Suburb guide · Cumberland council area
Mortgage broker for Auburn (2144) home buyers
Of Auburn's 39,333 residents in 2021, 64.3% were born overseas. China led the overseas birthplaces with 5,656 people and Nepal came second with 5,009. The housing is mixed (47.3% units, 42% houses), and median sales in January to March 2026 were $610,000 for a unit and $1,604,000 for a house. Our office isn't local: we meet Auburn clients by phone or video, at morning, midday or evening times, seven days a week.
On this page
Who lives in Auburn
- Residents
- 39,33310,982 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 64.3%Top birthplaces: China, Nepal, IndiaABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 5,00912.7% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 4,97212.6% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 22.7%8,942 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 313.3 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $1,533/wk$79,716 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 49.9%23.3% mortgage, 21.7% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 47.3%42% separate houses, 10% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $680/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2144NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
Auburn sits entirely within Cumberland council area and covers 8.559999999999999 km². Across our 26 NSW suburb guides it ranks first for Nepal-born residents and third-lowest for household income, at $79,716 a year. A median age of 31 makes it one of the younger suburbs we cover, with 3.3 people in the average household. On Census day 21% of employed residents took a train to work, even though 17% worked from home in the August 2021 lockdown, so normal train use is higher.
Buying costs at Auburn's median prices
A typical unit in postcode 2144 changed hands for $610,000 in January to March 2026 from 93 sales, while houses went for a median $1,604,000. Read the house figure with care: DCJ marks it as a small sample. A house costs 2.6 times as much as a unit here, a gap of $994,000. Measured in local incomes ($79,716 a year at the 2021 Census), the median unit is 7.7 times that figure and the median house 20.1 times.
| Item | Median unit | Median house |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $610,000 | $1,604,000 |
| 5% deposit | $30,500 | $80,200 |
| 10% deposit | $61,000 | $160,400 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $122,000 | $320,800 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $21,637 | $69,507 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $0 | $69,507 |
| Registration fees | $365 | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($1,500,000) | Under | Over |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $61,365 | $230,272 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
At $610,000, the median unit is under the $800,000 limit of the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, so an eligible first home buyer pays no transfer duty instead of $21,637. No first home concession reaches the median house; at that price the duty is $69,507 for everyone.
With the scheme, a unit at the median needs only $30,500 down and no LMI. The median house is $104,000 above the $1,500,000 cap.
Try a price other than $610,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Auburn rents and what they mean for buying
A renter signing a new lease in postcode 2144 in April to June 2026 paid a median $680 a week ($35,360 a year); DCJ counted 361 new bonds. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $650 a week and a three-bedroom house for $750.
At the 2021 Census the median renter here paid $410 a week, and the median household with a mortgage repaid $2,000 a month, 13% more than the median rent. New leases now cost 66% more than the 2021 median, although the two sources measure different things (new bonds against all renters). In 2021, the median rent took 27% of the median household income.
A 5% deposit on the median unit ($30,500) equals about 45 weeks of the current median rent, less than a year of rent. Renters are a large minority here (49.9% of households); 23.3% of homes have a mortgage and 21.7% are owned outright.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $680 | $35,360 | 361 |
| 1-bedroom unit (small sample) | $550 | $28,600 | 11 to 30 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $650 | $33,800 | 168 |
| 3-bedroom unit | $900 | $46,800 | 47 |
| House (all sizes) | $750 | $39,000 | 65 |
| 3-bedroom house (small sample) | $750 | $39,000 | 11 to 30 |
| 4+ bedroom house (small sample) | $915 | $47,580 | 11 to 30 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Who we help in Auburn
Nepali-speaking households
Nepal-born residents number 5,009 here, 12.7% of the population, with 4,972 speaking Nepali at home. We often help document a gift from family in Nepal, explain how lenders treat savings held overseas, and turn lakh and crore figures into a deposit in Australian dollars.
Nepali community home loans NPR to AUD converter
Recent arrivals and visa holders
22.7% of Auburn's population, 8,942 people, had arrived in Australia in the five years to 2021. On a temporary visa you are a foreign person, so FIRB approval, the ban on established homes (to 30 June 2029) and 9% surcharge purchaser duty all apply; permanent residents usually avoid all three. The surcharge alone is $54,900 on the median unit. Postcode 2144 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.
Compare nearby suburbs
Lidcombe is the closest suburb in our guides, 1.9 km from Auburn. Two of the five neighbours listed have a lower median unit price than Auburn's $610,000. None of them has more Nepal-born residents than Auburn; Granville comes closest with 2,240.
| Suburb | Distance | Born in Nepal | Median rent | Median unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | — | 5,009 | $680/wk | $610,000 |
| Lidcombe | 1.9 km | 1,491 | $780/wk | $807,000 |
| Granville | 2.5 km | 2,240 | $630/wk | $563,000 |
| Homebush West | 4 km | 1,113 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
| Parramatta | 4.4 km | 1,672 | $700/wk | $620,000 |
| Merrylands | 4.4 km | 947 | $650/wk | $548,000 |
- Born in Nepal: ABS Census 2021. Rent and unit price: NSW DCJ, latest quarter.
See the Lidcombe suburb guide, home prices in Granville or buying in Homebush West. All NSW suburb guides
Questions about buying in Auburn
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Auburn unit?
None, if you qualify for the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme: the $610,000 median unit is under the exemption limit. Other buyers pay $21,637. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Auburn?
For the median unit ($610,000): $30,500 at 5%, $61,000 at 10% or $122,000 at 20%. The median house needs $320,800 for 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Auburn?
The median unit ($610,000) is $890,000 under the $1,500,000 cap. The median house ($1,604,000) is $104,000 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 Auburn?
That depends on the rate you are offered, so we don't assume one. New leases in postcode 2144 cost a median $35,360 a year; in 2021 the median mortgage here cost $24,000 a year in repayments.
Can I buy in Auburn on a 491 visa?
Not to live in while you hold the 491: postcode 2144 is not a designated regional area, and condition 8579 requires you to live in one. Once you hold the 191 permanent visa, that restriction ends.
Buying in Auburn?
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a unit around $610,000, 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: Auburn (SAL10107)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL10107
- 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