Waterloo, Sydney: house prices, rent and what to check before you buy
The median sale price for strata dwellings (mostly units/townhouses) was $993,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2017 (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report), up 1.3% on a year earlier. Non-strata sales for postcode 2017 are too few for the DCJ Rent and Sales Report to publish a reliable median. The median weekly rent was $1050 (DCJ, June quarter 2026). Waterloo had 16,379 residents at the 2021 Census, and its postcode is 2017.
What stands out: The LEP heritage map covers 25% of the suburb's land (NSW Planning Portal LEP heritage map); its postcode's median rent is higher than 91% of 256 Greater Sydney postcodes with a rent figure (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report).
Page updated · market data to Mar 2026
- Zoning: mostly Mixed Use (MU1), 59% of the land
- School catchments: parts of Waterloo are in the catchments for Alexandria Park CS and Bourke St PS (+3 more) (primary); Alexandria Park CS and Inner Sydney HS (+1 more) (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train or Metro station about 0.7 km from the suburb centre
- Non-strata median
- No reliable median
- postcode 2017
- No reliable median: too few sales in the postcode.
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Strata median
- $993,000
- Mar qtr 2026 · up 1.3% on Mar qtr 2025
- postcode 2017
- Higher than 64% of 104 Greater Sydney postcodes with a unit median · 152 sales in the quarter
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Median rent
- $1050/wk
- June quarter 2026
- postcode 2017
- Higher than 91% of 256 Greater Sydney postcodes with a rent figure · lease count not published
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Planning risk
- Flood Not mappedBushfire No dataHeritage 25% 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
- 0.7 km to nearest station
- 10 min to Alexandria 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 WaterlooCompare with another suburb
Greater Sydney profile: sale prices and rents are published by postcode.
Waterloo is a suburb with a fairly mixed age profile — median age 33, less socio-economically advantaged than most areas on the ABS's SEIFA index. Housing is mixed, with a meaningful share of apartments and units (around 91%) alongside houses. The area is good for café and shop density nearby. It's close to the city and train-connected. House sales here are too infrequent for a reliable median — see the unit and land figures below.
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 Waterloo
Roughly 25% of Waterloo 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: 2 heritage conservation areas (Waterloo, Zetland Estate) and 39 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 Waterloo 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 14.9%, less tree cover than 65% 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 Waterloo
Heritage listing likely
About 25% of Waterloo 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 Mixed Use (MU1) · 59% 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 Waterloo
How Waterloo compares
Where Waterloo 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 Waterloo fall within 5 primary and 3 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 Waterloo
0 train, 2 Metro, 0 light rail and 31 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
- ~3.5 km
- from the suburb centre
- Getting around
- 0 train · 2 Metro · 0 light rail · 31 bus
- stop points in the suburb, not stations (a station is often several) · nearest train or Metro station ~0.7 km
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~3.3 km
- outside the suburb
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Alexandria | 10 min |
| Redfern | 15 min |
| Surry Hills | 16 min |
| Mascot | 18 min |
| Sydney CBD | 18 min |
| North Sydney | 24 min |
Show all 18 job hubs
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Chatswood | 26 min |
| Pyrmont | 26 min |
| St Leonards | 28 min |
| Macquarie Park | 34 min |
| Parramatta | 39 min |
| Westmead | 44 min |
| Blacktown | 53 min |
| Norwest | 56 min |
| Campbelltown | 70 min |
| Penrith | 76 min |
| Eastern Creek and Huntingwood | 86 min |
| Gosford | 113 min |
Everyday amenity (OpenStreetMap)
- Cafés & amenity density
- 23 cafés
- Good café & amenity density nearby
- Restaurants
- 46
- places to eat nearby
- Supermarkets
- 9
- grocery stores nearby
- Pharmacies
- 3
- chemists nearby
- Parks
- 24
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 0
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Waterloo
— 16,379 residents · median age 33 · 24% own their home · SEIFA 3/10
- Population
- 16,379
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 24%
- 24% own, 45% private rent, 21% social, 10% other or not stated
- Median age
- 33 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $1,172/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $2,028/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 1.8 people
- people per home
- Monthly mortgage
- $2,500/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- no data
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 148 per 1,000 residents
- a year, for Waterloo itself · higher than most Greater Sydney suburbs
Offence category mix (Waterloo's own mix, last 12 months):
- Theft33%
- Against Justice Procedures14%
- Assault12%
- Drug Offences11%
- Malicious Damage To Property9%
- Intimidation Stalking And Harassment7%
- Disorderly Conduct3%
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences3%
- Sexual Offences3%
- Other Offences2%
- Transport Regulatory Offences1%
- Liquor Offences1%
- Robbery0%
- Blackmail And Extortion0%
- Other Against The Person0%
- Arson0%
- Pornography Offences0%
- Homicide0%
- Median household incomeup 35%
- Median personal incomeup 49%
- Median weekly rentup 2%
- Median ageolder by 1 year
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
- 3/10
- Less advantaged than most
- Economic resources
- 1/10
- 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 Waterloo
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
Compare with nearby suburbs
Before you buy in Waterloo
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Waterloo 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 Waterloo 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 Waterloo
What is the median unit/townhouse price in Waterloo?
The median sale price for strata dwellings (mostly units/townhouses) was $993,000 in the Jan–Mar 2026 quarter for postcode 2017 (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report), up 1.3% on a year earlier. Non-strata sales for postcode 2017 are too few for the DCJ Rent and Sales Report to publish a reliable median.
What postcode is Waterloo?
Waterloo is in postcode 2017, in the Sydney council area, New South Wales.
What is the population of Waterloo?
Waterloo had 16,379 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 33.
Is Waterloo affected by flood or bushfire overlays?
Waterloo'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 Waterloo 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 Waterloo?
For Waterloo, 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 Waterloo zoned?
Most of Waterloo (59% of the land) is zoned MU1 Mixed Use, then R1 General Residential (15%) and E1 Local Centre (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 Waterloo?
Parts of Waterloo are in the government school catchments for primary: Alexandria Park CS, Bourke St PS, Gardeners Rd PS, Green Square PS and 1 more; secondary: Alexandria Park CS, 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 Waterloo heritage listed?
About 25% of Waterloo is on the council's Local Environmental Plan heritage map, including 2 heritage conservation areas (Waterloo, Zetland Estate) and 39 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 Waterloo
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 Waterloo?
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.