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Suburb Insights · NSW 2285

Macquarie Hills, NSW 2285 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Macquarie Hills is a regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 3,605, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 110 km from the Sydney CBD, Macquarie Hills is a regional area in New South Wales. The median household income is $116,532 per year.

Investment Score

63 / 100 Good

Macquarie Hills benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.

Location

Sydney
Macquarie Hills
New South Wales · 2285
110 km from Sydney CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
2285

Official Australia Post postcode for Macquarie Hills. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
3,605

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$473/wk

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

Median household income
$116,532/yr

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

Distance to CBD
110 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
$2,000/mo

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

Home type
97% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Macquarie Hills

Who Macquarie Hills 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.
💼ProfessionalsAround 110 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Mortgage costs are lower than the New South Wales median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Long distance to the CBD (110 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.

Investment Insight

Macquarie Hills is a smaller community of 3,605 — about 68% 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 $116,532/year runs 19% 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 $473 equates to $2,050/month — about 102% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,000/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Macquarie Hills is 110 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Separate houses make up 97% of dwellings — 21 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

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 21% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Macquarie Hills vs New South Wales Median

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

MetricMacquarie HillsNSW medianΔ vs state
Population3,6055,325-32%
Median household income$116,532/yr$97,552/yr+19%
Median rent (weekly)$473$430+10%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,000$2,167-8%
Distance to CBD110 km45 km+144%
Separate houses97%76%+21pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

⚠️
Buy & Hold

Moderate buy-and-hold potential: Macquarie Hills's 3,605-person market and $116,532 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: $473/week (~$2,050/month) covers 102% of the $2,000/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 97% houses in a 3,605-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 Macquarie Hills property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Macquarie Hills

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Moderate

Capital-growth expectations for Macquarie Hills are modest for 2026 — incomes 19% above the NSW median of $97,552 and a population of 3,605 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~102% of the typical mortgage ($2,050/month rent vs $2,000/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 63/100 places Macquarie Hills in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Macquarie Hills a good suburb for investment?

Macquarie Hills scores 63/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 3,605, median household income of $116,532/year and median weekly rent of $473. 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 Macquarie Hills?

The main demand drivers in Macquarie Hills are an above-state-median household income of $116,532/year, a dwelling mix that is 97% 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 Macquarie Hills?

Macquarie Hills has a usual resident population of approximately 3,605, 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 Macquarie Hills from the Sydney CBD?

Macquarie Hills sits 110 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.

What is the median rent in Macquarie Hills?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $473 in Macquarie Hills, equating to approximately $24,596/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 Macquarie Hills?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Macquarie Hills is $2,000, or approximately $24,000/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 Macquarie Hills cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $473 works out to $2,050/month, covering 102% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,000/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $50/month, so on these numbers Macquarie Hills leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. 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 Macquarie Hills?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (3,605 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,000 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 Macquarie Hills 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