Glebe (NSW 2007) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 84/100, 2.6% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: Affluent Owner-Occupier Upgrader Market · R-Score: 84/100 (National Rank #2,545 of 15,286) · Street Average: 13/100 across 99 streets.

Glebe is an established, high-income owner-occupier market where land scarcity and school/amenity appeal drive long-term capital values ($2,438,000 median). Because gross rental yields sit at 2.6%, this is not a cashflow play—it is a scarcity and land-banking market suited to high-income investors or rentvestors who prioritise street-level prestige and long-term compounding over immediate net yield.

“I’d be very careful with the suburb-wide story when 73 of 77 scored streets sit below 50. The two standout streets show what buyers are paying for, but the $1,660 weekly shortfall at 80% LVR means street quality needs to be matched with a realistic holding-cost budget.”

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

Below is our full October 2026 quantitative and street-level breakdown for Glebe (NSW 2007), 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 9,876 residential addresses.

1. Glebe (NSW) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (October 2026)

Over the past 12 months, Glebe’s median house price moved +6% (from $2,300,000 to $2,438,000), bringing its 3-year cumulative price movement to -17.8% (from $2,967,000 three years ago). On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved +9.1% over the past year to $1200/wk (+17% over 36 months), equating to a 2.6% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Glebe carried an R-Score of 83/100—its current composite R-Score of 84/100 represents a +1-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Glebe (NSW) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	84 / 100	Ranked #2,545 of 15,286 suburbs (was 83/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$2,438,000	12m change: +6% · 36m change: -17.8%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$1200/wk (2.6%)	12m rent change: +9.1% · 36m rent change: +17%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	5.7% vacancy	Median selling time: 52 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	41 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	29 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	73 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Sydney & NSW
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	43 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

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

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Glebe achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 9,876 addresses across 99 streets in Glebe through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 2 streets (3% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Glebe rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 2 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): 73 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 Glebe (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 99 streets in Glebe):

Top Street in Glebe	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Arcadia Road	100/100	48	68%	0%	$1100/wk (3.3%)
#2 Victoria Road	92/100	50	67%	0.7%	$1082/wk (3.2%)
#3 Boyce Street	67/100	118	65%	0%	$906/wk (3.1%)
#4 Toxteth Road	67/100	123	62%	0%	$927/wk (3%)
#5 Avenue Road	36/100	53	53%	0%	$684/wk (2%)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Glebe 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 Glebe:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Mount Vernon Street	0/100	83	4%	89.9%	—
Campbell Street	0/100	107	3%	80.6%	$1100/wk
Norton Street	0/100	26	3%	80.6%	$1100/wk

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

Glebe 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 Glebe’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 Glebe (October 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Glebe at today’s median price of $2,438,000 and median rent of $1200/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	Glebe Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$2,438,000	Settled house median as of October 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$604,624	$487,600 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$117,024 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$1,950,400	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$62,400/yr ($1200/wk)	2.6% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$148,718/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($121,900/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($26,818/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$1660/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

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

High Land Scarcity and Deep Homeowner Wealth, But Cashflow-Intensive. Based on our October 2026 data, Glebe 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 Glebe, 73 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Glebe Street Score Hub and target the 2 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Arcadia Road, 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.