Seaforth
Household incomes at the 99.6th percentile nationally and a median house price of $3,320,000 place Seaforth in Sydney's top tier of established wealth suburbs. SEIFA scores at decile 10 across all 4 indices confirm this is not merely high-income but comprehensively advantaged. The 59.8% university attainment (29.7pp above national) and 21.0% volunteering rate (roughly 40% above national average) signal a community with both human capital and civic engagement. With 140 DAs in 12 months and prices rising 6.4% to $3,470,000, demand continues to outpace the already-limited stock.
Population
7,384
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$4,184/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
139
Median House
$3.3M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price of $3,320,000 rose 6.4% from $3,261,000 in 2024 to $3,470,000 in 2025. Monthly mortgage payments of $4,333 consume 23.9% of household income, kept below stress levels only by $4,184/week household earnings. Stock is 86.8% detached houses, with 59.6% having 4+ bedrooms. Mortgage holders at 44.3% slightly outnumber outright owners at 39.3%, suggesting active trading among affluent buyers rather than static wealth. The 33.3% overseas-born share adds international buyer demand to an already competitive market.
For Buyers
The median house price of $3,320,000 rose 6.4% from $3,261,000 in 2024 to $3,470,000 in 2025. Monthly mortgage payments of $4,333 consume 23.9% of household income, kept below stress levels only by $4,184/week household earnings. Stock is 86.8% detached houses, with 59.6% having 4+ bedrooms. Mortgage holders at 44.3% slightly outnumber outright owners at 39.3%, suggesting active trading among affluent buyers rather than static wealth. The 33.3% overseas-born share adds international buyer demand to an already competitive market.
For Investors
Only 16.5% of stock is rented, and $875/week rent on $3,320,000 purchase implies a gross yield of just 1.4%, among Sydney's lowest. This is an equity growth play, not an income asset. Vacancy at 5.3% exceeds the balanced benchmark, potentially reflecting high asking rents pricing out tenants. With 140 DAs lodged in 12 months (including dual occupancy, new builds, and modifications), the renovation and rebuild cycle is intense. Investors seeking yield should look elsewhere; those seeking capital preservation in a decile-10 suburb may accept the trade-off.
Development Activity
Total DAs
717
Last 12 Months
139
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+17.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Seaforth iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Seaforth Public School
K-6 · 394 students
Demographics
English ancestry leads at 3,148, followed by Irish (1,020), Scottish (822), and Chinese (453). The 33.3% overseas-born share (11.7pp above national) brings Mandarin (92), Cantonese (43), Greek (43), Italian (37), and French (34) into the language mix. Average household size of 3.1 (0.6 above national) and 53.1% couples with children (compared to 17.2% couples without) confirm this as a family suburb. The 42-year median age sits 2 years above the national figure. Residential stability is high at 81.1% staying in the same address.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
86.8%
Houses
8.0%
Townhouse
5.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Detached houses dominate at 86.8%, with semi-detached at 8.0% and apartments at 5.1%. Bedrooms skew large: 59.6% have 4+ and 32.1% have 3, leaving under 9% in smaller formats. Outright owners (39.3%) and mortgage holders (44.3%) together account for 83.6% of tenure. Prices climbed from $3,261,000 in 2024 to $3,470,000 in 2025 (6.4% CAGR over 1 year). Mortgage stress at 23.9% and rent stress at 20.9% are both below thresholds, a luxury enabled by incomes at the 99.6th percentile nationally.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$4,333
Rent / wk
$875
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$1,263
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.3%
Unoccupied
126
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
17.2%
Couples, no children
6,521
Total families
Economy & Employment
Professional/Tech dominates at 20.9% (562 workers), followed by Finance at 15.8% (424), together accounting for over a third of employment. Healthcare at 11.3% and Education at 9.1% round out the top 4. Managers (992) and Professionals (1,244) combined represent 70% of all occupations, an extreme white-collar concentration. Unemployment at 3.4% is among the lowest nationally. Participation at 58.3% is moderate, partly reflecting partnered households where one earner's income suffices. SEIFA decile 10 across all indices confirms comprehensive socioeconomic advantage.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.6%
Part-time
31.0%
Participation
58.3%
Employed
3,192
Occupations
Top Industries
University
59.8%
Postgraduate
16.1%
Born Overseas
33.3%
Dwellings
2,262
Transport to Work
Seaforth Public School (Government primary, ICSEA 1,165, 394 students) is the sole school, scoring 165 points above the national benchmark, placing it among the top-performing primary schools in NSW. Public transport at 6.3% and walking/cycling at 4.3% are modest, reflecting the Northern Beaches' car-dependent geography despite proximity to Manly. Volunteering at 21.0% far exceeds the national average of about 15%. The 3.1% needing-assistance rate (224 people) is among the lowest in this analysis.
Drive
82.2%
Public Transport
6.3%
Walk / Cycle
4.3%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Seaforth compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Seaforth a good suburb to live in?
Seaforth ranks in SEIFA decile 10 across all 4 indices, placing it in Australia's most advantaged 10%. Household incomes at the 99.6th percentile, 21.0% volunteering (well above the 15% national average), and Seaforth Public School's ICSEA of 1,165 all point to exceptional liveability. The trade-off is entry cost: $3,320,000 median house price.
What is the median house price in Seaforth?
The median house price is $3,320,000 (PSI derived), rising 6.4% from $3,261,000 in 2024 to $3,470,000 in 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments of $4,333 consume 23.9% of household income, below stress levels only because household earnings average $4,184/week (99.6th percentile nationally).
What schools are in Seaforth?
Seaforth has 1 school: Seaforth Public School (Government primary, ICSEA 1,165, 394 students). Its ICSEA score of 1,165 ranks 165 points above the national benchmark of 1,000, placing it among the top-performing primary schools in NSW.
Is Seaforth safe?
Suburb-level crime data is not available. However, SEIFA IRSD decile 10 (lowest disadvantage) and unemployment of 3.4% place Seaforth among Australia's least disadvantaged suburbs. The 81.1% residential stability and 39.3% outright ownership correlate with very low crime in comparable Northern Beaches areas.
Is Seaforth good for property investment?
Gross yield of 1.4% ($875/week on $3,320,000) is among Sydney's lowest, making this a capital growth play only. Prices rose 6.4% in the past year. Vacancy at 5.3% exceeds the balanced benchmark. 140 DAs in 12 months reflect renovation activity, not new supply. Suited to equity-focused investors, not income seekers.
How is Seaforth's population changing?
Census population is 7,384 with a median age of 42, 2 years above the national figure. Turnover at 18.9% is moderate, indicating long-term family residence. Average household size of 3.1 (0.6 above national) and 53.1% couples with children confirm an active family-formation suburb.
What languages are spoken in Seaforth?
With 33.3% born overseas (11.7pp above national average), Seaforth has moderate diversity. Mandarin (92 speakers), Cantonese (43), Greek (43), Italian (37), and French (34) are the main non-English languages. Chinese ancestry accounts for 453 residents, forming the largest non-Anglo community.
How much development is happening in Seaforth?
140 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, including dual occupancy builds, new dwellings, and residential modifications. At roughly 19 DAs per 1,000 residents, this is among the highest rates in Sydney, reflecting the ongoing knock-down-rebuild cycle typical of premium Northern Beaches suburbs.
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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