Median price trend for houses
Based on 138 sales in the preceding 12 months
$2,740,000
Down 0.5% over 12 months
- 2 bed
- $2.1m
- 3 bed
- $2.76m
- 4 bed
- $4.38m
People crossing Darling Street with terraces
Stefano · CC BY-SA 3.0
The quick read on
Balmain
NSW 2041 · Inner West
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
- Median house
- $2,740,000
- Median unit
- $1,390,000
- Population
- 10,454
- Postcode
- 2041
latest suburb median
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
Balmain, New South Wales
Property market insights for Balmain
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Balmain NSW
Median rent trend for houses
Based on 148 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$1,200 per week
Up 9.1% over 12 months
Market data updated October 2026.
The median house price in Balmain, NSW is currently $2,740,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. Balmain has a 12-month growth rate of -0.5% for houses and -4.6% for units.
Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $2,100,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $2,760,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $4,380,000 in Balmain.
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in Balmain is $1,200 per week. The median house rent has increased 9.1% over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in Balmain is $1,390,000, which has decreased 4.6% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $928,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $1,400,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $2,020,000 in Balmain. The median rent for units and apartments in Balmain is $750 per week and has remained unchanged over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
Is Balmain safe?
The overall rate for Balmain is 2,135 offences per 100,000 residents — 38% below the Greater Sydney benchmark.
That is the clearest suburb-wide answer. Open the detailed profile to see how the pattern changes across offence types and different parts of Balmain.
Overall crime rate
2,135
offences per 100,000 residents
38% belowGreater Sydney
BalmainGreater Sydney: 3,437
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Who lives in Balmain?
Balmain NSW 2041 is in New South Wales, within Greater Sydney.
10,454 people call Balmain home, with an average of 2.2 people per household and a median household income of $3,039 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
- Population
- 10,454
- Median age
- 42 years
- Median mortgage
- $3,986 / month
- 2021 household rent
- $625 / week
Above the benchmarkBelow the benchmarkIn lineGreater Sydney benchmark
Age profile
Share of residents in each age band.
Under 1517.3%Below
15–3420.2%Below
35–5433.4%Above
55–7422.9%Above
75 and over6.3%In line
Homes
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Separate houses21.8%Below
Townhouses40.0%Above
Apartments37.7%Above
Ownership
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Owned outright29.1%In line
Paying a mortgage28.7%Below
Renting42.2%Above
Cars at home
Vehicles available to occupied households.
No car15.0%Above
One car54.7%Above
Two cars25.1%Below
Three or more5.2%Below
Getting to work
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
Worked from home60.9%Above
Drove to work17.9%Below
Train, tram or bus2.3%Below
Walked or cycled4.7%Above
What stands out in Balmain
60.9% of workers in Balmain worked from home on Census day — noticeably more common than across Greater Sydney.
9.1% of Balmain residents were born in England, about twice the rate across Greater Sydney.
51.9% of people in Balmain described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Questions people ask about Balmain
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Balmain NSW 2041.
Is Balmain family-friendly?Age, family structure and household size describe the community families would be joining.
17.3% of Balmain's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is close to the Greater Sydney average.
2,850 family households lived in Balmain; 42.8% were couple families and 12.6% were one-parent families.
38.4% of local families included children under 15. That is close to the Greater Sydney average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
What is the age profile of Balmain?The balance between younger adults, families and older residents changes how a suburb feels day to day.
Balmain had 10,454 residents at the 2021 Census.
29.5% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
29.1% were 55 or older. That is somewhat above the Greater Sydney average.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
What kind of homes are in Balmain?The dwelling mix shows whether the suburb is mostly detached homes, townhouses or apartments.
Separate houses made up 21.8% of occupied private dwellings in Balmain.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 40.0% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 37.7% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
Do people own or rent in Balmain?Tenure shows how many households own outright, have a mortgage or rent.
29.1% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is almost exactly typical for Greater Sydney.
28.7% were buying their home with a mortgage.
42.2% rented their home. That is somewhat above the Greater Sydney average.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
How large are households in Balmain?Household-size data shows the mix behind the suburb-wide average.
The average household in Balmain had 2.2 people.
One-person households made up 33.2% of occupied homes. That is well above the Greater Sydney average.
Two-person households represented 34.8%, while 17.6% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
How do people get to work in Balmain?Census-day travel shows the balance between home, road, public transport and active travel.
60.9% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is well above the Greater Sydney average.
17.9% drove a car as their only travel method. That is about half the Greater Sydney rate.
2.3% used only a train, tram or bus, while 4.7% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
How many cars do households have in Balmain?Vehicle availability helps describe the routines local households can support.
15.0% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is somewhat above the Greater Sydney average.
One-car households formed 54.7% of the total.
30.3% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
Who's moving to Balmain, and who stays?Address history shows how settled or recently mobile residents were at the Census date.
52.6% were at the same address five years earlier, while 47.4% reported a different address.
31.2% of residents were born outside Australia. That is well below the Greater Sydney average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
What languages are spoken in Balmain?Language at home gives a direct view of the community’s everyday linguistic mix.
83.4% of residents used only English at home.
12.4% used a language other than English at home.
