Rose Bay (NSW), NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Rose Bay is one of Sydney's most prestigious harbourside suburbs, set on the southern shore of the harbour about seven kilometres east of the central business district, partly in the Municipality of Woollahra. It looks across the water to both the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, with Lyne Park along its foreshore. The land was recorded in the Dharug language as Banarung, and the bay took its present name, used as early as 1788, from George Rose, a secretary to the British Treasury. From 1938 flying boats bound for London took off from the bay, making it Sydney's first international airport, a role remembered in today's Rose Bay Water Airport, from which scenic seaplanes still depart. The private Royal Sydney Golf Club has its links here.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Rose Bay (NSW) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1157, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Rose Bay (NSW) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Rose Bay (NSW) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
99/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (99/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
2/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $630 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 2% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Rose Bay (NSW) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,911
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $2,539
- SEIFA score
- 1157
- Local government area
- Woollahra
- Coordinates
- -33.8742, 151.2669
Map of Rose Bay (NSW)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Rose Bay (NSW)
What it costs to live in Rose Bay (NSW) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $630
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $3,250
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 54%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 42%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Rose Bay (NSW) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Rose Bay (NSW) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Rose Bay (NSW) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 29% and 42% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,622 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,008 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,879 | 29% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,389 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,007 | 20% |
Share of the 9,905 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,202 | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 954 | 24% |
| Rented | 1,700 | 42% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 826 | 21% |
| Townhouses & semis | 349 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 2,758 | 69% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,000 occupied private dwellings in Rose Bay (NSW).
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,510
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,398
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,988 (42%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,955 (21%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 40 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 6,529 (82%)
- Labour-force participation
- 63.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.4%
- Employed full-time
- 3,125
- Employed part-time
- 1,515
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Rose Bay (NSW)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Rose Bay (NSW) is January (average daytime high around 25.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.5°C). The area receives roughly 1084 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.7°C | 19.3°C | 104 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 19°C | 119 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 18°C | 186 mm |
| Apr | 21.9°C | 15°C | 100 mm |
| May | 19.2°C | 11.7°C | 56 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.8°C | 74 mm |
| Jul | 16.5°C | 8.7°C | 70 mm |
| Aug | 17.3°C | 9.2°C | 67 mm |
| Sep | 19.6°C | 11.3°C | 55 mm |
| Oct | 21.8°C | 13.7°C | 92 mm |
| Nov | 22.8°C | 15.5°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 24.7°C | 17.5°C | 83 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Rose Bay (NSW)
Is Rose Bay (NSW) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Rose Bay (NSW) rates 67/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Rose Bay (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Rose Bay (NSW) was $630, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,250. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Rose Bay (NSW)?
Rose Bay (NSW) is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Woollahra local government area.
What is the population of Rose Bay (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, Rose Bay (NSW) had a population of about 9,911.
Is Rose Bay (NSW) an advantaged area?
Rose Bay (NSW) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1157, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Rose Bay (NSW)?
Rose Bay (NSW) has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 1,084 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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