Sydney’s priciest streets widen the gap in Australia’s luxury market
Ray White senior data analyst Atom Go Tian says Sydney’s elite postcodes are pulling further ahead, with Bellevue Hill dominating the nation’s most expensive streets in 2025.
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Sydney has cemented its status as the nation’s luxury capital, with Kambala Road in Bellevue Hill being Australia’s most expensive street this year, posting a median house price of $39.35 million.
And, according to Ray White senior data analyst Atom Go Tian, last year’s leader, Wolseley Road, was excluded from this year’s rankings due to limited sales.
“Wolseley Road recorded only three sales this year and was therefore excluded from the rankings, though its $51.5 million median would have otherwise retained the top position,” he says.
Bellevue Hill continues its dominance, accounting for six of the nation’s top 10 streets. Tian says the suburb’s appeal lies in its rare blend of location and lifestyle advantages.
“The suburb’s enduring appeal lies in its rare combination of proximity to both the CBD and multiple beaches, harbour views, and large estate-sized blocks on tree-lined streets.”
Vaucluse remains a powerhouse in its own right. “Vaucluse extends this harbourside premium with even more direct beach access and panoramic water views,” he says.
The gulf between Sydney and the rest of the country remains striking.
According to Tian, “Sydney’s most expensive streets are more than five times more expensive than the leading streets in Perth and Brisbane, and more than 10 times the premium streets in Canberra and Adelaide.”
He attributes this to Sydney’s economic role and geographic constraints, describing it as “Australia’s financial capital and its most internationally connected city.”
Beyond Sydney, each capital city has developed its own luxury hierarchy. Tian highlights Melbourne’s stronghold in Toorak, noting that “Melbourne’s luxury market remains centred around Toorak, led by Clendon Road, St Georges Road and Linlithgow Road.”
Brisbane’s prestige pockets are more dispersed: “Brisbane’s luxury real estate shows a more diverse pattern,” he says, led by Laidlaw Parade at $6.5 million. Perth’s top-end market remains anchored in the Peppermint Grove–Dalkeith corridor, with Forrest Street at $7.5 million.
He also points to the stark contrast at the lower end of the spectrum. “Darwin presents a mirror image, hosting all 10 of the country’s cheapest streets,” Tian says. Austin Street in Southport sits at just $117,500.
The national spread reaches its extreme in New South Wales. “Sydney emerges as the most polarised market, spanning an extraordinary range from Railway Parade in Katoomba at $385,000 to Kambala Road’s $39.35 million,” Tian says.
Methodology: Tian’s analysis examines residential house sales between November 2022 and November 2025, with only streets recording at least five sales included. Several streets with higher medians, including Black Street, Queens Avenue and Clairvaux Road in Vaucluse, were excluded because they did not meet the sales threshold.
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Employment fell by 39,300 and unemployment held at a revised 4.7 per cent, giving the RBA more room to pause in November.
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Australia’s labour market weakened in September, reducing—but not eliminating—the case for another Reserve Bank rate rise in November.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. August was revised to the same level, while September employment fell by 39,300 people. The number of unemployed Australians increased by 8,900 to 732,000.
The weakness extended beyond the headline rate. The employment-to-population ratio fell 0.3 percentage points to 63.6 per cent, participation declined 0.2 points to 66.8 per cent and underemployment edged up to 6.3 per cent. Part-time employment fell by 73,700, partly offset by a 34,400 increase in full-time work.
For the RBA, this is a clearer sign that restrictive monetary policy is cooling demand. Higher unemployment and falling employment reduce wage pressure over time and increase the risk that another rate rise would push the economy harder than necessary.
That makes a November increase less certain. It does not make a hold inevitable. The RBA must balance labour-market softness against inflation, and the September-quarter consumer price index due later in October will carry more direct weight in the decision.
For mortgage holders and property investors, the practical conclusion is not to trade one data release. Borrowers should continue testing repayments at higher rates, preserve liquidity and avoid basing a purchase on an assumed near-term reversal. Refinancing decisions should be assessed against total cost, not simply the advertised rate.
Property markets may initially welcome a reduced probability of another increase because borrowing capacity and sentiment are highly rate-sensitive. But a weakening labour market is not unambiguously positive for housing: job security supports mortgage serviceability, rental demand and buyer confidence.
The September numbers have given the RBA a credible reason to wait. Inflation will determine whether it can use it.
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