Who Lives In Sydney's Eastern Suburbs?

With beautiful beaches and great amenities, it’s no wonder Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs are a popular location for young singles, growing families, professionals and older residents alike. Read on for a snapshot of the Eastern Suburbs population and rental ma

Thanks to the glistening coastline, extensive dining and shopping options, and some of Australia's most famous beaches, there's little wonder Sydney's Eastern Suburbs are a popular location in this iconic city. But who really lives here and what do we know about them?

Eastern Suburbs Overview

The Eastern Suburbs stretch from Watson's Bay in the north to La Perouse in the south, covering most of the area between the city and the coast. They're well known for Bondi Beach, Bronte Beach and Coogee Beach in particular and are serviced by Westfield Bondi Junction and the University of New South Wales.

• Population: 267,037
• Median Rent p/w: $580
• Median Age: 35

The Eastern Suburbs’ Rental Market

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 45% of occupied properties in the Eastern Suburbs are rentals, compared to 31.8% in greater NSW. While this is a small overall change from 44% in 2011, delving into specific suburbs shows greater fluctuation and variation in rental property percentages.

Bondi, South Coogee and Bondi Junction all have far higher percentages of rentals than the Eastern Suburbs average. Bondi has 54.7% rentals, with no significant change from 54.2% in 2011, with South Coogee and Bondi Junction both recording 50% rental properties. 

Even some suburbs with lower than average rental property numbers have seen growth in the past 5 yeras, such as Rose Bay with 43.2% rentals up from 41.5% in 2011 and Waverley with 47.4% up from 44.4%.

International Residents In The Eastern Suburbs

Higher rental figures in some beachside suburbs may be influenced by the working visa crowd - only 44.7% of Bondi's residents were born in Australia, compared to 52.6% in the Eastern Suburbs overall and 65.5% in NSW. England, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland are the most common nationalities found in Bondi after Australian-born citizens.

Increase in Young Families

Though the overall percentage of Eastern Suburbs households with children remains steady on 56.5% (up from 55.9% in 2011), specific pockets of the east have recorded booms in young families since the previous Census.

Rose Bay's total households with children jumped from 34.6% to 40.7% in 2016, with most of the increase coming from the young children segment - an increase from 14.5% to 19.9%. This is consistent with the median age shift, which now skews more to 35-49 year old parents and home builders and reduced representation from the young workforce segment aged 25-34.

Watsons Bay also saw a leap from 46.4% of households with children to 53% in just the five years between 2011 and 2016, with the majority coming from the young children segment.

Suburbs With Declining Rental Markets

There are a number of suburbs in the east with decreasing rental property numbers, which becomes more common the further south the location. These suburbs typically have much greater numbers of freestanding or semi-detached houses and fewer units than their northern neighbours.

For instance, La Perouse's rental properties now account for 43.5% of the market, down from 52.8% in 2011, and nearby Malabar has 34.5% rentals, down from 35.7%.

Young Professionals And The Eastern Suburbs Rental Market

The Eastern Suburbs workforce can predominantly be categorised as young professional, due to a lower median age as well as higher percentages of employees categorised as 'professionals' and a higher percentage of education levels with a Bachelor degree or higher.

The Eastern Suburbs median age is 35, compared to 38 in NSW. 41.8% of residents are university educated (compared to 23.4% of NSW) and 37.7% are professionals (compared to 23.6% in NSW). The proximity to the CBD, higher property prices and wonderful hospital and health facilities in the east go some way to explaining this.

North Bondi is a particular hub for young professionals, with a median age of 34, 39% in professional occupations and 45.9% being university educated residents. This decreases as you travel south along the coast, as with the rental percentage numbers.

Browse our Neighbourhood Guides to discover more about Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

To discuss your Eastern Suburbs investment property, contact us today.