Suburb guide · Parramatta council area
Mortgage broker for Westmead (2145) home buyers
Of Westmead's 16,555 residents in 2021, 67.7% were born overseas. India led the overseas birthplaces with 6,308 people and Nepal came third with 571. It is mostly a unit market: 75.9% of homes are flats or apartments, and the median unit in postcode 2145 sold for $600,000 in January to March 2026. Our office isn't local: we meet Westmead clients by phone or video, at morning, midday or evening times, seven days a week.
On this page
Who lives in Westmead
- Residents
- 16,5555,850 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 67.7%Top birthplaces: India, China, NepalABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 5713.4% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 6293.8% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 29.2%4,840 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 332.6 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $2,144/wk$111,488 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 68.5%19.2% mortgage, 9.7% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 75.9%15% separate houses, 8.9% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $680/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2145NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
The suburb is split between councils, Parramatta (52.1% of its land) and Cumberland (47.9% of its land), which matters for council rates and planning rules. Across our 26 NSW suburb guides it ranks last for Nepal-born residents and fourth for household income, at $111,488 a year. The median resident is 33 and the average household has 2.6 people. Only 9.4% of workers used a train on Census day 2021, a lockdown day when 45.8% worked from home.
The cost of buying in Westmead
A typical unit in postcode 2145 changed hands for $600,000 in January to March 2026 from 198 sales, while houses went for a median $1,480,000 from 129 sales. The step up from the median unit to the median house is $880,000. A median unit costs 5.4 years of the suburb's 2021 median household income of $111,488; a house, 13.3 years.
| Item | Median unit | Median house |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $600,000 | $1,480,000 |
| 5% deposit | $30,000 | $74,000 |
| 10% deposit | $60,000 | $148,000 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $120,000 | $296,000 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $21,187 | $62,687 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $0 | $62,687 |
| Registration fees | $365 | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($1,500,000) | Under | Under |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $60,365 | $211,052 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
At $600,000, 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 $21,187. No first home concession reaches the median house; at that price the duty is $62,687 for everyone.
Both medians are under the 5% Deposit Scheme cap for Sydney ($1,500,000), so an eligible first home buyer could buy at either price with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance (LMI).
Try a price other than $600,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Westmead rents and what they mean for buying
The median rent on a new lease in postcode 2145 was $680 a week in April to June 2026, based on 842 bonds lodged, which adds up to $35,360 over a year. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $650 a week and a three-bedroom house for $750.
Back in 2021, Westmead households with a mortgage repaid a median $2,000 a month, 13% more than the median rent ($410 a week). 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 19% of the median household income.
Put another way, 44 weeks of today's median rent would cover a 5% deposit ($30,000) on the median unit. Almost seven in ten households rent (68.5%), and only 9.7% own outright.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $680 | $35,360 | 842 |
| 1-bedroom unit | $580 | $30,160 | 91 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $650 | $33,800 | 297 |
| 3-bedroom unit | $750 | $39,000 | 45 |
| House (all sizes) | $765 | $39,780 | 285 |
| 3-bedroom house | $750 | $39,000 | 111 |
| 4+ bedroom house | $1,000 | $52,000 | 105 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Where we can help in Westmead
Visa holders and new permanent residents
29.2% of Westmead's population, 4,840 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 $54,000 on the median unit. Postcode 2145 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.
Renters ready to buy
68.5% of households rent, almost seven in ten. On the median unit, a first purchase means $30,000 for a 5% deposit, no transfer duty and a price inside the 5% scheme cap. Lenders also look for genuine savings and steady income, and some accept a family guarantor instead of part of the deposit.
Units and strata
With units making up 75.9% of homes, the building matters: some lenders limit loans on small or high-density apartments. Before you bid, read the strata report for special levies and defects, and let us confirm the building suits your lender.
Nearby suburbs side by side
Parramatta is the closest suburb in our guides, 2.1 km from Westmead. Two of the five neighbours listed have a lower median unit price than Westmead's $600,000. Auburn has a larger Nepal-born community (5,009 people).
| Suburb | Distance | Born in Nepal | Median rent | Median unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmead | — | 571 | $680/wk | $600,000 |
| Parramatta | 2.1 km | 1,672 | $700/wk | $620,000 |
| Merrylands | 2.7 km | 947 | $650/wk | $548,000 |
| Granville | 3.5 km | 2,240 | $630/wk | $563,000 |
| Auburn | 6 km | 5,009 | $680/wk | $610,000 |
| Lidcombe | 7.6 km | 1,491 | $780/wk | $807,000 |
- Born in Nepal: ABS Census 2021. Rent and unit price: NSW DCJ, latest quarter.
See home prices in Parramatta, Merrylands rents and prices or Granville rents and prices. All NSW suburb guides
Common questions from Westmead
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Westmead unit?
None, if you qualify for the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme: the $600,000 median unit is under the exemption limit. Other buyers pay $21,187. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Westmead?
For the median unit ($600,000): $30,000 at 5%, $60,000 at 10% or $120,000 at 20%. The median house needs $296,000 for 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Westmead?
The median unit ($600,000) is $900,000 under the $1,500,000 cap. The median house ($1,480,000) is $20,000 under 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 Westmead?
That depends on the rate you are offered, so we don't assume one. New leases in postcode 2145 cost a median $35,360 a year; in 2021 the median mortgage here cost $24,000 a year in repayments.
Can I buy in Westmead on a 491 visa?
Not to live in while you hold the 491: postcode 2145 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.
Talk it through with Sulav
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a unit around $600,000, 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: Westmead (SAL14278)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL14278
- 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