Surry Hills
NSWSurry Hills is a stable suburb in NSW with 15,828 residents.
- SAL code
- 13714
- SA2
- 117031336
- Population
- 15,828
- LGA
- Sydney
Surry Hills, NSW had 15,828 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 0.9% 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 without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,839 a month. Around 32.2% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 65.4%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 69.4% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 16 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
Surry Hills, NSW at a glance
Surry Hills sits on the southern edge of Sydney's CBD in the City of Sydney, a dense inner-east mix of Victorian terraces, warehouse conversions, and apartment blocks. Its character is the food, design and creative-industry scene that's accreted over four decades of gentrification. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Surry Hills is a walk-everywhere proposition: Central Station is on the western edge, the CBD a 10-minute walk north, and Oxford Street, Crown Street and Bourke Street form the dining and shopping spine. Stock is dominated by terraces (29% semi-detached) and apartments (68% flats and units, ABS 2021), with very little detached housing — most homes are one- or two-bed. The L2/L3 light rail to Randwick and Kingsford runs along Devonshire Street; you'll find Prince Alfred Park, Ward Park and Shannon Reserve as the main green spaces, plus the monthly Surry Hills Markets. Schools include Bourke Street Public and Sydney Grammar's Edgecliff prep (out-of-area). Car-light: 47.5% of dwellings have no car (ABS 2021), and 11% walk to work. In short: a dense, walkable, food-and-creative-industry inner suburb where the trade-off for character is small footprints and high entry prices.
For investors
Surry Hills is a unit-led market with a tight rental tail. Median house $2.50M against $985/wk rent gives a ~2.55% gross yield; median unit $885K against $800/wk rent gives ~4.39% (htag, May 2026). 12-month house growth +13.68%; units −5.85% over the same period. Days-on-market 29 (combined) and vacancy 0.78% — among the tightest in inner Sydney. Roughly 123 house and 278 unit sales in the past 12 months (htag, May 2026).
Strengths
- Vacancy ~0.78% (htag, May 2026) — leasing velocity is exceptional even by inner-Sydney standards.
- Deep unit market (~278 sales/yr) makes entry and exit straightforward at the apartment grain.
- Strong house capital growth (~+13.68% YoY, htag May 2026) on a constrained terrace stock.
- Walk-to-CBD location plus light rail along Devonshire underpins long-run tenant demand.
Trade-offs
- House yields ~2.55% (htag May 2026) — this is a capital-growth play, not cashflow.
- Unit prices fell ~5.85% over 12 months (htag May 2026), reflecting oversupply at the apartment end.
- Entry is high — $2.5M median house puts terraces out of reach for most first-time investors.
- Strata-heavy stock + heritage controls limit value-add and renovation flexibility.
What's coming
City of Sydney's Crown Street upgrade (Oxford to Devonshire) is in delivery and due to complete in 2026 — wider footpaths, ~40 new trees, undergrounded power, and around 10 net new parking spaces. Foveaux Street improvement works are progressing in phases between Mary and Devonshire. The L2/L3 CBD and South East Light Rail along Devonshire continues to anchor the precinct.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a dense, walkable inner-east suburb defined by food, design and terrace character — at inner-Sydney prices. For investors: a tight-vacancy, growth-led play with thin yields and clear apartment-vs-terrace divergence.
Population
?15,828
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+0.9%
3yr: +7.3% · 10yr: -1.9%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,308/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
35
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?7/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?5.8%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
5
3 primary, 2 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?9
5 long day, 4 OSHC
Parks & green space
?16
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?30
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?146
Sydney · Feb 2026
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 — Surry Hills (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Surry Hills suburb alone is ~15,828 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 13,909 to 17,184 over 24 years, averaging 0.9% per year.
Schools
4 in suburbSector
4 public
Type
3 primary · 1 secondary
Total enrolment
1,952
Avg per school
488
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Crown St PS61.2%
- Bourke St PS 38.5%
- Kensington PS 0.2%
- Fort St PS 0.0%
- Alexandria Park CS 0.0%
Secondary
Inner Sydney HS
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 8.3%Predominantly apartments (69.4%), rental-heavy (65.4% renting).
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
6 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 53.1% | 0.70 km² |
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 31.4% | 0.41 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 8.1% | 0.11 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 4.1% | 0.05 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 2.7% | 0.04 km² |
| SP5 | ZoneSpecial use | 0.5% | 7,221 m² |
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.