Bentleigh East
Few Melbourne middle-ring suburbs hold the layered identity of Bentleigh East: a $1.51M median house, 36.3% born overseas (14.7pp above the national share), and a tri-cultural ancestry mix where English (6,945), Chinese (2,967), Greek (2,761), and Irish (2,596) each show up in real numbers. Judaism counts 2,878 residents, the largest non-Christian religion and a marker of the historic Caulfield-adjacent Jewish corridor. Prices doubled from $750k (2013) to $1.51M, a 5.1% CAGR over 14 years, slightly cooler than Mount Waverley's 89% surge over the same window but with a deeper European heritage layer. Bentleigh East sits in SEIFA decile 9 across IRSAD, IRSD and IEO, ranking it firmly in the top tenth of Australian suburbs by advantage, education and disadvantage absence. Where Clyde North grows at 6.32%/yr off greenfield, Bentleigh East compounds quietly at 1.33%/yr on a fully built footprint.
Population
30,159
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,215/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
148
Median House
$1.5M
Apr-Jun 2024
The entry ticket is $1.51M for a house, a -1.9% pullback from the $1.54M Jan-Mar 2024 peak but still 101.3% above 2013's $750k median. Stock favours families: 69.2% separate houses, only 16.5% apartments, and 34.5% have four-plus bedrooms (vs. 17% two-bed and 46.6% three-bed). Tenure is a genuine middle-ring split, 35.4% own outright and 40.1% hold a mortgage, leaving 24.4% rented, which is a tighter renter share than Glen Waverley's 28.1%. Mortgage-to-income runs at 26.1%, below the 30% stress line, supported by a median household weekly income of $2,215 (84.2nd percentile nationally). The honest read for buyers is a $1,510,000 baseline locks out anyone without dual professional income or family help, and the -1.9% peak retracement is shallow compared with Mount Waverley's -8.8% from peak, so don't wait for a discount that historic data says rarely arrives.
For Buyers
The entry ticket is $1.51M for a house, a -1.9% pullback from the $1.54M Jan-Mar 2024 peak but still 101.3% above 2013's $750k median. Stock favours families: 69.2% separate houses, only 16.5% apartments, and 34.5% have four-plus bedrooms (vs. 17% two-bed and 46.6% three-bed). Tenure is a genuine middle-ring split, 35.4% own outright and 40.1% hold a mortgage, leaving 24.4% rented, which is a tighter renter share than Glen Waverley's 28.1%. Mortgage-to-income runs at 26.1%, below the 30% stress line, supported by a median household weekly income of $2,215 (84.2nd percentile nationally). The honest read for buyers is a $1,510,000 baseline locks out anyone without dual professional income or family help, and the -1.9% peak retracement is shallow compared with Mount Waverley's -8.8% from peak, so don't wait for a discount that historic data says rarely arrives.
For Investors
Yields are the weakness: $500/wk rent on a $1.51M median is a 1.7% gross yield, which is low even by inner-Melbourne standards and cashflow-negative once rates and outgoings load on. The renter share of 24.4% is below Mount Waverley (24.8%) and well under Glen Waverley (28.1%), and the published vacancy figure of 6.5% looks high relative to the sub-2% reality on the ground in Glen Eira, suggesting a data artefact rather than slack demand. Where Bentleigh East earns its place is rent growth (+34.0% over the decade) and demand drivers: 278 net overseas migrants per year and 9,448 full-time workers in the suburb's labour pool. Development pipeline is real but constrained: 80 planning permits in 12 months, mostly two-dwelling subdivisions on existing lots, not the high-density apartment flood seen in Box Hill or Clayton. Investors should expect capital growth (5.1% CAGR vs. national low-4s) to do the heavy lifting, not weekly rent.
