Kogarah
NSWKogarah is a growing suburb in NSW with 16,416 residents.
- SAL code
- 12190
- SA2
- 119041378
- Population
- 16,416
Kogarah, NSW had 16,416 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 18.2% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 35. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,200 a month. Around 48.4% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 48.4%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 71.9% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 9 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Kogarah, NSW at a glance
Kogarah is an established St George district suburb ~14 km south of the Sydney CBD in Georges River Council. The town centre is dominated by the St George Hospital precinct, the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra rail line, and a deep run of mid-rise unit stock around the station. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Kogarah trades on transport and amenity rather than block size. The T4 line gets you to Central in roughly 28 minutes with peak services every 5-10 minutes, and the Princes Highway runs the eastern edge of the centre. Housing splits sharply: free-standing federation and post-war houses on the side streets, and a heavy concentration of 1990s-2010s apartments around the station and hospital precinct. The St George Hospital + medical campus is the biggest local employer, and the school catchment is unusually deep for an inner-southern suburb — Kogarah Public, Kogarah High, and selective St George Girls High School (249 HSC Distinguished Achievers in 2024) all sit within walking distance. Brighton-Le-Sands and Ramsgate Beach are about 10 minutes by car; Hurstville Westfield is two stops south on the train. In short: a transport- and amenity-led inner-south suburb where you trade backyard for a 28-minute CBD commute and a deep school catchment.
For investors
Kogarah is a two-speed market split by dwelling type. Median house $1,900,000 against $900/week rent gives a ~2.55% gross yield, with 12-month house growth +8.57% but only 54 sales in the past year and 40 days on market (Your Investment Property May 2026). Units are the deeper play: median $730,000, $680/week rent, ~5.06% gross yield, 344 sales in 12 months and 26 days on market. Sydney middle-ring vacancy sat near 1.8% at December 2025 (SQM Research).
Strengths
- Unit yields ~5.0% — rare in an inner-southern Sydney suburb at sub-$800K entry.
- Deep, liquid unit market: 344 sales in 12 months and 26-day average DOM (Your Investment Property May 2026).
- St George Hospital + medical-precinct workforce supports a structural rental demand floor.
- T4 rail + Princes Highway frontage = direct CBD and southern-Sydney access without car-dependency.
Trade-offs
- House yields ~2.55% — a capital-growth and land-banking play, not cashflow.
- Unit capital growth only +0.69% over 12 months (Your Investment Property May 2026) — the apartment supply pipeline is still digesting the last cycle.
- House market is thin (54 sales/yr) with 40-day DOM, so entry and exit timing matters more than headline growth suggests.
- Strategic Centre Master Plan signals more density around the station — supportive of land values but a watch-item for unit oversupply.
What's coming
Georges River Council ran community consultation on the Kogarah Strategic Centre Master Plan from May to June 2025, framing 20-year growth around the station, hospital and Princes Highway corridor. The $411m St George Hospital Redevelopment Stage 3 (Kensington Street Building) is in delivery and due to complete in late 2026, adding a nine-storey ambulatory and outpatient facility plus basement parking.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a transport- and school-led inner-south option with apartment stock at the entry end and federation houses on the side streets. For investors: a yield-vs-growth split — units for cashflow, houses for land and patience.
Population
?16,416
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+18.2%
3yr: +14.0% · 10yr: +33.2%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,903/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
35
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?5/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?1.8%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
6
1 primary, 3 secondary
Hospitals
?2
Within suburb
Childcare services
?8
7 long day, 2 OSHC
Parks & green space
?9
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?49
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Kogarah (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Kogarah suburb alone is ~16,416 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 7,883 to 15,387 over 24 years, averaging 2.8% per year.
Schools
6 in suburbSector
6 public
Type
1 primary · 3 secondary
Total enrolment
2,214(4 of 6 reporting)
Avg per school
554
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Ramsgate PS36.4%
- Kogarah PS 28.8%
- Carlton SPS 14.0%
- Brighton-Le-Sands PS 13.2%
- Carlton PS 7.7%
- Rockdale PS 0.0%
Secondary
Bayside HS63.6%
- Kogarah HS 28.7%
- GRC Oatley SC 7.7%
- GRC Hurstville 7.7%
- James Cook Boys Technology HS 0.0%
- Moorefield GHS 0.0%
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 0.8%Predominantly apartments (71.9%), mixed tenure (48.4% own or mortgage), built for families (57% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
10 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 39.3% | 1.02 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 18.2% | 0.47 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 13.7% | 0.36 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 11.4% | 0.30 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 9.0% | 0.23 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 3.2% | 0.08 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 2.8% | 0.07 km² |
| RU4 | ZoneRural | 1.0% | 0.03 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.9% | 0.02 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.4% | 0.01 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.