Sydney Suburbs Facts & FAQ

All your top and most popular questions about Sydney’s suburbs answered. Have a question? Ask it on the forums, or via Facebook!

How many suburbs are there in Sydney?

There are 658 suburbs in total in the “Greater Sydney” area.

Which are the best suburbs to live in Sydney?

Answering this question is the main aim of this website. We attempt to rank the best suburbs to live in Sydney for the price. Please visit our main article on The 10 Best Suburbs to Live in Sydney for our current ‘Top 10’ – this is a dynamic article in which we’ll be shuffling, adding and replacing suburbs around as we add more to the list.

Alternatively, view our live spreadsheet of Sydney Suburb Rankings which you can sort and filter based on the criteria (safety, pet friendliness, value etc.) that you find important.

What is the biggest suburb in Sydney (by size)?

Holsworthy is physically the biggest suburb in Sydney, measuring around 190km². Much of it is taken up by military facilities, however.

What is the smallest suburb in Sydney (by size)?

Beaconsfield is the smallest suburb in Sydney, measuring a tiny 0.2km².

What is the most dense Sydney suburb by population?

Technically Potts Point, but in terms of where a higher number of people actually live, Pyrmont is the densest suburb in Sydney by population and one of the densest in the country.

What the biggest Sydney suburb by population?

As of 2020, Blacktown is the Sydney suburb with the highest overall population, with approximately 47,500 residents. Visit our Suburbs Rankings section and sort the table of Population by High to Low to see how other suburbs fare.

Which Sydney suburbs should I invest in?

This one comes up a lot. Bear in mind we are not qualified to give financial/real estate advice.

That said, the same principles should always apply – does the suburb have upcoming infrastructure projects that will cause a boom, e.g rail, hospitals, schools, major shopping centres etc.? Or is it as close as possible to Sydney city and formerly been considered “dodgy” with elements of gentrification starting to creep in?

If it were us, we’d look at the Bexley and Campsie areas close to the city, or those set to benefit from the upcoming Sydney Metro West project. Do with that what you will, but do your research by consulting with an expert to verify prior to making any financial decisions.

What are good Sydney suburbs for first home buyers?

Again, we suggest to look at Bexley, Campsie and their immediate surrounds as you’re getting pretty good access to the city vs. slightly more reasonable property prices. The Turrella, Arncliffe, Banksia areas may also be an option depending on how cashed up you are, as well as Carlton. These aren’t “flashy” Sydney suburbs, but they’re all functional, reasonably safe and convenient with easy commutes to the Sydney CBD.

Further from the city, Holsworthy, Rouse Hill, and Hornsby / Asquith all offer decent connectivity and a good mix of home types for relatively decent prices without being dodgy, especially if you’re okay with a townhouse / duplex. Parramatta and some of its satellite suburbs are also becoming more and move liveable and diverse, with express trains to the city making for a viable commute. Harris Park, Westmead and Wentworthville are decent choices in this regard.

What are good Sydney suburbs for young professionals?

For “young professionals”, we assume you’re single / unmarried and looking for some kind of decent access to a mix of nightlife, beaches, public transport, and shopping without being ages from work commute-wise while NOT yet having kids (or wanting them in the near future).

The standard go-to’s for those who are willing to rent an apartment or sharehouse (given the price of freestanding houses) are: Newtown, Enmore and Marrickville in the Inner West; Darlinghurst and Paddington in the city area; Cronulla in the Shire. Bondi Junction may be an option if you don’t mind the nearby touristy elements.

The North Shore is generally not where you want to be if you like liveliness, although Crows Nest has enough to be mildly interesting.

You can view our full 10 Best Sydney Suburbs for Young Professionals feature here.

What Sydney suburbs should I avoid?

Check out our 10 Most Dangerous Sydney Suburbs article here for some prominent ones, and add some of the other satellite suburbs around Mt. Druitt and Campbelltown. Also, always remember that statistically, the Sydney CBD is the most dangerous part of Sydney and mentally adjust your perceptions accordingly. Sydney is not a “dangerous” city on a global level.

In addition, check out our Sydney Crime Olympics feature for a breakdown of the “top performers” of every Sydney suburb statistically by major types of crime.

What Sydney suburbs are good for families?

Assuming you’re a family that’s more established and has more money to throw around, the Upper North Shore region of Sydney is generally regarded as the most desirable area for families in Sydney.

Suburbs such as Wahroonga, Beecroft, St Ives and various others on the North Shore train line such as Artarmon all have some of the highest-ranked schools in the state while also being safe and green.

Check out our 10 Best Sydney Suburbs for Families feature for a more comprehensive breakdown of more family suburbs.

What Sydney suburbs are good for young families?

For young families, we’re assuming access to decent schools and amenities without having an otherwise boring/retirement village type atmosphere, and the willingness to compromise with an apartment/duplex/townhouse vs. more expensive and larger freestanding home:

Erskineville, Westmead, Lane Cove, Cherrybrook, St Peters/Stanmore/Petersham, Summer Hill & Dulwich Hill, Oatley… the list goes on.

What are good Sydney suburbs to rent?

This will entirely depend on your life stage, and what size property you’re after. If you’re willing to drop anywhere from $500 to $550 per week on rent in Sydney you can theoretically live basically anywhere in a small 1 bedroom apartment or studio, whereas you’ll have to live much further outside the city for a house on that budget; so we need more specifics for this one – sorry.

Which Sydney suburbs have the best schools?

We based much of our 10 Best Sydney Suburbs for Families on this criteria – check the article out here.

What are good Sydney suburbs near the beach?

Sydney has a ton of coastline, and plenty of beach with it. Property prices typically scale accordingly the closer you are to the beach, however, with some of the city’s most expensive property along the waterfront.

That said, suburbs with good beaches include: Coogee, Cronulla, Kurnell, Maroubra, Bronte, Freshwater, Manly, Mosman, Palm Beach and – yes – even Bondi.

What Sydney suburbs have the biggest Chinese population?

Yes, this is a highly searched and asked for question online apparently… The Sydney suburbs with the highest proportion of Chinese residents include: Hurstville, Haymarket, Rhodes, Burwood, Chatswood, Eastwood, Epping, Ashfield, Strathfield. The Chinese character for “Wood” (木) is one of the elements considered to bring good fortune; whether this was a factor in the suburb’s initial popularity among the Chinese community or just an urban legend is up for debate.

What Sydney suburbs have the biggest Indian population?

This is also apparently something people want to know… the Sydney suburbs with the highest proportion of Indian residents include: Harris Park, Westmead, Parramatta, Pendle Hill, Wentworthville, Liverpool and Toongabbie.