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Suburb Insights · NSW 2171

Carnes Hill, NSW 2171 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Carnes Hill is an outer-metropolitan suburb of Sydney, Australia, with a population of approximately 3,332, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 34 km from the Sydney CBD, Carnes Hill is a outer metro area in New South Wales. The median household income is $136,760 per year.

Investment Score

75 / 100 Good

Carnes Hill benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. While further from the city, improving transport links could boost future demand.

Location

Sydney
Carnes Hill
New South Wales · 2171
34 km from Sydney CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
2171

Official Australia Post postcode for Carnes Hill. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
3,332

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$600/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$136,760/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
34 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$2,700/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
95% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Why People Like Living in Carnes Hill

Who Carnes Hill Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersPrices sit above the New South Wales median — stretch goal.
💼ProfessionalsAround 34 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.
  • Affordable entry point compared with inner-city suburbs.

Cons

  • Median mortgage sits above the New South Wales state median — entry costs are stretched.
  • Long distance to the CBD (34 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • New-estate oversupply risk — many similar homes can compete for the same buyers.
  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.

Investment Insight

Carnes Hill is a smaller community of 3,332 — about 63% of the New South Wales suburb median (5,325) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Median household income of $136,760/year runs 40% above the New South Wales suburb median of $97,552, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. Median weekly rent of $600 equates to $2,600/month — about 96% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,700/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. At 34 km from Sydney, Carnes Hill is an outer-metro location where buyers are typically trading commute time for floor space and a lower entry price. Separate houses make up 95% of dwellings — 19 percentage points above the New South Wales median of 76% — pointing to a family-oriented, land-rich market where value is concentrated in the underlying block.

Investment Tip

This suburb suits long-term investors due to steady population growth and affordable entry prices. Look for established streets close to schools and shops rather than raw new-estate land. Local rents consume roughly 23% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Carnes Hill vs New South Wales Median

How Carnes Hill stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Carnes Hill sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricCarnes HillNSW medianΔ vs state
Population3,3325,325-37%
Median household income$136,760/yr$97,552/yr+40%
Median rent (weekly)$600$430+40%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,700$2,167+25%
Distance to CBD34 km45 km-24%
Separate houses95%76%+19pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Carnes Hill — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

⚠️
Buy & Hold

Moderate buy-and-hold potential: Carnes Hill's 3,332-person market and $136,760 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $600/week (~$2,600/month) covers 96% of the $2,700/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $100/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 95% houses in a 3,332-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Carnes Hill property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Carnes Hill

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Strong

Capital-growth expectations for Carnes Hill are modest for 2026 — incomes 40% above the NSW median of $97,552 and a population of 3,332 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~96% of the typical mortgage ($2,600/month rent vs $2,700/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 75/100 places Carnes Hill in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is constructive heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Carnes Hill a good suburb for investment?

Carnes Hill scores 75/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 3,332, median household income of $136,760/year and median weekly rent of $600. 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.

What drives property demand in Carnes Hill?

The main demand drivers in Carnes Hill are an above-state-median household income of $136,760/year, a dwelling mix that is 95% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 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.

What is the population of Carnes Hill?

Carnes Hill has a usual resident population of approximately 3,332, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — placing it in the lower 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.

How far is Carnes Hill from the Sydney CBD?

Carnes Hill sits 34 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is an outer-metro location; local employment and infrastructure announcements tend to move prices more than CBD connectivity alone.

What is the median rent in Carnes Hill?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $600 in Carnes Hill, equating to approximately $31,200/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.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Carnes Hill?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Carnes Hill is $2,700, or approximately $32,400/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.

Is Carnes Hill cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $600 works out to $2,600/month, covering 96% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,700/month. That leaves a $100/month shortfall (around $1,200/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.

What are the main risks of investing in Carnes Hill?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (3,332 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,700 median mortgage, 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.

How we built this Carnes Hill profile

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.

Nearby Suburbs

New South Wales Property Resources