Hurstville
Sitting on the T8 line 16km south of Sydney CBD, Hurstville is the South Sydney mirror to Chatswood: a Chinese-anchored commercial and residential hub where 70.8% of residents were born overseas (49.2 percentage points above the national rate) and 14,691 people claim Chinese ancestry. What separates it from Western Sydney migrant gateways like Auburn or Bankstown is affluence: Hurstville scores SEIFA decile 9 across all four indices (IRSAD 1110, IEO 1108), placing it in the top 10% of Australian suburbs on education and economic opportunity simultaneously. Yet the median house price of $800,000 sits well below comparable inner-ring Sydney suburbs and far below Chatswood's $3M+ benchmark, a discount driven by the 61.6% apartment share rather than weak demand. Population is climbing 2.42% annually on overseas migration alone (+805/yr) while losing 295 residents/yr to internal outflow.
Population
31,162
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,804/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
180
Median House
$800K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The buyer maths in Hurstville rewards apartment hunters and punishes detached-house seekers. With 61.6% of dwellings being apartments versus only 30.1% separate houses, the market is fundamentally a strata market: the $800,000 median masks a wide spread where 2-bedroom units (43.5% of stock) trade well below entry-level houses in neighbouring Penshurst or Mortdale. The real story is affordability inversion: rent-to-income sits at 26.1% and mortgage-to-income at 27.7%, both just under the 30% stress threshold and dramatically better than the 2011 baseline when affordability scored 97.6 versus today's 63.4. Real household incomes have grown 43.8% over the decade, outpacing the 0% peak-to-latest price movement, which means buying power has materially improved relative to a Chatswood or Eastwood comparison. The catch: 4-bedroom homes are only 19.5% of stock, so families upgrading face thin supply and competition from investors.
For Buyers
The buyer maths in Hurstville rewards apartment hunters and punishes detached-house seekers. With 61.6% of dwellings being apartments versus only 30.1% separate houses, the market is fundamentally a strata market: the $800,000 median masks a wide spread where 2-bedroom units (43.5% of stock) trade well below entry-level houses in neighbouring Penshurst or Mortdale. The real story is affordability inversion: rent-to-income sits at 26.1% and mortgage-to-income at 27.7%, both just under the 30% stress threshold and dramatically better than the 2011 baseline when affordability scored 97.6 versus today's 63.4. Real household incomes have grown 43.8% over the decade, outpacing the 0% peak-to-latest price movement, which means buying power has materially improved relative to a Chatswood or Eastwood comparison. The catch: 4-bedroom homes are only 19.5% of stock, so families upgrading face thin supply and competition from investors.
For Investors
Hurstville is a yield-and-volume play, not a capital-growth bet. The 49.1% rental share is among the highest in the SEIFA decile-9 cohort (Chatswood sits closer to 40%, Mosman around 30%), reflecting the apartment-dominant structure and the rotating overseas migration pipeline of +805 net arrivals/yr. Median rent of $470/week on an $800,000 median produces a gross yield around 3.05%, which trails Western Sydney comparables like Bankstown or Auburn (typically 3.5-4%) but beats every comparable inner-eastern suburb. The vacancy rate of 9.1% looks alarming on its face but reflects ABS unoccupied-dwelling counts including holiday and transitional stock rather than the live REINSW vacancy figure, which has historically run sub-2% in the precinct. Development pipeline is meaningful: 158 DAs lodged in the last 12 months, with Georges River council actively processing apartment and commercial filings around the station, signalling sustained investor and developer demand rather than a saturated market.
