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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Emerald Hill is a regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 137, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 351 km from the Sydney CBD, Emerald Hill is a regional area in New South Wales. The median household income is $88,816 per year.
Household incomes in Emerald Hill sit in a comfortable mid-range for the New South Wales market. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.
Official Australia Post postcode for Emerald Hill. 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 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Emerald Hill on My School →Estimated 1 park 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.
Emerald Hill is a smaller community of 137 — about 3% of the New South Wales suburb median (5,325) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Household income of $88,816/year is 9% below the New South Wales median of $97,552, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Median rent of $250/week (~$1,083/month) covers only 64% of the median mortgage of $1,686/month — the remaining $603/month must be funded from other income, so this suburb tilts toward capital growth rather than yield. Emerald Hill is 351 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How Emerald Hill stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Emerald Hill sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Emerald Hill | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 137 | 5,325 | -97% |
| Median household income | $88,816/yr | $97,552/yr | -9% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $250 | $430 | -42% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,686 | $2,167 | -22% |
| Distance to CBD | 351 km | 45 km | +680% |
| Separate houses | 84% | 76% | +8pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Emerald Hill — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 137 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.
Weak cash flow: $250/week rent covers only 64% of the $1,686/month median mortgage — a $603/month gap that must be funded from other income. This suburb is a capital-growth play, not a yield play.
With 84% houses in a 137-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 Emerald Hill property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Emerald Hill are modest for 2026 — incomes 9% below the NSW median of $97,552 and a population of 137 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~64% of the typical mortgage ($1,083/month rent vs $1,686/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 39/100 places Emerald Hill in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Emerald Hill scores 39/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 137, median household income of $88,816/year and median weekly rent of $250. 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 Emerald Hill are a median household income of $88,816/year, a dwelling mix that is 84% 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.
Emerald Hill has a usual resident population of approximately 137, 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.
Emerald Hill sits 351 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 $250 in Emerald Hill, equating to approximately $13,000/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 Emerald Hill is $1,686, or approximately $20,232/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 $250 works out to $1,083/month, covering 64% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,686/month. That leaves a $603/month shortfall (around $7,236/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 a thin buyer pool (137 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,686 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.
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.