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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Berkeley is a coastal suburb in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 7,798, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 76 km from the Sydney CBD, Berkeley is a coastal area in New South Wales. The median household income is $63,284 per year.
Lower income levels in Berkeley typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. The coastal setting provides a lifestyle factor that underpins property values.
Official Australia Post postcode for Berkeley. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 2 schools within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Berkeley on My School →Estimated 3 parks and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Berkeley's population of 7,798 sits 46% above the New South Wales suburb median of 5,325, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average NSW locality. Berkeley's median household income of $63,284/year is 35% below the New South Wales suburb median ($97,552) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Rent of $290/week (73% coverage of the $1,733/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $476/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. Berkeley is 76 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
This suburb can suit investors targeting renter demand driven by lifestyle. Insurance, climate risk, and seasonal rental patterns all warrant a close look. Local rents consume roughly 24% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Berkeley stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Berkeley sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Berkeley | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,798 | 5,325 | +46% |
| Median household income | $63,284/yr | $97,552/yr | -35% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $290 | $430 | -33% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,733 | $2,167 | -20% |
| Distance to CBD | 76 km | 45 km | +69% |
| Separate houses | 85% | 76% | +9pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Berkeley — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 35% below the NSW median ($63,284 vs $97,552) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $290/week covers 73% of a $1,733/month mortgage, leaving a $476/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
With 85% houses in a 7,798-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Berkeley property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Berkeley are modest for 2026 — incomes 35% below the NSW median of $97,552 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~73% of the typical mortgage ($1,257/month rent vs $1,733/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 41/100 places Berkeley in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Berkeley scores 41/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 7,798, median household income of $63,284/year and median weekly rent of $290. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Berkeley are a median household income of $63,284/year, a dwelling mix that is 85% separate houses, roughly 2 schools and 3 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Berkeley has a usual resident population of approximately 7,798, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — placing it in the upper half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Berkeley sits 76 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $290 in Berkeley, equating to approximately $15,080/year in gross rental income (state median $430/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Berkeley is $1,733, or approximately $20,796/year (vs $2,167/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $290 works out to $1,257/month, covering 73% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month. That leaves a $476/month shortfall (around $5,712/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,733 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($63,284 vs $97,552 state median), the broader New South Wales market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.