Mosman
Twenty-eight thousand residents on 8.65 square kilometres of harbourfront peninsula, a $2.275M median house price, and household incomes in the 96.7th percentile nationally: Mosman is to Sydney what Toorak is to Melbourne, the established-Anglo wealth anchor that defines the city's affluence ladder. 65.8% of adults hold university qualifications, 35.7 percentage points above the national rate, and English ancestry (11,622) outnumbers the next four ancestries combined. The peculiar twist is the dwelling mix: 52.1% apartments versus 35.0% separate houses, an inversion of the leafy-mansion stereotype driven by interwar flat conversions on the Balmoral and Beauty Point ridgelines. Median age 45 runs 5 years above the national figure, and an 11.3% vacancy rate signals a structural surplus of investor-held apartments rare for a SEIFA top-decile suburb.
Population
28,329
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,892/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
381
Median House
$5.5M
12m to Jun 2026 (PSI)
Mosman is bifurcated, not unified. The $2.275M median masks two parallel markets: detached houses on north-facing harbour streets that trade well above $5M, and the apartment stock that makes up 52.1% of dwellings and pulls the median down. With family income of $4,502 weekly (top 4% nationally) and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 30.9%, Mosman sits exactly on the technical mortgage-stress line, which is striking for a top-decile SEIFA suburb and reflects how stretched even high-income households are at this price point. The peak-to-latest move shows prices at their 2025 peak of $2.4M, up 14.3% from $2.1M in 2024, so buyers are not catching a correction the way Castle Hill ($1.14M, down 7.8%) or Baulkham Hills offer. Compared to Eastern Suburbs peers Vaucluse and Double Bay, Mosman trades at roughly half the headline house price but with a thicker apartment ladder for entry-level upgraders.
For Buyers
Mosman is bifurcated, not unified. The $2.275M median masks two parallel markets: detached houses on north-facing harbour streets that trade well above $5M, and the apartment stock that makes up 52.1% of dwellings and pulls the median down. With family income of $4,502 weekly (top 4% nationally) and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 30.9%, Mosman sits exactly on the technical mortgage-stress line, which is striking for a top-decile SEIFA suburb and reflects how stretched even high-income households are at this price point. The peak-to-latest move shows prices at their 2025 peak of $2.4M, up 14.3% from $2.1M in 2024, so buyers are not catching a correction the way Castle Hill ($1.14M, down 7.8%) or Baulkham Hills offer. Compared to Eastern Suburbs peers Vaucluse and Double Bay, Mosman trades at roughly half the headline house price but with a thicker apartment ladder for entry-level upgraders.
For Investors
The investor signal is mixed and skewed toward apartments. 34.1% of households rent, well above the 24.1% in Castle Hill, but median rent of just $590 weekly against a $2.275M house median produces a gross yield around 1.3%, one of the lowest in Sydney and below even Vaucluse. The dominant investment vehicle here is the apartment, where rents in the $700-900 range against $1-1.5M unit prices push yields toward 3%, more workable but still below outer-Sydney benchmarks like Riverstone. The standout warning is vacancy at 11.3%, more than triple the Greater Sydney average near 3% and a clear sign of oversupply in the older walk-up flat segment. With 378 development applications in 12 months for a 28,329-person suburb, additional unit supply is in the pipeline, so investors should focus on scarce typologies (harbour-view freestanding, premium new-build) rather than generic two-bedroom flats.
