Elizabeth Bay (NSW 2011) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 98/100, 4.7% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: Established Family & Commuter Corridor · R-Score: 98/100 (National Rank #391 of 15,286) · Street Average: 27/100 across 15 streets.

Elizabeth Bay (NSW 2011) represents a bread-and-butter Australian family housing market($3,255,000 median price, $3000/wk rent, 4.7% gross yield) supported by +10.4% 3-year council population movement. Here, investment returns are determined almost entirely by micro-location: separating quiet, >65% owner-occupied pockets from main-road or high-public-housing blocks.

“I would not let the 1.4% vacancy rate do all the selling. At a $3,000 weekly rent, the suburb still carries an estimated $818 weekly shortfall at 80% LVR, so I would assess the individual property, its street score and the buyer’s capital position before getting distracted by headline rental demand.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The Elizabeth Bay (NSW) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the Elizabeth Bay street-by-street scores rank every street. This article is our investment analysis of what those numbers mean.

Below is our full September 2026 quantitative and street-level breakdown for Elizabeth Bay (NSW 2011), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Sydney (NSW), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 6,037 residential addresses.

1. Elizabeth Bay (NSW) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (September 2026)

As of September 2026, Elizabeth Bay records a settled median house price of $3,255,000. On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved +0% over the past year to $3000/wk, equating to a 4.7% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Elizabeth Bay carried an R-Score of 97/100—its current composite R-Score of 98/100 represents a +1-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Elizabeth Bay (NSW) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	98 / 100	Ranked #391 of 15,286 suburbs (was 97/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$3,255,000	12m change: +0%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$3000/wk (4.7%)	12m rent change: +0%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	1.4% vacancy	Median selling time: 180 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	44 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	34 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	56 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Sydney & NSW
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	64 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

2. The “Two-Speed Suburb” Test: Best & Worst Streets in Elizabeth Bay (NSW)

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Elizabeth Bay achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 6,037 addresses across 15 streets in Elizabeth Bay through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 0 streets (0% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Elizabeth Bay rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 0 streets pass the core owner-occupier and public-housing thresholds but sit below the suburb median on weekly rent or yield.
• Weaker / Caution Street Profile (Score 0–25): 14 streets fail one or both census tenure thresholds—meaning either owner-occupation sits at or below 65% or state/community public housing exceeds 5% on those specific SA1 blocks.

Top 5 Highest-Scoring Streets in Elizabeth Bay (NSW)

These streets sit in SA1 census blocks with high homeowner pride of ownership, minimal social housing concentration, and strong block-level rents (inspect all 15 streets in Elizabeth Bay):

Top Street in Elizabeth Bay	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Billyard Avenue	44/100	418	53%	0%	$794/wk (2.1%)
#2 Ithaca Road	28/100	409	32%	0%	$704/wk (3.2%)
#3 Elizabeth Bay Crescent	25/100	45	50%	0%	$895/wk (1.2%)
#4 Macleay Street	25/100	1092	46%	0%	$792/wk (2.3%)
#5 Onslow Place	25/100	13	43%	0%	$772/wk (1.4%)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Elizabeth Bay Average

By contrast, the streets below run through SA1 census blocks that fail one or more of our tenure or rental tests. A lower Street Score is not a judgement of any individual house, but it highlights where higher renter turnover or public housing concentration exists within Elizabeth Bay:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Ward Avenue	25/100	214	25%	3.9%	$510/wk
Barncleuth Square	25/100	105	25%	3.9%	$510/wk
Elizabeth Bay Road	25/100	1760	39%	0%	$734/wk

3. Economic & Supply Drivers in Sydney Council (New South Wales)

Elizabeth Bay sits within the Sydney Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 241,797 (+10.4% population movement over the past 3 years) and 110,036 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape Elizabeth Bay’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Sydney are Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (19%), Financial and Insurance Services (18%), Accommodation and Food Services (7%), Public Administration and Safety (7%). Multi-sector employment reduces reliance on any single employer or commodity cycle.
• New Building Approvals vs. Existing Stock: Over the latest 12-month financial year, Sydney approved 1.5% new dwelling stock (~1,683.486 dwellings). Because annual additions sit under 1.8% of stock, incoming supply is constrained relative to tenant and buyer demand.
• Tracked Infrastructure Pipeline: Sydney currently has $50.8 billion in tracked major infrastructure projects (placing it in the 98th percentile of Australian councils).

4. Worked Cashflow, Deposit & 80% LVR Stress-Test for Elizabeth Bay (September 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Elizabeth Bay at today’s median price of $3,255,000 and median rent of $3000/wk? Below is the baseline 80% Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) model we use to stress-test serviceability before shortlisting a property:

Cashflow & Capital Item	Elizabeth Bay Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$3,255,000	Settled house median as of September 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$807,240	$651,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$156,240 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$2,604,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$156,000/yr ($3000/wk)	4.7% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$198,555/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($162,750/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($35,805/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$818/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

5. Who Should Buy in Elizabeth Bay—And 3 Rules Before You Make an Offer

Solid 98/100 R-Score Backed by Sydney Fundamentals. Based on our September 2026 data, Elizabeth Bay is best suited to higher-income professionals, medical practitioners, and upgraders with strong cashflow buffers targeting scarce land in an owner-occupier dominated suburb.

1. Never Buy Blind on the Suburb Median: In Elizabeth Bay, 14 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Elizabeth Bay Street Score Hub and target the 0 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Billyard Avenue, individual lots can carry overland flow paths, steep gradients, or sewer easements that restrict granny-flat additions or spike insurance premiums.
3. Price Against Street-Matched Settled Comparables: Do not let a selling agent justify an asking price on a 25/100 street using comparable sales from a 100/100 street. Compare settled sales within the same SA1 Street Score band.