Suburb guide · Georges River council area
Mortgage broker for Allawah (2218) home buyers
Of Allawah's 5,351 residents in 2021, 61.8% were born overseas. China led the overseas birthplaces with 856 people and Nepal came second with 653. It is mostly a unit market: 77.6% of homes are flats or apartments, and the median unit in postcode 2218 sold for $838,000 in January to March 2026. There is no Allawah shopfront to visit. Sulav meets clients from Allawah by phone or video and manages the loan through to settlement.
On this page
Allawah in numbers
- Residents
- 5,3512,039 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 61.8%Top birthplaces: China, Nepal, PhilippinesABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 65312.2% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 64912.1% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 14.9%798 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 362.5 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $1,774/wk$92,248 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 46.1%25.5% mortgage, 25.5% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 77.6%17.8% separate houses, 3.5% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $700/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2218NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
All of Allawah (0.58 km²) is in Georges River council area. Compared with the other suburbs we cover, its Nepal-born count is the 20th-highest of 26 and its share of renters is the 15th-highest. At 36, the median age is among the oldest of our suburbs, and households average 2.5 people. Allawah shares postcode 2218 with Carlton, so the DCJ sale and rent figures cover the whole postcode, not Allawah alone. 16% of workers caught a train on Census day 2021, a lockdown day when 30.4% stayed home, which makes this a rail commuter suburb.
What it costs to buy in Allawah
A typical unit in postcode 2218 changed hands for $838,000 in January to March 2026 from 51 sales, while houses went for a median $1,725,000. The house median rests on only a few sales, which DCJ flags as a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. The step up from the median unit to the median house is $887,000. Measured in local incomes ($92,248 a year at the 2021 Census), the median unit is 9.1 times that figure and the median house 18.7 times.
| Item | Median unit | Median house |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $838,000 | $1,725,000 |
| 5% deposit | $41,900 | $86,250 |
| 10% deposit | $83,800 | $172,500 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $167,600 | $345,000 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $31,897 | $76,162 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $7,446 | $76,162 |
| Registration fees | $365 | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($1,500,000) | Under | Over |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $91,611 | $249,027 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
The median unit ($838,000) falls in the concession taper between $800,000 and $1,000,000: a first home buyer pays $7,446 instead of $31,897, saving $24,451. At $1,725,000 the median house is above the $1,000,000 cut-off, so a first home buyer pays the full $76,162.
With the scheme, a unit at the median needs only $41,900 down and no LMI. The median house is $225,000 above the $1,500,000 cap.
Try a price other than $838,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Allawah rents and what they mean for buying
The median rent on a new lease in postcode 2218 was $700 a week in April to June 2026, based on 153 bonds lodged, which adds up to $36,400 over a year. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $680 a week and a three-bedroom house for $825.
At the 2021 Census the median renter here paid $428 a week, and the median household with a mortgage repaid $2,167 a month, 17% more than the median rent. Today's new-lease median is 64% above that 2021 rent. DCJ counts only new bonds and the Census counts every renting household, so read the gap as a direction, not an exact rise. That 2021 rent was 24% of a median household's income.
Put another way, 60 weeks of today's median rent would cover a 5% deposit ($41,900) on the median unit. Renters are a large minority here (46.1% of households); 25.5% of homes have a mortgage and 25.5% are owned outright.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $700 | $36,400 | 153 |
| 1-bedroom unit (small sample) | $540 | $28,080 | 11 to 30 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $680 | $35,360 | 74 |
| 3-bedroom unit (small sample) | $795 | $41,340 | 11 to 30 |
| House (all sizes) (small sample) | $850 | $44,200 | 11 to 30 |
| 3-bedroom house (small sample) | $825 | $42,900 | 11 to 30 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Allawah buyers we work with
Buyers from the Nepali community
Nepali is the home language of 649 residents (12.1%), and 653 people here were born in Nepal. For many buyers part of the deposit comes from Nepal, so we check how each lender wants that money documented before it is transferred.
Nepali community home loans NPR to AUD converter
Buying soon after you arrive
798 residents (14.9%) arrived in Australia between 2016 and Census night 2021. Your visa changes the numbers: a temporary resident pays 9% surcharge purchaser duty, needs FIRB approval and is generally limited to new homes until 30 June 2029, while a permanent resident is treated much like a citizen. The surcharge alone is $75,420 on the median unit. Postcode 2218 is not a designated regional area, so a 491 or 494 holder bound by condition 8579 can't live here on that visa.
Visa guides: subclass 189, 190, 491, 482.
Reviewing the loan you have
25.5% of Allawah homes are owned with a mortgage, with a median repayment of $26,004 a year in 2021. If your loan is a few years old, or your income or visa status has changed, a review shows whether another lender would treat you better. Refinancing
Buying a unit
Most buyers here are looking at strata (77.6% of homes are apartments), where the valuation and the building decide how much you can borrow. Get the strata report before you bid and send us the address so we can check lender policy for that building.
Nearby suburbs side by side
The nearest suburb we cover is Carlton, 0.7 km away. Four of the five neighbours listed have a lower median unit price than Allawah's $838,000. Hurstville has a larger Nepal-born community (4,938 people).
| Suburb | Distance | Born in Nepal | Median rent | Median unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allawah | — | 653 | $700/wk | $838,000 |
| Carlton | 0.7 km | 590 | $700/wk | $838,000 |
| Hurstville | 1.6 km | 4,938 | $750/wk | $740,000 |
| Kogarah | 2.2 km | 1,848 | $750/wk | $810,000 |
| Penshurst | 2.9 km | 1,096 | $630/wk | $735,000 |
| Rockdale | 3.4 km | 2,451 | $750/wk | $760,000 |
- Born in Nepal: ABS Census 2021. Rent and unit price: NSW DCJ, latest quarter.
See our Carlton guide, Hurstville rents and prices or Kogarah rents and prices. All NSW suburb guides
Questions about buying in Allawah
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Allawah unit?
About $7,446 instead of $31,897: the $838,000 median unit is in the concession taper. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Allawah?
For the median unit ($838,000): $41,900 at 5%, $83,800 at 10% or $167,600 at 20%. The median house needs $345,000 for 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Allawah?
The median unit ($838,000) is $662,000 under the $1,500,000 cap. The median house ($1,725,000) is $225,000 over the $1,500,000 cap. You must be a citizen or permanent resident and a first home buyer.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Allawah?
We can't say without your rate. For scale: a year of median rent on a new lease is $36,400, and 2021 mortgage repayments ran at a median $26,004 a year.
Can I buy in Allawah on a 491 visa?
Only once you move to the permanent 191. Until then condition 8579 keeps you in a designated regional area, and postcode 2218 is not one.
Your Allawah numbers, checked
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a unit around $838,000, in a 60-minute call by phone or video.
Sources
Data last updated . Census figures are for 2021; DCJ figures are quarterly medians.
- ABS QuickStats 2021: Allawah (SAL10038)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL10038
- ASGS Edition 3 boundaries
- Rent and Sales Report, sales January to March 2026
- Rent and Sales Report, rents April to June 2026
- Transfer duty rates
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (new or existing home)
- 5% Deposit Scheme price caps
- Regional postcodes (condition 8579)
- Established dwelling ban