Balmain, Inner West: house prices, rent and what to check before you buy
The median sale price for non-strata dwellings (mostly houses) was $2,793,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2041 (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report), down 10.3% on a year earlier. The median weekly rent was $950 (DCJ, June quarter 2026). Balmain had 10,454 residents at the 2021 Census, and its postcode is 2041.
What stands out: The LEP heritage map covers 91% of the suburb's land (NSW Planning Portal LEP heritage map); its postcode's median non-strata (house) price is higher than 84% of 98 Greater Sydney postcodes with a house median (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report).
Page updated · market data to Mar 2026
- Zoning: mostly General Residential (R1), 73% of the land
- School catchments: parts of Balmain are in the catchments for Balmain PS and Birchgrove PS (+2 more) (primary); SSC Balmain and SSC Blackwattle Bay (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train or Metro station about 2.1 km from the suburb centre
- Non-strata median
- $2,793,000
- Mar qtr 2026 · down 10.3% on Mar qtr 2025
- postcode 2041
- Higher than 84% of 98 Greater Sydney postcodes with a house median · 36 sales in the quarter
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Strata median
- No reliable median
- postcode 2041
- No reliable median: too few sales in the postcode.
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Median rent
- $950/wk
- June quarter 2026
- postcode 2041
- Higher than 84% of 256 Greater Sydney postcodes with a rent figure · lease count not published
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Gross yield
- 1.8%
- rent June quarter 2026 / house median Mar qtr 2026
- postcode 2041
- Higher than 19% of 98 Greater Sydney postcodes with a gross yield
- Calculated by Delora from the two figures above
- Planning risk
- Flood Not mappedBushfire No dataHeritage 91% Very high
- share of suburb land area
- 1 suburb-specific overlay to check
- NSW Planning Portal · NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Prone Land
- Getting around
- 2.1 km to nearest station
- 28 min to Sydney CBD by public transport (modelled)
- 6 government school catchments cover part of the suburb
- Transport for NSW GTFS data · NSW Department of Education catchments
Check an address in BalmainCompare with another suburb
Greater Sydney profile: sale prices and rents are published by postcode.
Balmain is an established suburb with an older, more settled population — median age 42, among the most socio-economically advantaged areas in the state on the ABS's SEIFA index. Housing is mixed, with a meaningful share of apartments and units (around 38%) alongside houses. The area is home to some cafés and shops, not a dense strip. It's close to the city.
Ready to look at a specific property here? See the due diligence hub for what to verify before you sign.
Scope: New South Wales, Australia. Suburb data here comes from NSW government sources (DCJ rents and sales, Rural Fire Service, planning and school records); Greater Sydney comparison group.
In this profile
- Planning and riskZones, overlays, flood and bushfire, and what is planned nearby, with an address check.
- Prices and rentsMedian prices and rents, how they have moved, and sales volume.
- SchoolsThe government school zones that cover the suburb.
- Living hereTransport, commute times, who lives here and the suburbs nearby.
- Before you buyThe checks every purchase needs, common questions and guides.
Risk and planning in Balmain
Roughly 91% of Balmain is on the council's LEP heritage map, so heritage items and conservation areas are common and some properties need development consent for changes.
Suburb-wide shares of the land, not a check of any one address.
Not covered by this dataset (most Sydney councils map flood risk separately). Not the same as no flood risk; check with council.
The share of the suburb on the council's Local Environmental Plan heritage map: 5 heritage conservation areas (The Valley Heritage Conservation Area, Iron Cove Heritage Conservation Area, Balmain East Heritage Conservation Area and 2 more) and 269 listed heritage items. There, demolishing, moving or altering the outside of a heritage item, or of a building, work or tree in a conservation area, structural changes inside a listed building, building on that land or subdividing it generally need development consent, and similar rules cover Aboriginal places and objects. (NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 26 Oct 2026) Minor work or maintenance can go ahead without it if the council agrees in writing first. (NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 26 Oct 2026)
Share of the suburb. Source: NSW Planning Portal LEP heritage map · Verify this address
Over summer 2015–16 the ground surface across Balmain averaged 6.8 °C above a non-urban vegetated reference, hotter than 60% of the Greater Sydney suburbs mapped. (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, verified 26 Oct 2026) Tree canopy was 19.5%, more tree cover than 52% of these suburbs. (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, verified 26 Oct 2026)
It measures the surface, not the air temperature, and is a guide to exposure, not a forecast. Streets within a suburb vary.
