Suburb guide · Northern Beaches council area
Mortgage broker for Dee Why (2099) home buyers
23,354 people lived in Dee Why at the 2021 Census, just over two in five of them born overseas, most commonly in England and Brazil; 752 were born in Nepal. With 81.9% of homes in apartment buildings, most first purchases here are units; the median in postcode 2099 was $1,100,000 in January to March 2026. There is no Dee Why shopfront to visit. Sulav meets clients from Dee Why by phone or video and manages the loan through to settlement.
On this page
Dee Why in numbers
- Residents
- 23,3549,863 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 44.7%Top birthplaces: England, Brazil, ChinaABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 7523.2% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 7353.1% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 12.3%2,871 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 362.3 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $2,106/wk$109,512 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 47.3%29.3% mortgage, 20.9% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 81.9%15.3% separate houses, 2.4% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $850/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2099NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
The suburb covers 3.08 km² and is wholly in the Northern Beaches council area. Across our 26 NSW suburb guides it ranks 16th for Nepal-born residents and fifth for household income, at $109,512 a year. At 36, the median age is among the oldest of our suburbs, and households average 2.3 people. Hardly anyone commuted by train on Census day 2021 (0.7% of workers), and 32.3% worked from home.
Buying costs at Dee Why's median prices
NSW DCJ's latest sales figures (January to March 2026) put the median unit price in postcode 2099 at $1,100,000 from 116 sales and the median house at $2,920,000 from 39 sales. A house costs 2.7 times as much as a unit here, a gap of $1,820,000. Measured in local incomes ($109,512 a year at the 2021 Census), the median unit is 10 times that figure and the median house 26.7 times.
| Item | Median unit | Median house |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,100,000 | $2,920,000 |
| 5% deposit | $55,000 | $146,000 |
| 10% deposit | $110,000 | $292,000 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $220,000 | $584,000 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $43,687 | $141,887 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $43,687 | $141,887 |
| Registration fees | $365 | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($1,500,000) | Under | Over |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $154,052 | $434,252 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
At $1,100,000 the median unit is above the $1,000,000 cut-off, so a first home buyer pays the full $43,687. The median house is over $1,000,000, so no first home concession applies and every buyer pays $141,887 in duty.
The $1,500,000 scheme cap leaves $400,000 of room above the median unit, but the median house is out of range by $1,420,000.
Try a price other than $1,100,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Renting vs buying in Dee Why
New leases in postcode 2099 had a median rent of $850 a week in April to June 2026, or $44,200 a year, across 414 new bonds. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $875 a week and a three-bedroom house for $1,275.
At the 2021 Census the median renter here paid $550 a week, and the median household with a mortgage repaid $2,457 a month, 3% more than the median rent. Today's new-lease median is 55% 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 26% of a median household's income.
A 5% deposit on the median unit ($55,000) equals about 65 weeks of the current median rent, between one and two years of rent. Renters are a large minority here (47.3% of households); 29.3% of homes have a mortgage and 20.9% are owned outright.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $850 | $44,200 | 414 |
| 1-bedroom unit | $695 | $36,140 | 110 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $875 | $45,500 | 185 |
| 3-bedroom unit (small sample) | $1,300 | $67,600 | 11 to 30 |
| House (all sizes) | $1,150 | $59,800 | 85 |
| 3-bedroom house (small sample) | $1,275 | $66,300 | 11 to 30 |
| 4+ bedroom house (small sample) | $1,810 | $94,120 | 11 to 30 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Who we help in Dee Why
Buying soon after you arrive
Recent arrivals are a big group: 2,871 people came to Australia between 2016 and 2021, 27.5% 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 $99,000 on the median unit. Postcode 2099 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.
Owners with a mortgage
29.3% of Dee Why homes are owned with a mortgage, with a median repayment of $29,484 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
Apartment purchases
81.9% of homes are flats or apartments, and lender policies differ on units, for example on minimum floor area and high-density buildings. Send us the building address early: we check which lenders accept it before you spend money on reports.
Dee Why and its neighbours
Hornsby is the closest suburb in our guides, 18.4 km from Dee Why. All five neighbours listed have a lower median unit price than Dee Why ($1,100,000). Ashfield has a larger Nepal-born community (1,547 people).
| Suburb | Distance | Born in Nepal | Median rent | Median unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dee Why | — | 752 | $850/wk | $1,100,000 |
| Hornsby | 18.4 km | 983 | $725/wk | $750,000 |
| Ashfield | 21.4 km | 1,547 | $693/wk | $948,000 |
| Burwood | 22.2 km | 1,487 | $850/wk | $895,000 |
| Homebush | 22.7 km | 692 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
| Homebush West | 23.8 km | 1,113 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
- Born in Nepal: ABS Census 2021. Rent and unit price: NSW DCJ, latest quarter.
See home prices in Hornsby, the Ashfield suburb guide or the Burwood suburb guide. All NSW suburb guides
Dee Why buyers often ask
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Dee Why unit?
$43,687, the same as any other buyer: the $1,100,000 median unit is above the concession limit. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Dee Why?
For the median unit ($1,100,000): $55,000 at 5%, $110,000 at 10% or $220,000 at 20%. The median house needs $584,000 for 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Dee Why?
The median unit ($1,100,000) is $400,000 under the $1,500,000 cap. The median house ($2,920,000) is $1,420,000 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 Dee Why?
That depends on the rate you are offered, so we don't assume one. New leases in postcode 2099 cost a median $44,200 a year; in 2021 the median mortgage here cost $29,484 a year in repayments.
Can I buy in Dee Why on a 491 visa?
Not to live in while you hold the 491: postcode 2099 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 Dee Why?
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a unit around $1,100,000, 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: Dee Why (SAL11229)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL11229
- 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