Gross rental yield is simply the annual rent a property earns, divided by what it costs to buy — expressed as a percentage. A $600-a-week unit bought for $500,000 earns $31,200 a year, or a 6.2% gross yield. It's the quickest way to compare how hard your money works across different NSW postcodes, and the gap between the highest- and lowest-yielding areas in this state is enormous. Below are the top 10 postcodes by gross yield for units and for houses, as at October 2026, from NSW Valuer-General sales records and NSW Fair Trading bond lodgements. Our Sydney Rental Yield Map uses the same data and refreshes it monthly.
Top 10 unit postcodes by gross yield
Every postcode below has at least 30 recorded unit sales and 30 bond lodgements in the data window. Unit sample sizes here range from 37 to 1,329 sales, and 34 to 6,039 bond lodgements.
| # | Postcode | Suburbs | Gross yield | Median rent | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2731 | Moama, Womboota | 6.8% | $430/wk | $330,000 |
| 2 | 2008 | Chippendale, Darlington | 6.3% | $900/wk | $745,000 |
| 3 | 2161 | Guildford, Guildford West | 6.0% | $550/wk | $475,000 |
| 4 | 2165 | Fairfield, Fairfield West | 6.0% | $550/wk | $475,000 |
| 5 | 2036 | Eastgardens, Matraville | 6.0% | $1,080/wk | $940,000 |
| 6 | 2150 | Parramatta, Harris Park | 5.9% | $700/wk | $620,000 |
| 7 | 2017 | Zetland, Waterloo | 5.9% | $1,060/wk | $940,000 |
| 8 | 2142 | Granville, Rosehill | 5.9% | $600/wk | $532,000 |
| 9 | 2020 | Mascot | 5.8% | $1,000/wk | $900,000 |
| 10 | 2830 | Dubbo, Ballimore | 5.7% | $390/wk | $357,500 |
Figures as at October 2026. Rent window: new bond lodgements October 2025–August 2026 (NSW Fair Trading Rental Bond Data, CC-BY). Sales window: settled 2025 (NSW Valuer-General Property Sales Information, CC-BY). Postcode medians, not valuations — individual properties vary.
The mix here is notable: it isn't only cheap regional postcodes. Inner and middle-ring Sydney unit markets — Chippendale and Darlington near Sydney University, Zetland and Waterloo in the Green Square renewal precinct, Parramatta's CBD fringe and Mascot near the airport — out-yield much of the rest of the state because strong rental demand keeps rents high relative to what units there cost to buy. Compare that to the premium eastern beaches or lower north shore, where unit prices are far higher but rents don't rise proportionately, dragging yields down. Moama, a Murray River town across the river from Echuca, tops the list on a small sample of 37 sales and 34 new bonds, so treat its figure with care.
Top 10 house postcodes — and why regional NSW dominates
House yields tell a much simpler story. Every postcode in the top 10 is regional or remote NSW. House sample sizes here range from 50 to 657 sales, and 31 to 374 bond lodgements.
| # | Postcode | Suburbs | Gross yield | Median rent | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2840 | Bourke, Wanaaring | 10.1% | $325/wk | $167,500 |
| 2 | 2829 | Coonamble | 9.3% | $325/wk | $182,500 |
| 3 | 2880 | Broken Hill, Tibooburra | 9.0% | $360/wk | $208,000 |
| 4 | 2824 | Warren, Ravenswood | 8.6% | $350/wk | $211,000 |
| 5 | 2877 | Condobolin, Euabalong West | 8.3% | $385/wk | $240,000 |
| 6 | 2820 | Wellington, Montefiores | 7.8% | $500/wk | $335,000 |
| 7 | 2357 | Coonabarabran, Ulamambri | 7.2% | $380/wk | $275,000 |
| 8 | 2835 | Cobar | 6.7% | $360/wk | $280,000 |
| 9 | 2388 | Wee Waa, Yarrie Lake | 6.5% | $400/wk | $319,250 |
| 10 | 2671 | West Wyalong, Wyalong | 6.3% | $450/wk | $369,500 |
Figures as at October 2026. Rent window: new bond lodgements October 2025–August 2026 (NSW Fair Trading Rental Bond Data, CC-BY). Sales window: settled 2025 (NSW Valuer-General Property Sales Information, CC-BY). Postcode medians, not valuations — individual properties vary.
Regional NSW dominates the house rankings for one structural reason: house yield is rent divided by price, and outback and far-western postcodes like Bourke and Broken Hill have median house prices of about $210,000 or less — a fraction of Sydney's. Even a modest weekly rent produces a high percentage yield against such a small base. It's a mathematical effect, not a sign these are booming rental markets.
Menangle Park (2563), on Sydney's south-western fringe, no longer appears. Until September 2026 the data counted vacant lots sold in its new estates as house sales, which put its house median at $609,000 and its yield at 6.4%. With those lots left out, its median is $1,250,000 and its yield is about 3.2%.
