployed
437
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.3%
Part-time
32.4%
Participation
47.5%
Employed
2,355
Occupations
Top Industries
University
44.4%
Postgraduate
14.1%
Born Overseas
54.8%
Dwellings
2,491
Transport to Work
Car reliance is moderate for a dense inner suburb: 67.8% drive, while 13.4% take public transport and 8.4% walk or cycle, below the public transport use of better-served suburbs given the 3,169 residents per km2. Volunteering runs at 8.3% and 7.6% of residents (450 people) need daily assistance, a share lifted by the aging profile at median age 40. Rent-to-income at 29.2% keeps tenants just under the stress line, easier than the 38.5% mortgage burden owners face. On disadvantage, the suburb sits at decile 2 on IRSAD and IRSD, near the bottom tier nationally, which signals a lower-resource population rather than affluence. No schools are recorded inside the 2.0 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs.
Drive
67.8%
Public Transport
13.4%
Walk / Cycle
8.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.97%/yr
(-86 people/yr)
EstablishedEastlakes is contracting: annual population change runs at minus 0.97%, about 86 fewer people a year, and the 10-year change is minus 7.7%, classifying it as an established suburb in slow decline. Medium forecasts hold the trajectory downward, from 8,843 in 2026 to 8,412 by 2031. The only positive driver is overseas migration at 286 residents a year, offset by a larger net internal outflow of 337, so residents are leaving for other parts of Australia faster than overseas arrivals replace them. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying with a score of 10, which fits the falling population and a renter-majority, lower-income base. Affordability did improve over the decade, from 71.6% to 58.2%, and real incomes grew 22.3%, so existing residents are modestly better off even as headcount falls.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+286
Net Internal / yr
-337
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -337/yr, Strong overseas inflow +286/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Eastlakes compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Eastlakes a good suburb to live in?
Eastlakes suits renters and migrants more than buyers. It sits at decile 2 on IRSAD and IRSD, near the bottom tier nationally, with household income in the 30.9th percentile. Upsides are an affordable $790,000 median house price for inner Sydney and a university qualification rate of 44.4%, 14.3 points above national.
What is the median house price in Eastlakes?
The median house price is $790,000, modest for inner Sydney. Prices rose 6.4% from $750,000 in 2024 to $798,250 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $380 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,167, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 38.5%, above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Eastlakes?
No schools are recorded inside the 2.0 km2 Eastlakes boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is well educated for its income level, with university qualifications at 44.4%, which is 14.3 points above the national figure.
Is Eastlakes safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Eastlakes in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 2 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, a lower tier nationally, while 7.6% of its 6,347 residents need daily assistance, figures consistent with a lower-resource population.
Is Eastlakes good for property investment?
Rent of $380 a week against a $790,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.5%, modest but above premium eastern suburbs. The renter share is high at 52.5%, but a 10.5% vacancy rate signals apartment oversupply, and population is falling 0.97% a year, so returns lean on rent escalation rather than capital growth.
How is Eastlakes's population changing?
Population is contracting at 0.97% a year, about 86 fewer people annually, with a 10-year fall of 7.7%. Medium forecasts decline from 8,843 in 2026 to 8,412 by 2031. Overseas migration adds 286 residents a year, but a larger net internal outflow of 337 drives the overall decline.
What languages are spoken in Eastlakes?
About 54.8% of residents were born overseas, 33.2 points above the national figure. English is the dominant language, with Bengali (273 speakers), Greek (205), Mandarin (79) and Arabic (75) the most common non-English languages, reflecting layered migration waves into this inner-Sydney suburb.
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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