Potts Point
At 11,494.6 people per square kilometre, Potts Point packs 7,183 residents into 0.62 square kilometres, giving it a much denser profile than conventional Sydney suburbs. Compared with nearby Darlinghurst, the local housing pattern is especially vertical: 87.6% of dwellings are apartments and only 0.2% are separate houses. The overseas-born share is 43.1%, 21.5 percentage points above national, while university attainment reaches 57.7%, 27.6 points above national. A 65.6% renter share and 20.3% vacancy rate create a mobile market, and the 1.4-person average household helps explain why 63.6% of homes have 0 or 1 bedroom. Household income is $2,054 a week, at the 77th percentile, but the suburb's appeal is convenience and compact inner-city living rather than family-scale space.
Population
7,183
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,054/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
75
Potts Point is best approached as an apartment purchase rather than a conventional house-market decision. With 87.6% apartments, 10.9% semi-detached homes and 0.2% separate houses, buyers should compare like-for-like strata sales and building quality. The stock is compact: 63.6% has 0 or 1 bedroom, 29.5% has 2 bedrooms and 5.9% has 3 bedrooms. Renting is more common than ownership at 65.6%, compared with 17.6% owned outright and 15.9% with a mortgage. A $2,297 monthly mortgage sits alongside $2,054 weekly household income and a 25.8% mortgage-to-income ratio, below common stress territory. Compared with larger homes in family-oriented suburbs, Potts Point trades space for proximity, so inspect strata levies, sinking-fund plans, noise and natural light before committing.
For Buyers
Potts Point is best approached as an apartment purchase rather than a conventional house-market decision. With 87.6% apartments, 10.9% semi-detached homes and 0.2% separate houses, buyers should compare like-for-like strata sales and building quality. The stock is compact: 63.6% has 0 or 1 bedroom, 29.5% has 2 bedrooms and 5.9% has 3 bedrooms. Renting is more common than ownership at 65.6%, compared with 17.6% owned outright and 15.9% with a mortgage. A $2,297 monthly mortgage sits alongside $2,054 weekly household income and a 25.8% mortgage-to-income ratio, below common stress territory. Compared with larger homes in family-oriented suburbs, Potts Point trades space for proximity, so inspect strata levies, sinking-fund plans, noise and natural light before committing.
For Investors
Potts Point can suit investors targeting small, centrally located rentals, but the numbers call for conservative vacancy assumptions. Rent is $490 a week, while 65.6% of occupied dwellings are rented, indicating a deep tenant base. The 20.3% vacancy rate is above 20% and can weaken leasing certainty, especially because 63.6% of dwellings contain 0 or 1 bedroom and compete in a concentrated unit market. There were 72 development applications in 12 months, with recent examples including shop, food-and-drink and pub operating modifications rather than stated new dwellings. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver, which may support demand, but returns should be tested against strata, repairs and periods below the headline occupancy level. Compared with lower-rental-share suburbs, Potts Point has more tenant liquidity but also higher turnover risk.
Development Activity
Total DAs
407
Last 12 Months
75
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+4.2%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Potts Point
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Demographics
Potts Point has a median age of 37, which is 3 years below the national figure, but its trajectory is aging. The 43.1% overseas-born share is 21.5 percentage points above national, and 57.7% have university qualifications, 27.6 points above national. While nearby Darlinghurst shares the inner-city setting, Potts Point's standout signal is its compact household base: average household size is 1.4 people, 1.1 below national, while 81.3% of families are couples without children and only 11.0% are couples with children. English ancestry counts 2,306 people, followed by Irish at 1,073 and Scottish at 776. No religion accounts for 3,591 residents versus 1,960 identifying with Christianity. A 41.5% turnover rate means services and buildings need to work for both newcomers and the 58.5% who stayed.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
0.2%
Houses
10.9%
Townhouse
87.6%
Apartment
Tenure
Potts Point's housing market is defined by compact apartments and renting. Apartments account for 87.6% of dwellings, semi-detached homes 10.9% and separate houses just 0.2%, a profile far lower in house content than suburban benchmarks. Bedroom supply is similarly concentrated: 63.6% are studios or one-bedroom dwellings, 29.5% are two-bedroom, 5.9% three-bedroom and 1.0% four or more. Tenure is renter-led at 65.6%, compared with 17.6% owned outright and 15.9% mortgaged. Weekly rent is $490, and rent-to-income is 23.9%, while the mortgage benchmark is $2,297 per month and mortgage-to-income is 25.8%. The 20.3% vacancy rate is high, so buyers and landlords should price for building quality, strata costs and leasing competition rather than rely on scarcity alone.
Mortgage / mo
$2,297
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (April to June 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $490.