1.5% spoke Mandarin at home, 0.5% spoke Cantonese and 0.2% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
Where were Balmain residents born?Birthplace adds another layer to the local story, separate from ancestry and language.
31.2% of Balmain's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 68.8% was born in Australia.
1.2% of residents were born in China.
0.7% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 86.0%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
What ancestries shape Balmain?Ancestry responses show how residents describe family and cultural background.
English ancestry accounted for 40.8% of ancestry responses in Balmain.
Australian ancestry made up 27.6% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 4.3% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
What work do people do in Balmain?Occupation describes a person’s role; industry describes the sector employing them.
42.7% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is well above the Greater Sydney average.
Managers accounted for 26.4% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 10.2%.
Health care and social assistance employed 9.9% of workers, and education and training employed 8.8%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
How active is the workforce in Balmain?Participation, employment pattern and unemployment describe the resident labour force.
The labour-force participation rate was 68.7%, compared with 60.0% across Greater Sydney.
44.9% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 15.8% worked part time.
Unemployment was 3.9%, compared with 5.1% across Greater Sydney.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
What does the health profile of Balmain show?Selected long-term health conditions help describe community service needs.
63.7% reported no selected long-term health condition.
9.0% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
7.4% reported asthma, 6.4% arthritis and 2.6% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
How educated is Balmain?Qualifications describe the study pathways represented among local residents.
42.2% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is well above the Greater Sydney average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 22.1% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 11.6%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 11.0%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
What do incomes and housing costs look like in Balmain?Census income and household payments give historical context for local living costs.
Median household income was $3,039 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $3,986.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $625 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
How does Balmain compare with Greater Sydney?A few clear differences place the suburb in its wider metropolitan context.
Working from home was 60.9% in Balmain, compared with 38.9% across Greater Sydney.
Outright ownership was 29.1% locally and 28.6% across Greater Sydney. That is almost exactly typical for Greater Sydney.
Renting accounted for 42.2% in Balmain, against 37.1% across Greater Sydney.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
A buyer’s quick guide to Balmain
Is Balmain expensive?
The median house price is $2,740,000, while units and apartments sit at $1,390,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
Is Balmain good for families?
The Census counted 2,850 local families, and 17.3% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
What can I get for $1.5m in Balmain?
2-bedroom houses have a median around $2,100,000, the closest bedroom benchmark we hold to a $1.5m budget. Individual homes can differ substantially with block size, renovation and location.
Medians describe recorded market activity across the suburb; they are historical context, not a valuation or forecast for an individual home.
Explore the area
Streets and suburbs around Balmain
136 streets in Balmain
Street-by-street reports are not published yet. The streets below are the ones this suburb covers.
- Addison St
- Adolphus St
- Alexander St
- Ann St
- Arthur St
- Barr St
- Batty St
- Bayville St
- Beattie St
- Birchgrove Rd
- Blake St
- Booth St
- Bradford St
- Bridge St
- Broderick St
- Buchanan St
- Cameron St
- Campbell Ln
Show all 136 streetsShow fewer streets
- Campbell St
- Cardwell St
- Carieville St
- Caroline Ln
- Caroline Street
- Carrington St
- Charles St
- Church St
- Claremont St
- Clare St
- Clay St
- Clayton St
- Colgate Ave
- College St
- Cooper St
- Creek St
- Curtis Rd
- Darling St
- Darvall St
- Datchett St
- Davidson St
- Dick St
- Donnelly St
- Duncan St
- Eaton St
- Elliott St
- Ennis St
- Evans St
- Ewell St
- Ewenton Ln
- Ewenton Street
- Fawcett St
- Fitzroy Ave
- Ford St
- Foy St
- George St
- Gladstone St
- Glassop St
- Gow Ln
- Gow St
- Grafton Ln
- Grafton St
- Hampton St
- Harris St
- Henry St
- High St
- Hoffmans Lane
- Hyam St
- Isabella St
- Jacques St
- James St
- Jane St
- Jubilee Pl
- King Ln
- King St
- Laggan Ave
- Lawson St
- Little Arthur St
- Little Beattie St
- Little Darling St
- Little Llewellyn St
- Little St
- Little Theodore St
- Llewellyn St
- Lockhart Ave
- Longview St
- Macquarie Tce
- Marshall St
- Mcdonald St
- Montague St
- Mort St
- Mullens St
- North St
- Palmer St
- Pashley St
- Phillip St
- Phoebe St
- Punch St
- Queens Pl
- Reynolds Ave
- Reynolds St
- Roseberry St
- Rosebery Pl
- Rosser St
- Rowntree St
- Rumsay Ln
- Schultz St
- Short St
- Smith St
- Sorrie St
- St Andrew St
- Stephen St
- Stewart Pl
- Stewart St
- St John St
- Sutton Ln
- Sutton St
- Terry St
- Thames St
- Theodore St
- Thomas St
- Tilba Ave
- Tobruk Ave
- Trivetts Ln
- Trouton St
- Turner St
- Valley St
- Vincent St
- Waite Ave
- Wallace St
- Walter St
- Waterview St
- Watson Ln
- Wells St
- White St
- Wisbeach St
- Wortley St
- Young St
12 suburbs surrounding Balmain
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Is Balmain right for your search?
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Read the thinking
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.