Development Activity
Total DAs
848
Last 12 Months
180
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+4.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Hurstville iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St George Christian School
K-12 · 845 students
Danebank - An Anglican School for Girls
K-12 · 1043 students
Hurstville Adventist School
K-6 · 166 students
Hurstville Public School
K-6 · 1048 students
St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
K-6 · 408 students
Demographics
The demographic profile is the most distinctive in South Sydney. At 70.8% born overseas, Hurstville sits 49.2 percentage points above the national average and rivals Chatswood and Eastwood as Sydney's densest non-CBD overseas-born concentration. University attainment of 55.8% runs 25.7 percentage points above national, placing the suburb firmly in the educated-migrant professional band rather than the trades-and-labour profile of Auburn or Fairfield. The language mix is where Hurstville defies the simple 'Chinese suburb' label: 3,785 Mandarin speakers and 2,358 Cantonese speakers anchor the headline narrative, but 2,746 Nepali speakers form the second-largest language community, a rapid-growth cohort that has emerged since 2016 and that no other South Sydney suburb hosts at this scale. Median age of 33 sits 7 years below the national median, with 29.3% of households being couples without children, reflecting a young professional and student-adjacent population rather than family-formation suburbs like Castle Hill or Baulkham Hills.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
30.1%
Houses
8.2%
Townhouse
61.6%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing stock is the engine driving Hurstville's whole economic profile. 61.6% apartment share dwarfs the NSW average and explains both the $800,000 median price (low for a SEIFA-9 suburb) and the 49.1% rental share. Tenure splits 24.6% owned outright, 26.3% mortgaged, and 49.1% renting, an inversion of typical decile-9 patterns where ownership usually exceeds renting 2-to-1. The 7,374 persons per sqkm density is among the highest in metropolitan Sydney outside the CBD itself. Bedroom mix tells the affordability story precisely: 43.5% of dwellings are 2-bedroom (apartment stock), 27.1% are 3-bedroom, and only 19.5% are 4+ bedroom, meaning detached-house upgraders exit to Penshurst, Oatley, or further south. Price growth has been muted at 3.8% year-on-year (2024 to 2025 PSI-derived), but with mortgage-to-income at 27.7% versus the 30% stress threshold, affordability has actually improved 35 points since 2011.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$470
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$698
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.1%
Unoccupied
1,054
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.3%
Couples, no children
23,317
Total families
Economy & Employment
Hurstville's economy splits cleanly between healthcare anchored by St George Hospital (20.6% of employment, 2,163 workers) and the Chinese commercial precinct around Forest Road and Hurstville Plaza. Retail at 11.4% (1,200 workers) runs well above the Sydney metro average and reflects the dense in-suburb shopping ecosystem, while Professional/Tech at 10.9% punches above what a non-CBD-fringe suburb typically attracts. The occupational profile is bimodal: 3,497 Professionals (the largest cohort) sit alongside 1,774 Labourers and 1,972 Community/Personal services workers, showing a layered economy where high-skill migrants coexist with hospitality and care-sector workforces serving the same precinct. SEIFA scores reveal the underlying strength: IEO 1108, IER 1082, IRSAD 1110, all decile 9. The 8.1% unemployment rate looks elevated against the 4% national figure but partly reflects the high overseas-born share where credential-recognition lag depresses formal employment among recent arrivals, similar to patterns in Burwood or Strathfield.
Unemployment
1.7%
Labour Force
8,120
Unemployed
134
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.3%
Part-time
34.6%
Participation
48.8%
Employed
12,145
Occupations
Top Industries
University
55.8%
Postgraduate
19.6%
Born Overseas
70.8%
Dwellings
10,504
Transport to Work
Liveability metrics rank Hurstville in the top tier of Sydney transit-oriented suburbs. The T8 Airport and South line places Sydney CBD at roughly 22 minutes and the airport at 12 minutes, generating a 31.3% public transport mode share that runs more than double the metro average of around 14%. Eight schools sit within the suburb boundary, headlined by St George Christian School (ICSEA 1159) and Danebank Anglican (ICSEA 1146, 1,043 enrolment), with Hurstville Public School (ICSEA 1102) anchoring the government primary segment, every single school in the catchment scoring above the 1000 ICSEA national mean. The IRSAD decile of 9 places Hurstville's overall socioeconomic conditions in the top 10% nationally, ahead of Chatswood on socioeconomic disadvantage measures and far ahead of Western Sydney comparables like Auburn (IRSAD decile 4) or Bankstown (IRSAD decile 3). The trade-off is density: 7,374 persons/sqkm produces dense commercial streets, parking pressure, and limited green space relative to Kogarah or Penshurst.
