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Kensington, NSW 2033
Renting in Kensington — live right beside UNSW
2 rooms listedfrom $370/weekUNSW
Kensington is the suburb the UNSW campus actually sits in, which makes it the closest you can live to your lectures — for a lot of students here, the daily 'commute' is just a short walk to the campus gates on Anzac Parade. It also feels calmer and greener than its busy neighbour Kingsford, with the open lawns of Centennial Park and the sports fields of Moore Park right on the doorstep for when you need to step away from study.
Because Kensington is so heavily student housing and rented homes, there's a real range to choose from — a single room in a share house, a studio close to the light rail — and fresh rooms appear through the year as leases turn over. If you're still overseas, you can read every listing and message hosts on Zuwu in your own language before you fly out, so you can have an inspection lined up for the week you arrive instead of starting from scratch once you're here.
Rooms in Kensington right now
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Getting to UNSW
Getting to class is simple: the UNSW main campus is right on Kensington's doorstep, so most students just walk. If you're at the far end of the suburb, the L2 or L3 light rail gets you to campus in a single stop, and the same line runs into the city centre in about 20 minutes — handy for a weekend out or a part-time job.
Who lives in Kensington
Kensington is a genuinely student-shaped neighbourhood: most homes here are rented rather than owned, and a large share of residents study at UNSW. The 2021 Census recorded a mostly European ancestry mix (around 45%), alongside sizeable Oceanian (about 16%) and East Asian (about 15%) communities, so you'll be living among a blend of locals and international students, with campus life spilling out onto the cafes and bus stops along Anzac Parade.
Tips for renting in Kensington
- Rooms within walking distance of the UNSW gates get taken quickly, especially in the lead-up to Term 1 — if one looks right, book an inspection early rather than waiting.
- Check how far a place is from an L2/L3 light rail stop or an Anzac Parade bus stop; a few hundred metres can be the difference between an easy stroll to class and a long uphill walk with your shopping.
- The quieter streets towards Centennial Park can be better value than the blocks right beside campus — and because a listing's exact address stays private on Zuwu until you book an inspection, message the host first to check the real walk to uni.
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