Suburb guide · Burwood council area
Mortgage broker for Burwood (2134) home buyers
Burwood had 18,224 residents at the 2021 Census and 69.2% were born overseas, most often in China (5,257), with Nepal second (1,487). It is mostly a unit market: 67.5% of homes are flats or apartments, and the median unit in postcode 2134 sold for $895,000 in January to March 2026. There is no Burwood shopfront to visit. Sulav meets clients from Burwood by phone or video and manages the loan through to settlement.
On this page
Burwood in numbers
- Residents
- 18,2246,721 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 69.2%Top birthplaces: China, Nepal, VietnamABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 1,4878.2% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 1,4367.9% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 27%4,924 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 322.5 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $1,671/wk$86,892 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 59%16.9% mortgage, 19.9% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 67.5%21.2% separate houses, 9.4% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $850/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2134NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
Burwood sits entirely within Burwood council area and covers 2.45 km². Compared with the other suburbs we cover, its Nepal-born count is the 11th-highest of 26 and its share of renters is the fourth-highest. A median age of 32 makes it one of the younger suburbs we cover, with 2.5 people in the average household. On Census day 19.6% of employed residents took a train to work, even though 33.8% worked from home in the August 2021 lockdown, so normal train use is higher.
Buying costs at Burwood's median prices
In January to March 2026, the median strata sale (mostly units and townhouses) in postcode 2134 was $895,000 from 43 sales, and the median non-strata sale (mostly houses) was $2,710,000. Read the house figure with care: DCJ marks it as a small sample. The step up from the median unit to the median house is $1,815,000. Measured in local incomes ($86,892 a year at the 2021 Census), the median unit is 10.3 times that figure and the median house 31.2 times.
| Item | Median unit | Median house |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $895,000 | $2,710,000 |
| 5% deposit | $44,750 | $135,500 |
| 10% deposit | $89,500 | $271,000 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $179,000 | $542,000 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $34,462 | $130,337 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $18,614 | $130,337 |
| Registration fees | $365 | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($1,500,000) | Under | Over |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $108,479 | $401,702 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
Because $895,000 sits between $800,000 and $1,000,000, the median unit gets a partial concession, $15,848 off the $34,462 duty bill. At $2,710,000 the median house is above the $1,000,000 cut-off, so a first home buyer pays the full $130,337.
The $1,500,000 scheme cap leaves $605,000 of room above the median unit, but the median house is out of range by $1,210,000.
Try a price other than $895,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Rent in Burwood compared with buying
New leases in postcode 2134 had a median rent of $850 a week in April to June 2026, or $44,200 a year, across 358 new bonds. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $930 a week and a three-bedroom house for $950.
At the 2021 Census the median renter here paid $500 a week, and the median household with a mortgage repaid $2,449 a month, 13% more than the median rent. New leases now cost 70% more than the 2021 median, although the two sources measure different things (new bonds against all renters). That 2021 rent was 30% of a median household's income.
Put another way, 53 weeks of today's median rent would cover a 5% deposit ($44,750) on the median unit. Renters are a narrow majority (59% of households), while 16.9% of homes are owned with a mortgage.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $850 | $44,200 | 358 |
| 1-bedroom unit | $660 | $34,320 | 110 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $930 | $48,360 | 156 |
| 3-bedroom unit (small sample) | $1,100 | $57,200 | 11 to 30 |
| House (all sizes) | $950 | $49,400 | 33 |
| 3-bedroom house (small sample) | $950 | $49,400 | 11 to 30 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Where we can help in Burwood
Nepali-speaking households
1,487 residents (8.2%) were born in Nepal and 1,436 speak Nepali at home, about one in 12 of the suburb. Common questions here: will a lender accept a gift from parents in Nepal, how is overseas income or savings counted, and what does a deposit in lakh come to in dollars.
Nepali community home loans NPR to AUD converter
Buying soon after you arrive
Recent arrivals are a big group: 4,924 people came to Australia between 2016 and 2021, 39.1% of everyone here born overseas. Permanent residents can usually get the same first home concessions as citizens. Temporary residents need FIRB approval, generally can't buy an established home before 30 June 2029, and pay 9% surcharge purchaser duty. The surcharge alone is $80,550 on the median unit. Postcode 2134 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.
Moving from renting to owning
59% of households rent, about three in five. On the median unit, a first purchase means $44,750 for a 5% deposit, $18,614 in duty and a price inside the 5% scheme cap. A gift from family or a guarantor can close the gap, but lenders still want to see your own savings history.
Apartment purchases
Most buyers here are looking at strata (67.5% of homes are apartments), where the valuation and the building decide how much you can borrow. Send us the building address early: we check which lenders accept it before you spend money on reports.
Nearby suburbs side by side
The nearest suburb we cover is Strathfield, 2.2 km away. Four of the five neighbours listed have a lower median unit price than Burwood's $895,000. Strathfield has a larger Nepal-born community (3,517 people).
| Suburb | Distance | Born in Nepal | Median rent | Median unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burwood | — | 1,487 | $850/wk | $895,000 |
| Strathfield | 2.2 km | 3,517 | $740/wk | $780,000 |
| Ashfield | 2.5 km | 1,547 | $693/wk | $948,000 |
| Homebush | 2.9 km | 692 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
| Homebush West | 3.7 km | 1,113 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
| Campsie | 3.8 km | 2,392 | $600/wk | $669,000 |
- Born in Nepal: ABS Census 2021. Rent and unit price: NSW DCJ, latest quarter.
See the Strathfield suburb guide, buying in Ashfield or the Homebush suburb guide. All NSW suburb guides
Common questions from Burwood
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Burwood unit?
About $18,614 instead of $34,462: the $895,000 median unit is in the concession taper. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Burwood?
For the median unit ($895,000): $44,750 at 5%, $89,500 at 10% or $179,000 at 20%. The median house needs $542,000 for 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Burwood?
The median unit ($895,000) is $605,000 under the $1,500,000 cap. The median house ($2,710,000) is $1,210,000 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 Burwood?
That depends on the rate you are offered, so we don't assume one. New leases in postcode 2134 cost a median $44,200 a year; in 2021 the median mortgage here cost $29,388 a year in repayments.
Can I buy in Burwood on a 491 visa?
Postcode 2134 is outside the designated regional areas, so a 491 holder can't live here under condition 8579. The permanent 191 visa removes that limit.
Your Burwood numbers, checked
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a unit around $895,000, 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: Burwood (SAL10716)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL10716
- 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