Sydney consistently ranks alongside the likes of London and Vienna when it comes to the cost of living. More and more Aussies appear to be deciding the NSW capital is unaffordable, with migration to alternative cities – like Newcastle – on the rise.
Though, if you can’t bring yourself to give up on the Sydney lifestyle, you might find the most affordable rentals in these suburbs.
Average rent in Sydney
The average Sydney house costs $750 a week to rent, as per CoreLogic data referencing October 2024 – a 7.3% increase from the same time in 2023. That’s $100 higher than in the ACT – the city with the next highest average rent costs.
The average unit in Sydney cost $690 per week to rent in the year to October.
Cheapest suburbs to rent in Greater Sydney
Unsurprisingly, the most affordable rentals in Sydney tend to be a fair distance from the city centre. The suburb with the cheapest houses to rent, as of December 2024, was Canton Beach (2263), up on the Central Coast. Six of the other ten cheapest rentals were in Blacktown – about 34 kilometres west of the city centre.
For units, South Granville (2142) took the crown with a median rent of just $360.
Cheapest suburbs to rent a house in Sydney
Rank | Suburb | LGA | Median weekly rent |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Canton Beach | Central Coast | $450 |
2nd | Willmot | Blacktown | $450 |
3rd | Tregear | Blacktown | $460 |
4th | North St Marys | Penrith | $490 |
5th | Toukley | Central Coast | $522 |
6th | Blackett | Blacktown | $470 |
7th | Bidwell | Blacktown | $480 |
8th | Halekulani | Central Coast | $522 |
9th | Lethbridge Park | Blacktown | $480 |
10th | Emerton | Blacktown | $485 |
Cheapest suburbs to rent a unit in Sydney
Rank | Suburb | LGA | Median weekly rent |
---|---|---|---|
1st | South Granville | Cumberland | $360 |
2nd | Picton | Wollondilly | $370 |
3rd | Carramar | Fairfield | $370 |
4th | Bradbury | Campbelltown | $375 |
5th | Cabramatta | Fairfield | $390 |
6th | Canley Vale | Fairfield | $400 |
7th | Ambarvale | Campbelltown | $400 |
8th | Fairfield | Fairfield | $417 |
9th | Katoomba | Blue Mountains | $420 |
10th | Jamisontown | Penrith | $420 |
Most affordable areas to rent in Sydney City in 2025
Within the City of Sydney Local Government Area (LGA), the cheapest area to rent a house is Pyrmont (2009), with a median weekly rent of $897.
Meanwhile, the average unit in Rushcutters Bay (2011) is available for $580 per week – lower than anywhere else in the area.
As touched on above, many of the cheapest houses available for rent are found in Blacktown, west of the CBD. The area has a bit of a reputation, but the most recent numbers from the NSW Bureau of Statistics suggest that its violent crime rate isn’t substantially worse than many surrounding areas. The Fairfield LGA, also to the west, boasts many of the suburbs with the lowest rent units.
Cheapest suburbs to rent houses and units in each Sydney LGA
LGA | Lowest rent suburb for houses | Median weekly rent | Lowest rent suburb for units | Median weekly rent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Woollahra | Edgecliff | $1,250 | Paddington | $620 |
Wollondilly | Buxton | $495 | Picton | $370 |
Willoughby | Naremburn | $1,200 | North Willoughby | $665 |
Waverley | Bondi Junction | $1,350 | Waverley | $800 |
The Hills | Baulkham Hills | $770 | Rouse Hill | $630 |
Sydney | Pyrmont | $897 | Rushcutters Bay | $580 |
Sutherland | Sutherland | $850 | Jannali/Engadine | $600 |
Strathfield | Homebush West | $750 | Strathfield South | $600 |
Ryde | West Ryde | $850 | West Ryde | $550 |
Randwick | Kingsford | $1,195 | Matraville/Kingsford/Kensington | $750 |
Penrith | North St Marys | $490 | Jamisontown/Kingswood | $420 |
Parramatta | Toongabbie/Old Toongabbie/Constitution Hill/Silverwater | $650 | Harris Park | $500 |
Northern Beaches | Scotland Island | $725 | Belrose | $445 |
North Sydney | Crows Nest | $1,050 | Lavender Bay | $677 |
Liverpool | Busby | $520 | Warwick Farm | $455 |
Ku-ring-gai | West Pymble | $1,070 | Warrawee | $700 |
Inner West | Ashfield | $792 | Enmore | $540 |
Hornsby | Brooklyn | $690 | Mount Colah/Hornsby | $600 |
Hawkesbury | Kurrajong/Hobartville | $560 | North Richmond | $500 |
Georges River | Riverwood/Carlton | $750 | Mortdale/Penshurst | $580 |
Fairfield | Cabramatta | $580 | Carramar | $370 |
Cumberland | Granville | $650 | South Granville | $360 |
Central Coast | Canton Beach | $450 | Toukley | $427 |
Canterbury | Birrong | $680 | Wiley Park | $490 |
Canada Bay | Liberty Grove | $895 | Concord West | $555 |
Campbelltown | Campbelltown | $560 | Bradbury | $375 |
Camden | Camden | $600 | Narellan | $560 |
Burwood | Croydon Park | $827 | Croydon Park | $550 |
Blue Mountains | Katoomba | $580 | Katoomba | $420 |
Blacktown | Willmot | $450 | Mount Druitt | $430 |
Bayside | Rockdale | $800 | Bexley | $600 |
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