The Sydney Rental Yield Map colours all 560+ NSW postcodes by gross yield, rent or price, for units and houses — zoom from all of NSW down to Sydney suburb level and hover any postcode for its exact figures.
Explore the map →
Why a high yield isn't automatically a good investment
A high gross yield is one number out of several that matter, and treating it as the whole picture is how investors end up in thin, high-risk markets. Before chasing any postcode on the tables above, weigh it against:
- Gross yield ignores costs. Property management fees, council rates, strata or body corporate, insurance, maintenance, vacancy periods and loan interest all come out of that headline rent. Net yield — after these — typically runs 1–2 percentage points lower, and for a leveraged purchase, interest costs alone can turn a "good" gross yield into a cash-flow loss. Model your own numbers with the negative gearing calculator to see the after-tax cash-flow position, not just the yield.
- High yield often means low capital growth expectations. Markets price risk and growth prospects into both rent and price. A postcode with a rock-bottom median price and high yield, like several of the regional postcodes above, can also mean thin demand, limited employment base, and flat or falling long-term values.
- Vacancy risk is higher in thin regional markets. A property in a small town with one major employer can sit vacant for months if that employer contracts. Sydney's inner-ring high-yield unit postcodes carry lower vacancy risk simply from deeper, more diverse tenant demand.
- These are postcode medians, not valuations. Your specific property will differ from the postcode-wide median rent and price — sometimes significantly. Use these figures to compare areas, not to price an individual property.
How to check your own suburb
If you already own a rental property, or you're comparing a suburb you're considering buying into, the two tables above only cover the extremes — the top 10 out of more than 500 NSW postcodes with enough data to publish a yield. To check any specific postcode:
- Open the Sydney Rental Yield Map and zoom to your suburb — hover any postcode to see its gross yield, median weekly rent and median sale price for units and houses side by side.
- Run your own numbers through the NSW Rental Yield Calculator — enter your actual purchase price and expected (or actual) rent to get a personalised gross and net yield, rather than relying on the postcode median.
- If you're setting or reviewing the rent on an existing property, check it against the local median first with the NSW Rent Gap Calculator — it flags whether you're under-renting relative to your postcode.
- Weighing a sale instead? The Property Sale Profit Calculator shows what you'd walk away with after loan interest, selling costs and CGT.
The map, its yield calculator and the rent gap calculator use the same NSW Valuer-General and Fair Trading data as the tables above.
Sources checked (October 2026)
- NSW Valuer-General — Property Sales Information (settled sales, 2025 window), Creative Commons BY licence
- NSW Fair Trading — Rental Bond Data (new tenancy bond lodgements, October 2025–August 2026 window), Creative Commons BY licence
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Postal Areas (POA) 2021 boundaries, used to group sales and bonds by postcode
- Cotality — Home Value Index, September 2026 (Sydney gross rental yield)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good rental yield in NSW?
There's no official benchmark, but a gross yield above 5% is generally considered strong for NSW residential property in 2026. The median across our postcode data is about 4.0% for units and 3.3% for houses, and Cotality puts Sydney's average gross yield at 3.4% (September 2026). The top postcodes here are well above that. A higher yield usually comes with lower expected price growth, more vacancy risk or both, so it isn't automatically better.
Are high-yield postcodes always regional or outer-metro?
For houses, almost always: the top 10 house postcodes here are all regional or remote NSW, where prices are low enough that modest rents give a high yield. Units are more mixed. Several of the top 10 unit postcodes are inner and middle-ring Sydney suburbs, such as Chippendale, Zetland, Waterloo, Parramatta and Mascot, where demand from students and workers keeps rents high compared with unit prices. Regional towns such as Moama and Dubbo are on the list too.
How current is this data?
The tables use the October 2026 data: rents from NSW Fair Trading bond lodgements for new tenancies from October 2025 to August 2026, and sale prices from NSW Valuer General sales settled in 2025, the latest full calendar year. The Sydney Rental Yield Map uses the same data and refreshes monthly, so it may show newer figures.
Does gross yield account for costs like agent fees, strata and repairs?
No. Gross yield is a year's rent divided by the price, before any costs. It leaves out property management fees, strata, council rates, insurance, maintenance, empty weeks and loan interest. Net yield, after those costs, is usually 1–2 percentage points lower. Treat every figure here as a starting point, not the return you'd actually keep.
Can I check the exact yield for my own suburb or property?
Yes. The figures here are medians across many properties, so your address will differ. The Sydney Rental Yield Map shows any NSW postcode's yield, rent and price, and its calculator works out a gross and net yield from your own price, rent and running costs. If you're weighing a sale instead, Velofy's property sale profit calculator shows what you'd walk away with after loan interest, selling costs and CGT.