Russell Lea
A $2,657,000 median house price sits alongside household incomes in the 94.4th percentile nationally, and the two reinforce each other in this 1.0 km2 inner-west pocket. Unlike most premium Sydney suburbs, the stock stays house-dominated at 68.2% separate dwellings against just 23.4% apartments, which keeps detached supply tight and prices high. University qualifications reach 52.3%, fully 22.2 points above the national figure, and the population skews older at a median age of 43, three years above national. Italian ancestry (1,154 residents) runs almost level with English (1,182), an unusually strong single-heritage signature for the area.
Population
4,920
Median Age
43.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,658/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
73
Median House
$2.7M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $2,657,000 median places Russell Lea firmly in Sydney's upper tier, and prices moved from $2,500,000 in 2024 to $2,945,000 in 2025, a 17.8% jump in a single year. Buyers here are mostly purchasing houses rather than units, because 68.2% of dwellings are separate houses and only 23.4% are apartments, so detached supply is genuinely scarce. The bedroom mix favours families: 38.2% are three-bedroom and 32.0% have four or more, while two-bedroom stock is 25.2%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,290, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.6%, which stays below the 30% stress threshold despite the high entry price. Outright owners at 38.2% slightly outnumber mortgage holders at 35.7%, a sign of established, low-debt households rather than a churn of recent buyers.
For Buyers
The $2,657,000 median places Russell Lea firmly in Sydney's upper tier, and prices moved from $2,500,000 in 2024 to $2,945,000 in 2025, a 17.8% jump in a single year. Buyers here are mostly purchasing houses rather than units, because 68.2% of dwellings are separate houses and only 23.4% are apartments, so detached supply is genuinely scarce. The bedroom mix favours families: 38.2% are three-bedroom and 32.0% have four or more, while two-bedroom stock is 25.2%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,290, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.6%, which stays below the 30% stress threshold despite the high entry price. Outright owners at 38.2% slightly outnumber mortgage holders at 35.7%, a sign of established, low-debt households rather than a churn of recent buyers.
For Investors
A 26.1% renter share and weekly rent of $520 give landlords a modest tenant pool, but the yield math is tight. Against the $2,657,000 median, that rent implies a gross yield near 1.0%, very low even by inner-Sydney standards, so the case rests on capital growth rather than income. The 7.0% vacancy rate is elevated and points to soft rental demand in a house-heavy market where renting is the minority tenure. Development activity is steady at 71 applications in 12 months, but the samples skew toward single dwellings and dual occupancy rather than apartment supply, so new rental stock is limited. Rent-to-income for tenants reads a comfortable 19.6%, below the mortgage-to-income figure of 28.6%, meaning the rental segment is affordable relative to buying but thin in scale.
Development Activity
Total DAs
385
Last 12 Months
73
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+10.6%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Russell Lea iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Russell Lea Public School
K-6 · 428 students
Demographics
The median age of 43 is 3.0 years above the national figure, and the household profile leans toward established families: average household size is 2.6, just 0.1 above national, with couples raising children (1,839 families) outnumbering couples without children (953). Overseas-born residents reach 27.9%, which is 6.3 points above national, though the heritage mix is distinctive. Italian ancestry at 1,154 sits almost level with English at 1,182, and Italian is the leading non-English language with 222 speakers, ahead of Greek (84) and Mandarin (40). University qualifications at 52.3% run 22.2 points above national, consistent with a professional, settled population that turns over slowly: only 18.7% moved in the prior period while 81.3% stayed put.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
68.2%
Houses
7.7%
Townhouse
23.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is split fairly evenly between owners and a smaller rental base: 38.2% own outright, 35.7% carry a mortgage and 26.1% rent. Outright owners edging out mortgage holders signals long-held, low-debt wealth rather than recent turnover. The stock is 68.2% separate houses, far above the apartment-heavy norm of premium Sydney, with units at 23.4% and semi-detached at 7.7%, which sustains detached-house prices through scarcity. Three-bedroom dwellings lead at 38.2% and four-plus at 32.0%, a family-oriented profile. The median rose from $2,500,000 in 2024 to $2,945,000 in 2025, a 17.8% one-year move. Mortgage-to-income at 28.6% sits below the 30% stress line, and rent-to-income at 19.6% is lower still, a divergence that reflects how purchase prices have outrun even 94.4th-percentile incomes.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,290
Rent / wk
$520
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$1,133
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.0%
Unoccupied
133
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
28.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.3%
Couples, no children
4,086
Total families
Economy & Employment
The resident workforce concentrates in knowledge sectors: Professional/Tech leads at 14.6% (275 workers), Healthcare follows at 13.5% (253) and Education at 12.1% (227), with Finance at 11.9% and Construction at 9.9%. By occupation, Professionals (843) and Managers (566) dominate, which aligns with the 52.3% university qualification rate, 22.2 points above national. Unemployment is low at 3.1%, below the typical national reading, and the full-time employment rate is 68.8%. Participation sits at 57.8%, held down because the older age profile leaves 1,283 residents out of the labour force. Household income reaches the 94.4th percentile nationally, reflecting how the professional and managerial concentration translates into high earnings despite a below-average participation rate.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
68.8%
Part-time
28.1%
Participation
57.8%
Employed
2,244
Occupations
Top Industries
University
52.3%
Postgraduate
13.9%
Born Overseas
27.9%
Dwellings
1,781
Transport to Work
Russell Lea is car-dependent: 86.0% of residents drive to work, well above the national average, while only 4.5% use public transport and 4.7% walk or cycle, a reflection of its position away from a train line. The compact 1.0 km2 area carries 4,898 residents per km2, dense for a house-dominated suburb. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the small footprint. Community indicators are solid: volunteering runs at 13.9% and only 6.1% (290 people) need daily assistance despite the older median age of 43. Rent-to-income at 19.6% keeps tenants comfortable, though the $2,657,000 median makes ownership the steeper path.
Drive
86.0%
Public Transport
4.5%
Walk / Cycle
4.7%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Russell Lea compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Russell Lea a good suburb to live in?
Russell Lea pairs household incomes in the 94.4th percentile nationally with a settled, family profile where 68.2% of homes are separate houses. University qualifications reach 52.3%, 22.2 points above national. The main trade-offs are a high $2,657,000 median house price and car dependence, with 86.0% driving to work.
What is the median house price in Russell Lea?
The median house price is $2,657,000, placing Russell Lea in Sydney's upper tier. Values rose 17.8% from $2,500,000 in 2024 to $2,945,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $520 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $3,290, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.6%.
What schools are in Russell Lea?
No schools are recorded inside the 1.0 km2 Russell Lea boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident population is highly educated, with university qualifications at 52.3%, which is 22.2 points above the national figure.
Is Russell Lea safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Russell Lea in this dataset. As indirect indicators, the suburb has a settled population where 81.3% of residents stayed put in the prior period and only 6.1% of its 4,920 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a stable, low-turnover area.
Is Russell Lea good for property investment?
Rent of $520 a week against a $2,657,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.0%, very low, and the 7.0% vacancy rate points to soft rental demand. With only 26.1% of homes rented and house-heavy stock, returns depend on capital growth rather than yield, which gained 17.8% in 2024 to 2025.
How is Russell Lea's population changing?
Russell Lea is a slow-turnover suburb of 4,920 residents, with 81.3% staying put and just 18.7% moving in the prior period, below high-growth areas. The median age of 43 sits 3.0 years above national, and 71 development applications in 12 months favour single dwellings over multi-unit 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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