Drive
53.9%
Public Transport
31.3%
Walk / Cycle
9.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.42%/yr
(+353 people/yr)
EstablishedForecast trajectory points to steady rather than explosive growth. Population is projected to rise from roughly 14,602 (2025 ABS estimate) to 16,337 by 2031, a 2.42% annual rate or 353 persons/yr, well above Sydney's metro 1.4% baseline. The migration profile is unusual: net internal flow runs negative at -295/yr (residents moving to other Australian suburbs, likely upgrading to detached housing in Penshurst, Sutherland Shire, or further south), while net overseas migration adds +805/yr, a 2.7-to-1 ratio that makes Hurstville's growth almost entirely overseas-driven. This contrasts sharply with growth-corridor suburbs like Box Hill or Marsden Park where internal migration dominates. Gentrification scoring sits at 10/100 ('Not gentrifying') despite the SEIFA decile-9 status, because the demographic churn is migrant-replacement rather than displacement; the suburb has been wealthy and Chinese-majority for over a decade, with real income growth of 43.8% over 10 years compounding the established affluent baseline.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+805
Net Internal / yr
-295
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -295/yr, Strong overseas inflow +805/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Hurstville compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hurstville a good suburb to live in?
Yes, particularly for transit-oriented professionals and East Asian migrant families. SEIFA scores sit at decile 9 across all 4 indices (IRSAD 1110), placing Hurstville in the top 10% of Australian suburbs on education and economic opportunity. The T8 line reaches Sydney CBD in 22 minutes, schools score above ICSEA 1000 across the board, and median rent of $470/week is moderate for a decile-9 location. Density of 7,374/sqkm is the main trade-off versus quieter neighbouring suburbs.
What is the median house price in Hurstville?
The 2024-2025 PSI-derived median sits at $800,000, with the latest quarter at $820,000 (up 3.8% year-on-year). This is well below comparable inner Sydney suburbs and dramatically below Chatswood's $3M+ benchmark, but the figure reflects an apartment-heavy market: 61.6% of dwellings are apartments, only 30.1% are separate houses. Detached houses trade well above the median, with 4-bedroom stock at just 19.5% of supply.
What schools are in Hurstville?
Eight schools operate within the suburb. Top-ranked are St George Christian School (ICSEA 1159, 845 enrolment) and Danebank Anglican (ICSEA 1146, 1,043 enrolment), both independent. Hurstville Public School (ICSEA 1102, 1,048 enrolment) leads the government sector. Every Hurstville school scores above the ICSEA 1000 national average, with Bethany College (Catholic, ICSEA 1083) and Georges River College Hurstville Campus (1017) covering secondary.
Is Hurstville safe?
Granular crime-rate data was unavailable at extract time, but socioeconomic indicators correlate strongly with safety: SEIFA IRSAD decile 9 (top 10% nationally) and IEO decile 9 typically associate with low rates of violent crime and theft. The 8.1% unemployment rate is the only elevated risk indicator, partly reflecting credential-lag among the 70.8% overseas-born population rather than structural disadvantage.
Is Hurstville good for property investment?
It is a yield-and-stability play, not capital growth. Gross rental yield runs around 3.05% on a $470/week median rent and $800k median price, trailing Western Sydney comparables like Bankstown but offering decile-9 SEIFA tenant quality. Renters make up 49.1% of households, the apartment-heavy stock generates consistent demand from the +805/yr overseas migration inflow, and 158 DAs lodged in 12 months indicates active developer interest in the precinct.
How is Hurstville's population changing?
Population is growing 2.42% annually, projected from roughly 14,602 in 2025 to 16,337 by 2031 (+353/yr). Growth is almost entirely overseas-driven: +805 overseas arrivals/yr offsetting -295/yr net internal outflow, a 2.7-to-1 overseas-to-internal ratio. Gentrification score sits at 10/100 (Not gentrifying) because the suburb has been affluent and migrant-majority for over a decade rather than transitioning.
What languages are spoken in Hurstville?
Hurstville is one of Sydney's most multilingual suburbs, with 70.8% of residents born overseas (49 percentage points above national). The largest language groups are Mandarin (3,785 speakers) and Cantonese (2,358), reflecting the dominant Chinese ancestry of 14,691 residents. The standout is Nepali at 2,746 speakers, the second-largest language community and a rapid-growth cohort that no other South Sydney suburb hosts at this scale.
How active is development in Hurstville?
158 development applications were lodged in the last 12 months, an active pipeline driven by Georges River council's apartment-friendly zoning around the T8 station. Recent filings include secondary dwellings, demolish-and-rebuild houses, and commercial developments. The pipeline is meaningful for an established suburb of 31,162 residents and signals continued developer confidence despite muted 3.8% annual price growth.
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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