Development Activity
Total DAs
2,017
Last 12 Months
381
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+5.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mosman iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Mosman Church of England Preparatory School
K-6 · 221 students
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
K-6 · 373 students
Queenwood
K-12 · 816 students
Middle Harbour Public School
K-6 · 423 students
Mosman Public School
K-6 · 458 students
Demographics
Mosman is the rare wealthy Sydney suburb where Anglo-Celtic ancestry still dominates decisively. English (11,622), Irish (4,045), Scottish (3,522), and Australian-identifying ancestries together account for the vast majority of residents, with Chinese ancestry at 1,765 a fraction of the 8,248 in Castle Hill. 36.5% were born overseas, 14.9 percentage points above the national rate, but the migrant mix tilts toward UK, US, and Western European professionals rather than the Asian migration patterns reshaping Chatswood or Hurstville. 65.8% of adults hold university qualifications, 35.7 percentage points above the national figure of 30.1%, the second-highest credential density in NSW after parts of inner-east Sydney. Median age of 45 runs 5 years above national, with a senior-share delta of +4.2pp over a decade and a young-share delta of -0.6pp, the demographic signature of an aging-in-place high-wealth cohort.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
35.0%
Houses
12.1%
Townhouse
52.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits roughly into thirds, with a wealth-skew: 39.4% own outright (well above the 31% national rate), 26.6% are mortgaged, and 34.1% rent. The dwelling mix is the Mosman peculiarity: 52.1% apartments, 35.0% separate houses, and 12.1% semi-detached, an apartment dominance closer to Bondi or Neutral Bay than to wealth peers Vaucluse or Toorak where detached stock dominates. Bedroom distribution is bifurcated, with 31.0% two-bedroom (apartment-driven) but 28.6% four-plus bedroom (the trophy houses), and only 24.5% three-bedroom, so middle-market family stock is thin. The $2.275M median sits at roughly 15.1 times annual household income of $150,400, well above Castle Hill's 12x and one of Sydney's tightest price-to-income ratios. The 14.3% price gain from $2.1M to $2.4M between 2024 and 2025 shows premium harbour stock continued appreciating while outer Sydney corrected.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General (12m to Jun 2026 (PSI))
Mortgage / mo
$3,870
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (January to March 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $590.
$850
Bond data Mar 2026 · houses $2,100 · units $810
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$1,487
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.3%
Unoccupied
1,472
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.9% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
31.0%
Couples, no children
21,743
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mosman is a finance-and-professional dormitory for the Sydney CBD. Professional/Technical Services (22.8%) and Finance (17.0%) lead industry of employment, a Finance share roughly double the national rate of 8% and the highest in any non-CBD Sydney suburb outside Vaucluse and Double Bay. Healthcare (12.0%) and Education (7.7%) round out the top four. Occupationally, Professionals (5,881) and Managers (3,508) together represent roughly 72% of the employed workforce, far higher than the 36% national share for those two ANZSCO categories combined and well ahead of Castle Hill's 60%. Full-time employment runs 69.1% with unemployment at 3.9%. SEIFA tells the cleanest story: IRSD decile 10, IRSAD decile 10, IEO decile 10, IER decile 8, with the IER score of 1057 the only sub-top-decile metric, reflecting that high non-labour income (super, investment) compresses the economic-resources score relative to education and occupation.
Unemployment
3.2%
Labour Force
7,807
Unemployed
253
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.1%
Part-time
27.0%
Participation
57.1%
Employed
13,019
Occupations
Top Industries
University
65.8%
Postgraduate
20.8%
Born Overseas
36.5%
Dwellings
11,514
Transport to Work
Schools are the structural moat. All 7 schools sit at ICSEA 1126 or above, putting the entire local system in the top decile nationally, with the standout Queenwood (ICSEA 1172, 816 enrolments, Independent combined) drawing fee-paying families from across the Lower North Shore. Mosman Church of England Preparatory (ICSEA 1206) is the highest-scoring school in the suburb and one of the highest in NSW. Mosman High (1126, 1,087 students) is the public secondary anchor. Transport leans on cars at 71.3% of commuters and ferries/buses at 10.9%, lower public transport use than inner-Sydney but expected for a peninsula suburb without rail. Volunteering at 21.1% sits well above the 14% national rate, and SEIFA IRSAD decile 10 with mortgage-to-income at 30.9% paints a picture of high amenity matched by high cost. Taronga Zoo, Balmoral Beach, and Chowder Bay anchor the lifestyle premium that justifies the price gap to Castle Hill ($2.275M vs $1.14M).
