Suburb guide · Strathfield council area
Mortgage broker for Strathfield (2135) home buyers
More Strathfield residents were born in Nepal than in any other overseas country: 3,517 people out of 25,915 at the 2021 Census, in a suburb where 59.9% were born overseas. Units (49.3% of homes) and houses (45.4%) sit side by side, at median prices of $780,000 and $3,861,000 in January to March 2026. Our office isn't local: we meet Strathfield clients by phone or video, at morning, midday or evening times, seven days a week.
On this page
Strathfield in numbers
- Residents
- 25,9158,581 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 59.9%Top birthplaces: Nepal, China, IndiaABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 3,51713.6% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 3,33912.9% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 21.3%5,528 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 322.8 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $2,262/wk$117,624 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 43.9%23.7% mortgage, 28.7% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 49.3%45.4% separate houses, 4.6% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $740/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2135NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
Strathfield straddles more than one council area: Strathfield (85.3% of its land) and Burwood (12.2% of its land). Of the 26 NSW suburbs in our guides, Strathfield has the third-highest Nepal-born population (3,517) and the third-highest median household income ($2,262 a week). A median age of 32 makes it one of the younger suburbs we cover, with 2.8 people in the average household. On Census day 19.1% of employed residents took a train to work, even though 32.7% worked from home in the August 2021 lockdown, so normal train use is higher.
Buying costs at Strathfield's median prices
NSW DCJ's latest sales figures (January to March 2026) put the median unit price in postcode 2135 at $780,000 from 54 sales and the median house at $3,861,000. 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 $3,081,000. A median unit costs 6.6 years of the suburb's 2021 median household income of $117,624; a house, 32.8 years.
| Item | Median unit | Median house |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $780,000 | $3,861,000 |
| 5% deposit | $39,000 | $193,050 |
| 10% deposit | $78,000 | $386,100 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $156,000 | $772,200 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $29,287 | $193,642 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $0 | $193,642 |
| Registration fees | $365 | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($1,500,000) | Under | Over |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $78,365 | $580,107 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
An eligible first home buyer pays no transfer duty on the median unit, because $780,000 is below the scheme's $800,000 full-exemption limit; anyone else pays $29,287. The median house is over $1,000,000, so no first home concession applies and every buyer pays $193,642 in duty.
The $1,500,000 scheme cap leaves $720,000 of room above the median unit, but the median house is out of range by $2,361,000.
Try a price other than $780,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Renting vs buying in Strathfield
New leases in postcode 2135 had a median rent of $740 a week in April to June 2026, or $38,480 a year, across 274 new bonds. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $770 a week and a three-bedroom unit for $990.
Back in 2021, Strathfield households with a mortgage repaid a median $2,765 a month, 33% more than the median rent ($480 a week). New leases now cost 54% more than the 2021 median, although the two sources measure different things (new bonds against all renters). That 2021 rent was 21% of a median household's income.
A 5% deposit on the median unit ($39,000) equals about 53 weeks of the current median rent, between one and two years of rent. Renters are a large minority here (43.9% of households); 23.7% of homes have a mortgage and 28.7% are owned outright.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $740 | $38,480 | 274 |
| 1-bedroom unit | $600 | $31,200 | 73 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $770 | $40,040 | 122 |
| 3-bedroom unit (small sample) | $990 | $51,480 | 11 to 30 |
| House (all sizes) | $1,100 | $57,200 | 44 |
| 4+ bedroom house (small sample) | $1,400 | $72,800 | 11 to 30 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Where we can help in Strathfield
Nepali-Australian buyers in Strathfield
3,517 residents (13.6%) were born in Nepal and 3,339 speak Nepali at home, about one in eight of the suburb. 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
Recent arrivals and visa holders
Recent arrivals are a big group: 5,528 people came to Australia between 2016 and 2021, 35.6% 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 $70,200 on the median unit. Postcode 2135 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.
Nearby suburbs side by side
The nearest suburb we cover is Homebush West, 2.1 km away. Three of the five neighbours listed have a lower median unit price than Strathfield's $780,000. None of them has more Nepal-born residents than Strathfield; Campsie comes closest with 2,392.
| Suburb | Distance | Born in Nepal | Median rent | Median unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strathfield | — | 3,517 | $740/wk | $780,000 |
| Homebush West | 2.1 km | 1,113 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
| Homebush | 2.1 km | 692 | $720/wk | $655,000 |
| Burwood | 2.2 km | 1,487 | $850/wk | $895,000 |
| Lidcombe | 4 km | 1,491 | $780/wk | $807,000 |
| Campsie | 4.3 km | 2,392 | $600/wk | $669,000 |
- Born in Nepal: ABS Census 2021. Rent and unit price: NSW DCJ, latest quarter.
See home prices in Homebush West, buying in Homebush or Burwood rents and prices. All NSW suburb guides
Common questions from Strathfield
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Strathfield unit?
None, if you qualify for the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme: the $780,000 median unit is under the exemption limit. Other buyers pay $29,287. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Strathfield?
For the median unit ($780,000): $39,000 at 5%, $78,000 at 10% or $156,000 at 20%. The median house needs $772,200 for 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Strathfield?
The median unit ($780,000) is $720,000 under the $1,500,000 cap. The median house ($3,861,000) is $2,361,000 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 Strathfield?
We can't say without your rate. For scale: a year of median rent on a new lease is $38,480, and 2021 mortgage repayments ran at a median $33,180 a year.
Can I buy in Strathfield on a 491 visa?
Postcode 2135 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 Strathfield numbers, checked
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a unit around $780,000, 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: Strathfield (SAL13690)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL13690
- 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