$730
Bond data Jun 2026 · houses $950 · units $730
HH Size
1.4
Personal Income / wk
$1,534
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
20.3%
Unoccupied
1,001
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
11.0%
Couples with children
81.3%
Couples, no children
6.3%
Single parent
1,208
Total families
Economy & Employment
Potts Point has a professional inner-city employment base: Professional/Tech leads at 23.8% or 906 workers, followed by Finance at 12.3% or 467, Public Admin at 10.4% or 396, Healthcare at 10.0% or 380 and Hospitality at 6.2% or 238. Professionals number 1,904 and managers 1,005, both higher than trades at 286. The labour force is 4,843, participation is 69.2%, full-time employment is 71.7% and unemployment is 5.1%. Household income of $2,054 a week sits at the 77th percentile. SEIFA IEO is decile 10 and IRSAD is decile 10, while IER is decile 1 and IRSD is decile 8. That gap suggests strong education and occupation outcomes coexist with constrained measured resources, consistent with a 65.6% renter share and small apartments.
Unemployment
5.1%
Labour Force
4,843
Unemployed
245
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
71.7%
Part-time
20.1%
Participation
69.2%
Employed
4,598
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
57.7%
Postgraduate
18.1%
Born Overseas
43.1%
Dwellings
3,904
Transport to Work
Potts Point is suited to residents who value proximity and compact routines. Recorded commuting modes include 8.5% public transport, 10.6% driving, 16.0% walking or cycling and 63.7% working from home; the high WFH share can reduce daily commuting but increases the value of comfortable apartment space. School access includes 1 nearby government primary school, Darlinghurst Public School. Families should check enrolment zones against the exact address and confirm current year-level availability. Social advantage is high: IRSAD decile 10 and IEO decile 10 place the suburb in the top decile, while 2.4% need assistance and volunteering is 16.0%. Compared with car-dependent outer areas, walking, nearby services and apartment amenities are more relevant, but the 65.6% renter share and 41.5% turnover make building management and street-level amenity important.
Drive
10.6%
Public Transport
8.5%
Walk / Cycle
16.0%
Work from Home
63.7%
Population Forecast
-0.19%/yr
(-37 people/yr)
EstablishedPotts Point's outlook is slow-growth and aging. The annual trend is -0.19%, below zero, while population change across the wider area is 0.8% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, so demand can remain internationally connected even as local resident growth stays modest. The shift trajectory is Aging: senior share has risen 4.8 percentage points, working share has fallen 1.1 points and young share has declined 0.3 points. Rents grew 22.5%, while affordability improved from 36.2% in 2011 to 31.9% in 2021. Gentrification is classified as Not gentrifying, with scores of 10 in the gentrification measure and 16 in the shift measure. After a 16.4% COVID dip, recovery reached 6.8% and remains incomplete. Compared with faster-expanding precincts, the case is steady inner-city demand rather than rapid population uplift.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+717
Net Internal / yr
-316
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -316/yr, Strong overseas inflow +717/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Potts Point compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Potts Point a good suburb to live in?
Potts Point can suit people who value inner-city convenience, apartment living and limited commuting. Apartments account for 87.6% of dwellings, 63.7% work from home and the median age is 37. Its 65.6% renter share and 20.3% vacancy rate also mean building and street conditions can vary.
What is the median house price in Potts Point?
Check recent Potts Point sales and current agent guides for the median house figure, because only 0.2% of dwellings are separate houses and 87.6% are apartments. Apartment sale evidence will usually be more relevant than a house statistic, with strata fees and building condition affecting the final budget.
What schools are in Potts Point?
School access includes 1 nearby government primary school, Darlinghurst Public School. Families should confirm the current enrolment zone, address eligibility and year-level availability before relying on proximity, since school boundaries can differ from suburb boundaries.
Is Potts Point safe?
Check the latest 12-month NSW Police crime figures for the exact address and inspect the street at different times. Potts Point has 7,183 residents in 0.62 square kilometres, so nightlife, traffic and building access can vary sharply between blocks.
Is Potts Point good for property investment?
Potts Point can suit an investor seeking a strong rental base, with 65.6% of dwellings rented and weekly rent of $490. However, the 20.3% vacancy rate is high and 72 development applications in 12 months add activity, so returns need to allow for competition, strata and repairs.
How is Potts Point's population changing?
Population change across the wider area is 0.8% over 10 years and the annual trend is -0.19%, indicating slow growth. The trajectory is Aging, with senior share up 4.8 percentage points, while overseas migration remains the primary growth driver.
What languages are spoken in Potts Point?
Potts Point has a 43.1% overseas-born population. Recorded languages include French with 67 speakers, Italian with 45, Mandarin with 35, Portuguese with 34 and German with 26, alongside English and other languages.
Is Potts Point undergoing much development?
There were 72 development applications in 12 months. Recent examples involve shop, food-and-drink premise and pub operating modifications, including changes to hours and trading, rather than a stated count of new dwellings.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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