Lugarno
Detached houses make up 92.8% of dwellings here, an unusually high share for a suburb only 17km from central Sydney, and that scarcity of anything else helps explain the $1,800,000 median house price. Household income sits in the 94.8th percentile nationally, and the suburb scores decile 8 on IRSAD, IEO and IER plus decile 7 on IRSD, placing it firmly in the top advantage tiers. The population of 5,869 skews older at a median age of 45, which is 5 years above the national figure, and 43.1% hold a university qualification, 13 points higher than national. Only 8.8% of residents rent, well below the typical Sydney suburb.
Population
5,869
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,721/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
50
Median House
$1.8M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $1,800,000 median makes Lugarno a premium peninsula market, though prices have been flat lately, rising 2.3% from $1,770,000 in 2024 to $1,810,000 in 2025 and showing 0.0% movement from the peak. Buyers here are buying houses: 92.8% of stock is separate dwellings against just 2.1% apartments, so apartment shoppers have almost no options. The homes are large, with 60.7% having four or more bedrooms and 33.6% having three, reflecting a family-oriented detached fabric. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,000, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because household incomes reach the 94.8th percentile. Outright owners at 47.9% outnumber mortgage holders at 43.3%, a sign of long-held, debt-free ownership rather than recent churn.
For Buyers
The $1,800,000 median makes Lugarno a premium peninsula market, though prices have been flat lately, rising 2.3% from $1,770,000 in 2024 to $1,810,000 in 2025 and showing 0.0% movement from the peak. Buyers here are buying houses: 92.8% of stock is separate dwellings against just 2.1% apartments, so apartment shoppers have almost no options. The homes are large, with 60.7% having four or more bedrooms and 33.6% having three, reflecting a family-oriented detached fabric. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,000, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because household incomes reach the 94.8th percentile. Outright owners at 47.9% outnumber mortgage holders at 43.3%, a sign of long-held, debt-free ownership rather than recent churn.
For Investors
Lugarno is a thin rental market: only 8.8% of residents rent, far below most Sydney suburbs, and weekly rent of $560 against the $1,800,000 median implies a gross yield near 1.6%, low even by metropolitan standards. The 3.6% vacancy rate is moderate, leaving little slack for landlords to push rents quickly. Development is modest at 47 applications in 12 months, mostly modifications and complying-development certificates on existing dwellings rather than new supply, so stock barely expands. Demand support leans on overseas migration, which adds 207 residents a year while net internal migration removes 34. With annual population growth of 0.89% and rent growth of 28.6% over the decade, the investment case rests on capital growth and a tight detached-house supply rather than yield or tenant volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
240
Last 12 Months
50
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+11.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Lugarno iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Lugarno Public School
K-6 · 272 students
Demographics
The median age of 45 runs 5 years above the national figure, and the profile is gently aging, with the senior share up 0.4 points and the working-age share up 1.0 point over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 23.1%, only 1.5 points above national, so the suburb is more Australian-born than most Sydney areas. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,649), Irish (585) and Scottish (479), with a strong Greek presence (620) that also shows in language: Greek is the top non-English language at 179 speakers, ahead of Arabic (108) and Mandarin (101). University qualifications at 43.1% sit 13 points above national. Average household size is 3.0, which is 0.5 above national, consistent with the family-detached profile where couples with children form the largest family type at 2,009 households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
92.8%
Houses
4.6%
Townhouse
2.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is dominated by ownership: 47.9% own outright and 43.3% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at just 8.8%. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to established, debt-free wealth rather than a churn of new buyers. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 92.8%, with semi-detached at 4.6% and apartments only 2.1%, which keeps house prices elevated through scarcity of supply. Homes are large, with 60.7% holding four or more bedrooms and 33.6% three. The median house price moved from $1,770,000 to $1,810,000 across 2024-2025, a 2.3% one-year gain. Mortgage-to-income at 25.5% and rent-to-income at 20.6% both stay below the 30% stress line, a comfortable position that reflects how household incomes in the 94.8th percentile absorb the premium prices.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,000
Rent / wk
$560
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$934
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.6%
Unoccupied
72
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.2%
Couples, no children
5,317
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce is spread across knowledge and care sectors: Education leads at 14.3% (302 workers), Professional/Tech follows at 13.7% (289) and Healthcare at 13.4% (283), with Construction at 10.2% and Finance at 8.2%. By occupation, Professionals (885), Clerical/Admin (497) and Managers (484) dominate, which aligns with the decile 8 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment is low at 3.9% and the full-time employment rate is 64.8%. Participation reads 52.4%, below what the income would suggest, because the older profile leaves 1,825 residents not in the labour force. Real incomes grew 18.6% over the decade. The IRSD score sits at decile 7 against decile 8 on the other three SEIFA indexes, a small step down that reflects pockets of need where 4.6% of residents require daily assistance.
