Paddington, Woollahra: house prices, rent and what to check before you buy
The median sale price for non-strata dwellings (mostly houses) was $3,625,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2021 (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report), down 0.4% on a year earlier. The median strata (mostly unit/townhouse) sale price was $1,110,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2021. The median weekly rent was $850 (DCJ, June quarter 2026). Paddington had 12,701 residents at the 2021 Census, and its postcode is 2021.
What stands out: The LEP heritage map covers 99% of the suburb's land (NSW Planning Portal LEP heritage map); its postcode's median non-strata (house) price is higher than 95% of 98 Greater Sydney postcodes with a house median (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report).
Page updated · market data to Mar 2026
- Zoning: mostly Low Density Residential (R2), 46% of the land
- School catchments: parts of Paddington are in the catchments for Crown St PS and Darlinghurst PS (+4 more) (primary); Inner Sydney HS and Randwick HS (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train or Metro station about 0.9 km from the suburb centre
- Non-strata median
- $3,625,000
- Mar qtr 2026 · down 0.4% on Mar qtr 2025
- postcode 2021
- Higher than 95% of 98 Greater Sydney postcodes with a house median · 47 sales in the quarter
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Strata median
- $1,110,000
- Mar qtr 2026 · up 49.0% on Mar qtr 2025
- postcode 2021
- Higher than 74% of 104 Greater Sydney postcodes with a unit median · 35 sales in the quarter
- Previous quarter: $903,000 (48 sales)
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Median rent
- $850/wk
- June quarter 2026
- postcode 2021
- Higher than 66% of 256 Greater Sydney postcodes with a rent figure · lease count not published
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Gross yield
- 1.2%
- rent June quarter 2026 / house median Mar qtr 2026
- postcode 2021
- Higher than 3% of 98 Greater Sydney postcodes with a gross yield
- Calculated by Delora from the two figures above
- Planning risk
- Flood Not mappedBushfire No dataHeritage 99% 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
- 0.9 km to nearest station
- 18 min to Sydney CBD by public transport (modelled)
- 8 government school catchments cover part of the suburb
- Transport for NSW GTFS data · NSW Department of Education catchments
Check an address in PaddingtonCompare with another suburb
Greater Sydney profile: sale prices and rents are published by postcode.
Paddington is a suburb with a fairly mixed age profile — median age 38, 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 32%) alongside houses. The area is good for café and shop density nearby. 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 Paddington
Roughly 99% of Paddington 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: 4 heritage conservation areas (Paddington, Paddington South, Victoria Barracks and 1 more) and 114 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 Paddington averaged 6.7 °C above a non-urban vegetated reference, hotter than 59% of the Greater Sydney suburbs mapped. (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, verified 26 Oct 2026) Tree canopy was 21.6%, more tree cover than 56% 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 Paddington
Heritage listing likely
About 99% of Paddington 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 Low Density Residential (R2) · 46% 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 Paddington
How Paddington compares
Where Paddington 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 Paddington fall within 6 primary and 2 secondary government school catchments. 2 government schools are located within the suburb.
Government schools have address-based catchment zones; Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment processes.
Getting around from Paddington
0 train, 0 Metro, 0 light rail and 25 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
- ~2.4 km
- from the suburb centre
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 Metro · 0 light rail · 25 bus
- stop points in the suburb, not stations (a station is often several) · nearest train or Metro station ~0.9 km
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~2.4 km
- outside the suburb
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Sydney CBD | 18 min |
| Surry Hills | 18 min |
| Redfern | 24 min |
| North Sydney | 30 min |
| Pyrmont | 30 min |
| Chatswood | 30 min |
Show all 18 job hubs
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Alexandria | 32 min |
| Mascot | 33 min |
| St Leonards | 34 min |
| Macquarie Park | 39 min |
| Parramatta | 50 min |
| Westmead | 54 min |
| Norwest | 60 min |
| Blacktown | 63 min |
| Penrith | 83 min |
| Campbelltown | 84 min |
| Eastern Creek and Huntingwood | 93 min |
| Gosford | 121 min |
Everyday amenity (OpenStreetMap)
- Cafés & amenity density
- 22 cafés
- Good café & amenity density nearby
- Restaurants
- 22
- places to eat nearby
- Supermarkets
- 3
- grocery stores nearby
- Pharmacies
- 1
- chemists nearby
- Parks
- 20
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 0
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Paddington
— 12,701 residents · median age 38 · 52% own their home · SEIFA 10/10
- Population
- 12,701
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 52%
- 52% own, 36% private rent, 1% social, 11% other or not stated
- Median age
- 38 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $1,698/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $3,131/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 2.1 people
- people per home
- Monthly mortgage
- $4,000/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- no data
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 48 per 1,000 residents
- a year, for Paddington itself · around the Greater Sydney average
Offence category mix (Paddington's own mix, last 12 months):
- Theft42%
- Assault10%
- Drug Offences10%
- Malicious Damage To Property8%
- Against Justice Procedures7%
- Intimidation Stalking And Harassment5%
- Liquor Offences4%
- Sexual Offences4%
- Disorderly Conduct4%
- Other Offences2%
- Transport Regulatory Offences2%
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences1%
- Blackmail And Extortion0%
- Pornography Offences0%
- Other Against The Person0%
- Median household incomeup 25%
- Median personal incomeup 19%
- Median weekly rentup 3%
- 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
- 4/10
- 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 Paddington
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
Compare with nearby suburbs
Before you buy in Paddington
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Paddington 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 Paddington 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 Paddington
What is the median price in Paddington?
The median sale price for non-strata dwellings (mostly houses) was $3,625,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2021 (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report), down 0.4% on a year earlier. The median strata (mostly unit/townhouse) sale price was $1,110,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2021.
What postcode is Paddington?
Paddington is in postcode 2021, in the Woollahra council area, New South Wales.
What is the population of Paddington?
Paddington had 12,701 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 38.
Is Paddington affected by flood or bushfire overlays?
Paddington'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 Paddington 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 Paddington?
For Paddington, 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 Paddington zoned?
Most of Paddington (46% of the land) is zoned R2 Low Density Residential, then R1 General Residential (14%) and SP1 Special Activities (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 Paddington?
Parts of Paddington are in the government school catchments for primary: Crown St PS, Darlinghurst PS, Glenmore Rd PS, Kensington PS and 2 more; secondary: Inner Sydney HS, Randwick HS (NSW Department of Education). A suburb can span several catchments: the exact address decides which applies, so confirm it on NSW School Finder.
Is Paddington heritage listed?
About 99% of Paddington is on the council's Local Environmental Plan heritage map, including 4 heritage conservation areas (Paddington, Paddington South, Victoria Barracks and 1 more) and 114 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 Paddington
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.
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