Drive
71.3%
Public Transport
10.9%
Walk / Cycle
12.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.82%/yr
(+101 people/yr)
EstablishedMosman is growing slowly and aging visibly. Forecast trend annual growth of 0.82% (about 101 persons per year on a 12,310 dwelling base) is well below the Greater Sydney average near 1.5%, with the population shift dominated by overseas migration (+304 net per year) offsetting net internal outflow of -9 per year. The aging trajectory is unambiguous: senior-share delta of +4.2 percentage points and working-age delta of -2.0pp over a decade, with population already +6.3% since 2011. Gentrification scoring sits at 31 (early signs) but the signals are deceptive: real income growth of +13.0% over the period reflects the existing wealth base compounding, not transformation. Affordability has actually improved from 38.7 (2011) to 28.7 (2021) on the indexed score, a counter-intuitive result driven by accelerating high incomes outpacing the price gains, and 75.4% of residents stayed put, a long-tenure pattern more typical of established wealth than churn-driven gentrification.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+304
Net Internal / yr
-9
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +14% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +304/yr, Accelerating: 0% → 13%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Mosman compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mosman a good suburb to live in?
For high-income families wanting harbourside lifestyle and elite schools, yes. All 7 schools score ICSEA 1126 or above (top decile nationally), 65.8% of adults are university-educated, and household income at the 96.7th percentile signals serious financial firepower. The trade-off is cost: $2.275M median house price and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 30.9%, on the technical stress line.
What is the median house price in Mosman?
The median house price is $2,275,000 (2024-2025 PSI-derived), up 14.3% from $2.1M in 2024 to $2.4M at the 2025 peak. That's roughly double Castle Hill's $1.14M and triple outer Sydney medians, reflecting harbour scarcity. At 15.1 times household income, Mosman sits among Sydney's tightest price-to-income ratios, ahead of Castle Hill (12x) and well above national norms.
What schools are in Mosman?
There are 7 schools, all ICSEA 1126 or above. Standouts include Queenwood (ICSEA 1172, 816 students, Independent combined), Mosman Church of England Preparatory (ICSEA 1206), and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary (1189). Government options include Mosman High (1126, 1,087 students), Mosman Public (1157), and Middle Harbour Public (1162). Every school sits in the top national decile.
Is Mosman safe?
BOCSAR crime data wasn't returned for this pull, but indirect indicators are strongly favourable: 75.4% of residents stayed at the same address (low 24.6% turnover), volunteering at 21.1% is well above the 14% national rate, and SEIFA IRSAD decile 10 (the top 10% of NSW) correlates with the lowest property crime rates in Greater Sydney. Cross-check NSW BOCSAR for current numbers.
Is Mosman good for property investment?
It's a capital-growth play, not a yield play. Gross rental yield on houses is around 1.3% on $590 weekly rent against a $2.275M median, one of Sydney's lowest. Vacancy at 11.3% is more than triple the Greater Sydney 3% average, signalling apartment oversupply, and 378 DAs lodged in 12 months point to more unit supply ahead. Focus on scarce typologies (harbour-view detached, premium new-build) rather than generic flats.
How is Mosman's population changing?
Mosman is growing slowly at 0.82% per year (about 101 residents annually) and aging visibly, with senior-share rising +4.2 percentage points and working-age share falling -2.0pp over a decade. The 28,329 population is +6.3% since 2011, driven entirely by overseas migration (+304 net per year) offsetting -9 net internal outflow. Median age 45 runs 5 years above national.
What languages are spoken in Mosman?
After English, Mandarin leads with just 350 speakers, followed by French (139), Cantonese (107), Italian (107), and German (97). Despite 36.5% of residents born overseas (14.9 percentage points above national), the migrant mix is dominated by UK, US, and Western European professionals rather than the Asian migration patterns reshaping Castle Hill (2,158 Mandarin speakers) or Chatswood.
How much development is happening in Mosman?
378 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, a high pipeline density of roughly 1 DA per 75 residents that exceeds Castle Hill's 1-per-103 ratio. Most recent applications are dwelling alterations and additions under Complying Development Certificates, consistent with renovation activity on the existing detached and apartment stock rather than greenfield development on the heavily built-out 8.65 km² peninsula.
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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