PHOTO: Bondi Beach – Sydney, Australia. FILE
Irish Influencer Stuns Fans With “Crazy” $1,600-a-Week Rent for Sydney Beach Pad
📍 Tamarama, Sydney — Irish expat and influencer Sinead Hegarty, best known for her Love Island UK fame and now wellness entrepreneur, has left the internet reeling after revealing the jaw-dropping price she pays to live in one of Sydney’s most sought-after seaside suburbs.
💰 The cost? A staggering $1,600 a week.
That’s not for a mansion — it’s a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment that she shares with her partner in Tamarama, just a short stroll from Bondi’s glittering surf.
“I convinced my partner to do a year in this place because it’s our last year in Sydney, and we can just splash out and enjoy it,” Hegarty told property app Coposit, during one of their viral street interviews.
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🏝 From Couch Shares to Coastal Luxe
The influencer’s current coastal lifestyle is a far cry from her early Sydney days.
When she first landed three years ago, she paid just $250 a week — but lived with five people and had no living room.
“I really struggled when I first got here,” she admitted. “As a girl on my own, trying to get a lease was tough — landlords preferred couples.”
Now, as she prepares to swap Sydney’s eastern beaches for the Gold Coast, she’s reflecting on the wild rent inflation gripping the city.
@sineadhegarty Dealing with heartbreak? 💔
📈 Sydney’s Rental Reality: A Crisis That Won’t Quit
According to Realestate.com.au, Sydney’s median rent has soared to $750+ a week, the highest in Australia.
By comparison:
🏙 Melbourne sits around $600/week
🌇 Adelaide is just over $600/week
And yet, for many renters, that feels like a bargain.
One local interviewed by Coposit said her $1,200-a-week rent was about to rise to $1,350, forcing her and her flatmate to move out — despite having no car park, no gym, and no pool.
“Anyone with a full-time job shouldn’t have to pay more than 30% of their income on rent,” she said. “But around here, it’s more like 50%.”
💬 “Sydney Is a Rip-Off” — Internet Erupts
Online reaction was swift and savage.
💬 “Sydney is a rip-off.”
💬 “Rent is unaffordable everywhere!”
💬 “Australia is becoming unlivable — people are moving overseas!”
As rent prices skyrocket, many are questioning whether coastal glamour is worth the financial pain.
Even those living outside Bondi are feeling the burn. One renter said they were paying $900/week for a modest two-bedroom flat in Wolli Creek — a suburb once considered “affordable.”
She moved to Australia three years ago. Picture: Sinead Hegarty/Instagram
🏡 The Bigger Picture
The rental crisis continues to squeeze households nationwide. With rising interest rates, surging insurance costs, and wage stagnation, renters and homeowners alike are battling budgets on the brink.
For Hegarty, though, it’s a final year to savour before chasing new horizons.
For everyone else, it’s another reminder that Sydney’s sparkle comes with a serious price tag.
The Bondi Local revealed how much she pays in rent. Picture: TikTok/coposit_now
📊 Quick Stats
💸 Average Sydney rent: $750+ per week
🏖 Sinead’s rent: $1,600 per week
🏙 Rent growth 2025: +8.2% (YoY)
🏡 Average renter: spending 40–50% of income on rent
SOURCE: NEWS.COM.AU