Averaged over the suburb’s mesh blocks. Source: NSW Urban Heat Island and Urban Vegetation Cover 2016 (Data.NSW)
Worth checking in Balmain
Heritage listing likely
About 91% of Balmain is on the council's LEP heritage map, as a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area. Check whether this property is listed or in a conservation area. If it is, demolishing, moving or altering the outside of a heritage item, or of a building, work or tree in a conservation area, structural changes inside a listed building, building on that land or subdividing it generally need development consent. (NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 26 Oct 2026)
Zoning mix and building controls
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
- Zoning
- Residential
- mostly General Residential (R1) · 73% of the suburb
- Suburb
Layers on this map, as a table
| Layer | Share of suburb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb boundary | The whole suburb | ABS SAL 2021 |
Overlay colours reflect how much of the suburb an overlay covers — green under ~8%, amber ~8–20%, red above 20%. Source: NSW Planning Portal & NSW Rural Fire Service. How to verify planning controls for an address
Cost and market in Balmain
How Balmain compares
Where Balmain ranks against other Greater Sydney suburbs Delora covers, on the measures buyers ask about — a higher bar isn’t always “better”, it’s just where this suburb sits.
Show recorded crime and amenity-density comparisons
Schools
Parts of Balmain fall within 4 primary and 2 secondary government school catchments. 1 government school is located within the suburb.
Government schools have address-based catchment zones; Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment processes.
Getting around from Balmain
0 train, 0 Metro, 0 light rail and 26 bus stop points sit inside the suburb (Transport for NSW GTFS data). A station counts once per platform, so these are stop points, not stations.
- Distance to the CBD
- ~3.0 km
- from the suburb centre
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 Metro · 0 light rail · 26 bus
- stop points in the suburb, not stations (a station is often several) · nearest train or Metro station ~2.1 km
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~3.7 km
- outside the suburb
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Pyrmont | 28 min |
| Redfern | 28 min |
| Sydney CBD | 28 min |
| North Sydney | 33 min |
| Surry Hills | 35 min |
| Alexandria | 39 min |
Show all 18 job hubs
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Chatswood | 40 min |
| Mascot | 40 min |
| St Leonards | 40 min |
| Macquarie Park | 46 min |
| Parramatta | 59 min |
| Westmead | 60 min |
| Blacktown | 69 min |
| Norwest | 69 min |
| Campbelltown | 90 min |
| Penrith | 94 min |
| Eastern Creek and Huntingwood | 101 min |
| Gosford | 124 min |
Everyday amenity (OpenStreetMap)
- Cafés & amenity density
- 13 cafés
- Some cafés and shops nearby
- Restaurants
- 10
- places to eat nearby
- Supermarkets
- 2
- grocery stores nearby
- Pharmacies
- 2
- chemists nearby
- Hospitals
- 1
- in the suburb
- Parks
- 28
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 0
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Balmain
— 10,454 residents · median age 42 · 57% own their home · SEIFA 10/10
- Population
- 10,454
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 57%
- 57% own, 31% private rent, 6% social, 6% other or not stated
- Median age
- 42 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $1,577/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $3,039/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 2.2 people
- people per home
- Monthly mortgage
- $3,986/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- no data
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 84 per 1,000 residents
- a year, for Balmain itself · higher than most Greater Sydney suburbs
Offence category mix (Balmain's own mix, last 12 months):
- Against Justice Procedures33%
- Theft25%
- Assault10%
- Drug Offences7%
- Malicious Damage To Property7%
- Intimidation Stalking And Harassment6%
- Disorderly Conduct4%
- Sexual Offences2%
- Liquor Offences2%
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences2%
- Other Offences1%
- Robbery0%
- Arson0%
- Pornography Offences0%
- Blackmail And Extortion0%
- Other Against The Person0%
- Median household incomeup 19%
- Median personal incomeup 18%
- Median weekly rentup 4%
- Median ageolder by 2 years
How advantaged the area is
Deciles 1–10 vs all Sydney areas — 10 = most advantaged — from the ABS SEIFA index. A demographic measure, not a house-price one. These three don’t always move together — a suburb with lots of renters or students, for example, can score high on education but lower on income and housing costs.