Development Activity
Total DAs
189
Last 12 Months
148
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+492.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Bentleigh East iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Valkstone Primary School
Prep-6 · 668 students
Coatesville Primary School
Prep-6 · 795 students
St Peter's School
Prep-6 · 625 students
East Bentleigh Primary School
Prep-6 · 324 students
Bentleigh Secondary College
7-12 · 936 students
Demographics
The suburb's 30,159 residents skew slightly older than national (median age 40, basically on par), but the deeper signal is education and origin. 52.0% hold a university degree, 21.9 percentage points above the national level, putting Bentleigh East within the top decile of Australian suburbs for tertiary attainment. 36.3% were born overseas (14.7pp above national), and the ancestry mix is unusually balanced: English (6,945), Chinese (2,967), Greek (2,761), Irish (2,596). Greek heritage is the historical signature, anchored by the wider Bentleigh-Oakleigh corridor, while Chinese ancestry is the newer layer alongside 887 Mandarin and 199 Cantonese speakers. Judaism's 2,878 residents make it the largest non-Christian religion, a heritage tied to neighbouring Caulfield. Average household size is 2.7 (0.2 above national), which is consistent with the high four-bed share and a couples-with-children household count of 12,277 vs. 5,075 couples without kids.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
69.2%
Houses
14.1%
Townhouse
16.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Price-to-income tells the affordability story bluntly: a $1.51M median against $115k household income is a 13.1x ratio, well above Australia's national 7-8x and a clear premium over Berwick or Frankston. The 14-year arc runs from $750k (2013) to a $1.54M peak in Jan-Mar 2024 to $1.51M (Apr-Jun 2024), a 5.1% CAGR and a -1.9% peak retracement, materially shallower than Mount Waverley's -8.8%. Tenure is split 35.4% outright / 40.1% mortgaged / 24.4% rented, a healthier outright share than Clyde North's 9.3% mortgage-belt profile. Dwelling stock is house-heavy (69.2% separate, 14.1% semi-detached, 16.5% apartment), and 34.5% of homes are four-plus bedrooms, evidence the suburb has retained large-lot postwar stock rather than tipping into apartment redevelopment. Mortgage-to-income at 26.1% sits just under the 30% stress threshold, so debt servicing is tight but not flagged.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,500
Rent / wk
$500
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$927
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.5%
Unoccupied
751
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
19.6%
Couples, no children
25,908
Total families
Economy & Employment
The labour profile reads professional-class established suburb. 4,754 work as Professionals and 2,759 as Managers, together 51.7% of the employed pool of 14,565, well above the typical 35-40% national share. Healthcare leads industries at 15.5% (1,780 jobs), followed by Professional/Tech (14.5%, 1,658), Education (11.9%, 1,363), Construction (9.0%) and Retail (7.6%). Unemployment sits at 4.4% with a 64.9% full-time rate. SEIFA scores are the headline: IRSAD decile 9 (1,091), IEO decile 9 (1,097), IRSD decile 9 (1,067), IER decile 8 (1,051), placing Bentleigh East in the top tenth nationally on three of four indices. The slight IER lag versus IEO mirrors Glen Waverley's pattern, where high education does not translate cleanly into top-decile household income because of older outright-owner cohorts skewing earned income lower.
Unemployment
4.5%
Labour Force
10,096
Unemployed
457
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.9%
Part-time
30.7%
Participation
63.4%
Employed
14,565
Occupations
Top Industries
University
52.0%
Postgraduate
14.9%
Born Overseas
36.3%
Dwellings
10,802
Transport to Work
Schools are the headline lifestyle asset. Five schools sit inside the suburb, all above the 1,000 ICSEA mark: Valkstone Primary (ICSEA 1,156, enrolment 668), Coatesville Primary (1,136, 795), St Peter's Catholic (1,121, 625), East Bentleigh Primary (1,100, 324), and Bentleigh Secondary College (1,082, 936). Valkstone's 1,156 is roughly 156 points above the national mean of 1,000, putting it in the top quintile of Victorian government primaries. Crime sits at 36.3 per 1,000 residents (1,096 incidents/yr, 707 property/deception, 191 against the person), which is below middle-Melbourne averages but above the quietest pockets of Glen Waverley. Transport is the soft spot: only 3.7% use public transport vs. 87.3% who drive, and the suburb is rail-poor, served by buses on the East Boundary Road corridor rather than a station of its own. SEIFA IRSAD decile 9 confirms the broader livability tier.
