Balwyn
A $2.96m median house price and 44.0% outright ownership define Balwyn before anything else. The suburb sits in Melbourne's inner east near Kew and Camberwell, but compared with Camberwell's stronger rail focus, Balwyn reads as school-led and low-rise: 58.7% separate houses, 26.0% semi-detached homes and only 15.2% apartments. This matters because buyer demand is anchored in education, equity and family housing rather than fast population growth. Its 13,495 residents are older than the national norm by 3.0 years, university attainment is 32.9 percentage points above national, and household income sits at the 74.2 percentile.
Population
13,495
Median Age
43.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,975/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
114
Median House
$3.0M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers are buying into a premium family market, with houses at $2.96m in Apr-Jun 2024 and values 6.9% below the Jul-Sep 2023 peak but 93.5% above 2013. Larger dwellings dominate: 38.6% have 4 or more bedrooms and 30.3% have 3 bedrooms, while 58.7% are separate houses. The trade-off is serviceability, because mortgage costs absorb 35.1% of income, higher than comfortable levels, even though 44.0% outright ownership points to deep established equity.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are buying into a premium family market, with houses at $2.96m in Apr-Jun 2024 and values 6.9% below the Jul-Sep 2023 peak but 93.5% above 2013. Larger dwellings dominate: 38.6% have 4 or more bedrooms and 30.3% have 3 bedrooms, while 58.7% are separate houses. The trade-off is serviceability, because mortgage costs absorb 35.1% of income, higher than comfortable levels, even though 44.0% outright ownership points to deep established equity.
For Investors
Investors face a mixed signal. Renting accounts for 27.8% of households and weekly rent is $451, while rent growth across the shift indicators is 30.4%, higher than real income growth of 10.7%. The caution is vacancy: 11.5% is elevated, so cash-flow assumptions need conservative downtime. Development is active with 35 applications in 12 months, mostly small tree or VicSmart matters in the sample, because established blocks are being managed rather than rapidly replaced. Overseas migration is the primary driver, adding +523 people a year compared with -251 internal movement.
Development Activity
Total DAs
122
Last 12 Months
114
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+1800.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Balwyn iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Fintona Girls' School
Prep-12 · 533 students
Balwyn Primary School
Prep-6 · 574 students
Demographics
Balwyn's demographic profile is older, highly educated and internationally connected. The median age is 43, which is 3.0 years above the national benchmark, and 63.0% hold a university qualification, 32.9 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents account for 46.9%, led by Chinese ancestry at 4,640 people alongside English at 2,850 and Irish at 1,142. Mandarin is spoken by 1,305 residents and Canton by 406, so local services and schools tend to reflect multilingual households rather than an average Australian age mix.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
58.7%
Houses
26.0%
Townhouse
15.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Balwyn's housing market has long-run capital depth but recent softness. The median rose from $1.53m in 2013 to $2.96m in Apr-Jun 2024, a 93.5% gain and 4.8% CAGR over 14 years, yet it remains 6.9% below the $3.179m peak of Jul-Sep 2023. Compared with nearby Kew and Camberwell, Balwyn leans more to family-scale streets in its own mix: 58.7% separate houses, 26.0% semi-detached and 15.2% apartments. Tenure is equity-heavy because 44.0% own outright, above the 28.2% with a mortgage and 27.8% renting.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,000
Rent / wk
$451
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$850
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.5%
Unoccupied
663
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
35.1% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.5%
Couples, no children
11,050
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local economy is high-skill and health-heavy. Healthcare employs 946 workers or 19.8%, followed by Professional/Tech at 759 or 15.9%, Education at 516 or 10.8%, Retail at 404 or 8.5% and Finance at 353 or 7.4%. Professionals number 2,385 and managers 1,197, helping explain income at the 74.2 percentile. SEIFA is strong but uneven: IEO decile 10, IER decile 8, IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 9. Participation is 54.8%, lower than a pure working-age hub, because 4,430 people are not in the labour force and the median age is 43.
Unemployment
3.0%
Labour Force
8,959
Unemployed
272
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.8%
Part-time
34.0%
Participation
54.8%
Employed
5,874
Occupations
Top Industries
University
63.0%
Postgraduate
19.6%
Born Overseas
46.9%
Dwellings
5,069
Transport to Work
Daily life is education-led but car-oriented. Public transport use is 4.4% and car driving is 83.9%, so Balwyn suits households comfortable with car-based routines rather than a rail-first pattern. The 2 local schools sit at a high ICSEA range of 1171 to 1191, led by Fintona Girls' School in the Independent sector and Balwyn Primary in Government, giving both private and public options. Safety is relatively favourable in context, with 619 offences and 45.9 per 1,000 residents, mostly property and deception at 461. IRSAD decile 9 is above average, because advantage supports services and school demand.
Drive
83.9%
Public Transport
4.4%
Walk / Cycle
5.2%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.41%/yr
(+93 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is deliberately slow rather than expansionary. The trend forecast adds 0.41% a year, or about 93 people, taking the medium scenario from 22,300 in 2026 to 22,765 in 2031. Migration is the key mechanism: overseas migration contributes +523 people a year, compared with a -251 internal outflow, so new arrivals offset locals moving out. The gentrification score is 20 and stage is Early signs, below a rapid-change profile, because Balwyn is already expensive and established. The broader shift remains Stable after a -2.4% COVID dip and 4.1% recovery.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+523
Net Internal / yr
-251
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal outflow -251/yr, Strong overseas inflow +523/yr, COVID recovered (-2% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
619
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
45.9
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Balwyn compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Balwyn a good suburb to live in?
Yes for buyers who value schools, large homes and established wealth. Balwyn has 2 local schools with ICSEA scores from 1171 to 1191, 58.7% separate houses and IRSAD decile 9, which is above average. The main compromise is car reliance, with 83.9% driving to work.
What is the median house price in Balwyn?
The median house price is $2.96m for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 6.9% below the Jul-Sep 2023 peak of $3.179m, but still 93.5% above the 2013 level of $1.53m, showing long-run strength despite a softer recent quarter.
What schools are in Balwyn?
Balwyn has 2 local schools: Fintona Girls' School, an Independent combined school with ICSEA 1191 and 533 enrolments, and Balwyn Primary School, a Government primary with ICSEA 1171 and 574 enrolments.
Is Balwyn safe?
Balwyn recorded 619 offences, equal to 45.9 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences make up the largest category at 461, well above crimes against the person at 80, so day-to-day risk is more property-focused than violent.
Is Balwyn good for property investment?
For investors, Balwyn has 27.8% renting and a $451 weekly rent, plus 30.4% rent growth in the shift indicators. The 11.5% vacancy rate is the key caution, higher than investors would normally want, so downtime should be modelled carefully.
How is Balwyn's population changing?
Balwyn is growing slowly, with a trend of 0.41% a year or 93 people. The medium scenario rises from 22,300 in 2026 to 22,765 in 2031, and overseas migration of +523 a year offsets internal movement of -251.
What languages are spoken in Balwyn?
Balwyn is strongly multilingual: 46.9% of residents were born overseas, 25.3 percentage points above national. Mandarin is spoken by 1,305 residents, Canton by 406, Greek by 166, Hindi by 98 and Italian by 73.
What development activity is happening in Balwyn?
There were 35 development applications in 12 months. The sample is mainly VicSmart tree works lodged in 2026, so activity looks incremental rather than broad redevelopment, which fits an established area with 58.7% separate houses.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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