- Overall advantage
- 10/10
- Among Greater Sydney's most advantaged areas
- Economic resources
- 6/10
- income, housing costs & wealth
- Education & occupation
- 10/10
- qualifications & skilled jobs
The homes here
Mix of dwelling types across the suburb (Census 2021)
Who owns and rents here (Census 2021)
Not sure whether a house, townhouse or apartment suits you? Decide what to buy →
Recorded crime is a suburb-wide rate — every offence NSW Police logged over the latest year (theft, property damage, drug and traffic offences and the like, not only violent crime) divided by the suburb’s residents. A broad area signal, not a figure for this exact street.
All figures are suburb-level indicators, not property-specific — always confirm the exact address on the contract for sale. Sources: ABS Census 2021, NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, NSW Rural Fire Service (Bush Fire Prone Land), NSW Planning Portal.
Suburbs near Balmain
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
Before you buy in Balmain
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Balmain are in the Planning and risk tab. Two checks apply to every purchase.
Easements & restrictions
Check the contract for sale and title search for easements (e.g. drainage/sewer along a boundary — you usually can’t build over them) and restrictive covenants (single-dwelling, materials, height) that limit your plans.
Owners corporation (if applicable)
Apartments and many townhouses in Balmain are in an owners corporation. If so, the statement must include its certificate — review annual fees, any special levies, the maintenance fund and insurance.
Questions about Balmain
What is the median price in Balmain?
The median sale price for non-strata dwellings (mostly houses) was $2,793,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2041 (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report), down 10.3% on a year earlier.
What postcode is Balmain?
Balmain is in postcode 2041, in the Inner West council area, New South Wales.
What is the population of Balmain?
Balmain had 10,454 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 42.
Is Balmain affected by flood or bushfire overlays?
Balmain's council doesn't map flood risk through the EPI Flood Planning overlay (most Sydney councils use a DCP or separate flood study instead, which Delora doesn't yet carry) — this is not the same as no flood risk. Bush Fire Prone Land is not mapped for Balmain in this dataset (NSW Rural Fire Service). These are suburb-wide shares: whether one applies to a particular property depends on the address, so check it on the NSW Planning Portal's spatial viewer and in the contract for sale.
What should I check before buying in Balmain?
For Balmain, pay particular attention to any flood or bushfire risk (bush fire prone land not mapped for this suburb, flood risk not mapped by this dataset), the zoning of the block and neighbouring blocks, and — for strata properties — the strata report, by-laws and any special levies. Always have a licensed conveyancer or solicitor review the contract for sale before you sign.
Show all 3 more questions
How is Balmain zoned?
Most of Balmain (73% of the land) is zoned R1 General Residential, then PAE Port and Employment (8%) and RE1 Public Recreation (8%) under the council's Local Environmental Plan (NSW Planning Portal). The zone sets what can be built; check the zone for an exact address on the Planning Portal's spatial viewer or a section 10.7 planning certificate.
Which school catchments cover Balmain?
Parts of Balmain are in the government school catchments for primary: Balmain PS, Birchgrove PS, Nicholson St PS, Rozelle PS; secondary: SSC Balmain, SSC Blackwattle Bay (NSW Department of Education). A suburb can span several catchments: the exact address decides which applies, so confirm it on NSW School Finder.
Is Balmain heritage listed?
About 91% of Balmain is on the council's Local Environmental Plan heritage map, including 5 heritage conservation areas (The Valley Heritage Conservation Area, Iron Cove Heritage Conservation Area, Balmain East Heritage Conservation Area and 2 more) and 269 listed heritage items. For a heritage item or land in a heritage conservation area, demolition, exterior and structural interior changes, new buildings and subdivision generally need development consent, unless the council agrees in writing that minor work or maintenance doesn't (Standard Instrument LEP clause 5.10). Check an exact address on its section 10.7 planning certificate.
Guides for buying in Balmain
The flood and bushfire figures in Planning and risk are suburb-wide — they tell you how common an overlay is here, not whether it applies to one specific address. Confirm via the NSW Planning Portal and an in-person inspection before you rely on them.
Thinking of buying in Balmain?
Paste a listing or address into Delora in Claude. It checks the home against official records, works out the cost to buy, and remembers your shortlist between chats.
Sign in with Google, Apple or an email code through a hosted sign-in provider; Delora never sees your password. What the app keeps.