Menai (NSW 2230) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 91/100, 3.1% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: Affluent Owner-Occupier Upgrader Market · R-Score: 91/100 (National Rank #1,421 of 15,286) · Street Average: 66/100 across 158 streets.

Menai is an established, high-income owner-occupier market where land scarcity and school/amenity appeal drive long-term capital values ($1,700,000 median). Because gross rental yields sit at 3.1%, 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 treat the 0.9% vacancy rate as confirmation of tenant demand, not as a reason to overlook the numbers. At a $1.7 million median and just 3.1% gross yield, the buyer’s real job is selecting a defensible street while accepting that the holding cost is substantial.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The Menai (NSW) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the Menai 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 Menai (NSW 2230), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Sutherland Shire (NSW), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 4,826 residential addresses.

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

Over the past 12 months, Menai’s median house price moved -0.9% (from $1,715,000 to $1,700,000), bringing its 3-year cumulative price movement to +12.6% (from $1,510,000 three years ago). On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved -0.5% over the past year to $1015/wk (+7.5% over 36 months), equating to a 3.1% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Menai carried an R-Score of 81/100—its current composite R-Score of 91/100 represents a +10-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Menai (NSW) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	91 / 100	Ranked #1,421 of 15,286 suburbs (was 81/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$1,700,000	12m change: -0.9% · 36m change: +12.6%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$1015/wk (3.1%)	12m rent change: -0.5% · 36m rent change: +7.5%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	0.9% vacancy	Median selling time: 46 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	36 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	38 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	75 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Sutherland Shire & NSW
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	62 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

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

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Menai achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 4,826 addresses across 158 streets in Menai through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 78 streets (60% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Menai rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 35 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): 16 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 Menai (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 158 streets in Menai):

Top Street in Menai	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Llanberis Drive	100/100	41	98%	0%	$1300/wk (3.3%)
#2 Parys Close	100/100	27	98%	0%	$1300/wk (3.3%)
#3 Treborth Place	100/100	23	98%	0%	$1300/wk (3.3%)
#4 Nevin Close	100/100	15	98%	0%	$1300/wk (3.3%)
#5 Windle Place	100/100	68	97%	0%	$1071/wk (3.2%)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Menai 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 Menai:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Sedgeman Avenue	0/100	32	52%	29.6%	$900/wk
Emerson Place	0/100	18	52%	29.6%	$900/wk
Court Place	0/100	9	52%	29.6%	$900/wk

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

Menai sits within the Sutherland Shire Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 241,327 (+3.9% population movement over the past 3 years) and 84,526 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape Menai’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Sutherland Shire are Health Care and Social Assistance (15%), Retail Trade (15%), Accommodation and Food Services (9%), Construction (9%). 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, Sutherland Shire approved 1.5% new dwelling stock (~1,311.6 dwellings). Because annual additions sit under 1.8% of stock, incoming supply is constrained relative to tenant and buyer demand.
• Tracked Infrastructure Pipeline: Sutherland Shire currently has $1.8 billion in tracked major infrastructure projects (placing it in the 54th percentile of Australian councils).

4. Worked Cashflow, Deposit & 80% LVR Stress-Test for Menai (October 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Menai at today’s median price of $1,700,000 and median rent of $1015/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	Menai Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$1,700,000	Settled house median as of October 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$421,600	$340,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$81,600 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$1,360,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$52,780/yr ($1015/wk)	3.1% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$103,700/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($85,000/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($18,700/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$979/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

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

High Land Scarcity and Deep Homeowner Wealth, But Cashflow-Intensive. Based on our October 2026 data, Menai 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 Menai, 16 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Menai Street Score Hub and target the 78 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Llanberis Drive, 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.