Drive
87.3%
Public Transport
3.7%
Walk / Cycle
3.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.33%/yr
(+238 people/yr)
EstablishedBentleigh East is the textbook established suburb in forecast terms: 1.33% annual growth (238 net residents/yr), versus Clyde North's 6.32% and the national capital-city average closer to 1.5-2%. Migration is the entire story. Net overseas migration runs +278/yr while internal migration is -63/yr, meaning Australians leave for outer suburbs and overseas arrivals fill the gap, the same mechanism reshaping Glen Waverley and Mount Waverley. Population is forecast to move from 17,972 (2026) to 19,164 (2031), a 6.6% rise across the medium scenario. The shift signals are subtle but real: rent growth +34.0% over the decade, real income growth +21.7%, and a gentrification score of 45 (Active stage), with the 10-year population already up 21.5%. Affordability has actually improved slightly, from 61.7% (2011) to 55.3% (2021), because incomes outran prices in the gentrification wave.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+278
Net Internal / yr
-63
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +26% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +278/yr, Accelerating: 9% → 15%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,096
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
36.3
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 Bentleigh East compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bentleigh East a good suburb to live in?
By the numbers, yes for established-family buyers. SEIFA IRSAD decile 9 (top 10% nationally), 52.0% university-educated residents (21.9pp above national), 5 schools all above ICSEA 1,000, and crime at 36.3 per 1,000 is moderate for middle Melbourne. The trade-off is the $1.51M house median and weak rail access (3.7% public transport).
What is the median house price in Bentleigh East?
The median house price is $1,510,000 (Apr-Jun 2024), down 1.9% from the $1.54M Jan-Mar 2024 peak but 101.3% above the 2013 figure of $750,000. That works out to a 5.1% compound annual growth rate over 14 years, similar to neighbouring Bentleigh and Caulfield.
What schools are in Bentleigh East?
Five schools sit inside Bentleigh East, all above the 1,000 ICSEA benchmark: Valkstone Primary (ICSEA 1,156, 668 students), Coatesville Primary (1,136, 795), St Peter's Catholic Primary (1,121, 625), East Bentleigh Primary (1,100, 324), and Bentleigh Secondary College (1,082, 936). Valkstone is the top performer, around 156 points above the national mean.
Is Bentleigh East safe?
Crime sits at 36.3 incidents per 1,000 residents (1,096 incidents in 12 months), with property and deception offences (707) the dominant category and crimes against the person at 191. The rate is below most outer-growth corridors and broadly typical of middle-ring Glen Eira, helped by SEIFA IRSAD decile 9 status.
Is Bentleigh East good for property investment?
Mixed. The 1.7% gross yield ($500/wk rent on $1.51M median) is weak, and only 24.4% of dwellings are rented, but capital growth has run at 5.1% CAGR over 14 years and rent growth +34.0% across the decade. Better suited to capital-growth investors than yield-focused ones, especially compared to outer Melbourne where yields run 3-4%.
How is Bentleigh East's population changing?
Population is forecast to grow at 1.33% per year (238 residents annually), reaching 19,164 by 2031. The driver is overseas migration averaging +278/yr while internal migration runs -63/yr, the same migrant-led pattern reshaping Mount Waverley and Glen Waverley. The 10-year population is already up 21.5%.
What languages are spoken in Bentleigh East?
36.3% of residents were born overseas, 14.7 percentage points above the national average. The top non-English languages are Mandarin (887 speakers), Greek (886), Russian (538), Hindi (211), and Cantonese (199). Greek and Mandarin run nearly even, reflecting the suburb's Greek heritage layer plus newer Chinese migration.
How much development is happening in Bentleigh East?
80 planning permits were lodged in the past 12 months, mostly two-dwelling subdivisions and double-storey townhouses on existing lots rather than apartment towers. The dwelling mix remains 69.2% separate houses, with apartments at only 16.5%, indicating gradual densification rather than the wholesale apartment redevelopment seen in Box Hill or Clayton.
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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