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Suburb Insights · NSW 1860

Fairfield, NSW 1860 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Fairfield is a regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 18,596, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 24 km from the Sydney CBD, Fairfield is a regional area in New South Wales. The median household income is $56,784 per year.

Investment Score

43 / 100 Moderate

Household earnings in Fairfield are below the state average, which may affect long-term capital growth. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.

Location

Sydney
Fairfield
New South Wales · 1860
24 km from Sydney CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
1860

Official Australia Post postcode for Fairfield. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
18,596

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$365/wk

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

Median household income
$56,784/yr

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

Distance to CBD
24 km

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

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
5

Estimated 5 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
7

Estimated 7 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,733/mo

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

Home type
37% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Fairfield

Who Fairfield Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersEntry costs sit at or below the New South Wales median.
💼ProfessionalsLonger commute to the CBD.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Mortgage costs are lower than the New South Wales median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Access to several schools nearby (around 5).
  • Local parks and reserves (around 7) add to liveability.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Rent-to-income ratio is above comfortable thresholds — watch tenant affordability.
  • Traffic can build during peak hours, especially on arterial roads.

Investment Insight

With 18,596 residents, Fairfield is one of New South Wales's more populous suburbs — roughly 3.5× the state median of 5,325 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. Fairfield's median household income of $56,784/year is 42% 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. Median weekly rent of $365 equates to $1,582/month — about 91% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. 24 km from Sydney places Fairfield in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs. Only 37% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 76% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.

Investment Tip

Regional property can deliver strong cash-flow yields but liquidity is tighter — plan for longer hold periods and verify local employment stability. Local rents consume roughly 33% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Fairfield vs New South Wales Median

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

MetricFairfieldNSW medianΔ vs state
Population18,5965,325+249%
Median household income$56,784/yr$97,552/yr-42%
Median rent (weekly)$365$430-15%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,733$2,167-20%
Distance to CBD24 km45 km-47%
Separate houses37%76%-39pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 42% below the NSW median ($56,784 vs $97,552) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $365/week (~$1,582/month) covers 91% of the $1,733/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $151/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

Only 37% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 76% NSW median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Fairfield property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Fairfield

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Fairfield are modest for 2026 — incomes 42% below the NSW median of $97,552 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~91% of the typical mortgage ($1,582/month rent vs $1,733/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 43/100 places Fairfield 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fairfield a good suburb for investment?

Fairfield scores 43/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 18,596, median household income of $56,784/year and median weekly rent of $365. 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 Fairfield?

The main demand drivers in Fairfield are proximity to Sydney (24 km), a median household income of $56,784/year, a dwelling mix that is 37% separate houses, roughly 5 schools and 7 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 Fairfield?

Fairfield has a usual resident population of approximately 18,596, 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.

How far is Fairfield from the Sydney CBD?

Fairfield sits 24 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.

What is the median rent in Fairfield?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $365 in Fairfield, equating to approximately $18,980/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 Fairfield?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Fairfield 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.

Is Fairfield cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $365 works out to $1,582/month, covering 91% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month. That leaves a $151/month shortfall (around $1,812/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 Fairfield?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,733 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($56,784 vs $97,552 state median), a unit-heavy dwelling mix (37% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, 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 Fairfield 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