Unemployment
3.0%
Labour Force
12,559
Unemployed
376
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.8%
Part-time
31.3%
Participation
52.4%
Employed
2,471
Occupations
Top Industries
University
43.1%
Postgraduate
10.3%
Born Overseas
23.1%
Dwellings
1,910
Transport to Work
Car dependence is the defining trait: 90.1% of residents drive to work, well above the national reliance, while only 4.2% use public transport and 1.7% walk or cycle, a function of the peninsula geography with no train line. The suburb earns decile 8 on IRSAD, a top advantage tier, and decile 7 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, so very few residents face deprivation. Volunteering runs at 15.2% and only 4.6% (262 people) need daily assistance despite the older median age of 45. Detailed crime statistics are not available in this dataset. No schools are recorded inside the 2.68 km2 boundary, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a common trade-off for a low-density residential pocket of 2,191 residents per km2.
Drive
90.1%
Public Transport
4.2%
Walk / Cycle
1.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.89%/yr
(+187 people/yr)
EstablishedLugarno is a slow, established grower: annual population growth registers 0.89%, adding about 187 people a year, while the 10-year change reached 15.1%. Medium forecasts lift the broader area from 21,182 in 2026 toward 22,119 by 2031, a steady trend-continuation path rather than a boom. Overseas migration is the engine, adding 207 residents a year, while net internal migration removes 34, so growth depends on new arrivals more than local movement. The gentrification stage reads early signs with a score around 30 to 37, supported by a population up 15% since 2011 and accelerating overseas inflow. Affordability improved from 61.5% in 2011 to 54.2% in 2021 as real incomes outpaced housing costs, though prices remain high relative to most markets.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+207
Net Internal / yr
-34
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +15% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +207/yr, Accelerating: 2% → 12%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Lugarno compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lugarno a good suburb to live in?
Lugarno ranks in decile 8 on IRSAD, IEO and IER and decile 7 on IRSD, top advantage tiers, with household income in the 94.8th percentile. University qualifications reach 43.1%, 13 points above national. The main trade-offs are a high $1,800,000 median house price and heavy car dependence at 90.1%.
What is the median house price in Lugarno?
The median house price is $1,800,000. Prices rose 2.3% from $1,770,000 in 2024 to $1,810,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $560 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $3,000, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.5%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Lugarno?
No schools are recorded inside the 2.68 km2 Lugarno boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is highly educated, with university qualifications at 43.1%, which is 13 points above the national figure.
Is Lugarno safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Lugarno in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 7 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, a high tier, and only 4.6% of its 5,869 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Lugarno good for property investment?
Rent of $560 a week against a $1,800,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.6%, low, and only 8.8% of residents rent, a thin tenant pool. Net overseas migration of 207 a year supports demand, but 0.89% annual population growth means returns depend on capital growth more than yield.
How is Lugarno's population changing?
Population growth is 0.89% annually, adding about 187 people a year, with a 15.1% rise over 10 years. Overseas migration drives it, adding 207 residents annually against a net internal outflow of 34. The profile is gently aging, with the senior share up 0.4 points over the decade.
What languages are spoken in Lugarno?
About 23.1% of residents were born overseas, 1.5 points above the national figure. English is the dominant language, with Greek (179 speakers), Arabic (108) and Mandarin (101) the most common non-English languages, reflecting a notable Greek heritage among the 620 residents of Greek ancestry.
How much development is happening in Lugarno?
There were 47 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Most are modifications and complying-development certificates on existing dwellings rather than new supply, consistent with an established area at 0.89% annual population growth where 92.8% of stock is detached houses.
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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