Box Hill
Box Hill is therefore a premium, high-density market rather than a conventional detached-house suburb. Its 14,353 residents have a median age of 33, which is 7.0 years lower than the national figure, while overseas-born residents account for 65.8%, or 44.2 percentage points above the national comparison. University attainment is 54.1%, 24.0 points higher nationally. Compared with nearby Burwood and Surrey Hills, Box Hill is better suited to buyers and renters seeking compact housing, services and a strongly multicultural setting.
Population
14,353
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,267/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
36
Median House
$1.6M
October to December 2025
Housing choice is concentrated in smaller formats: 53.2% of dwellings are apartments, 51.7% have 2 bedrooms and only 22.1% are separate houses. Compared with family-house markets, this makes Box Hill more relevant to buyers prioritising location and low-maintenance living over large blocks. The renter share of 58.6% also indicates strong competition for well-located, practical homes.
For Buyers
Housing choice is concentrated in smaller formats: 53.2% of dwellings are apartments, 51.7% have 2 bedrooms and only 22.1% are separate houses. Compared with family-house markets, this makes Box Hill more relevant to buyers prioritising location and low-maintenance living over large blocks. The renter share of 58.6% also indicates strong competition for well-located, practical homes.
For Investors
Box Hill has a 58.6% renting share and a weekly rent of $381, creating a substantial tenant pool for apartments and smaller dwellings. However, the 18.4% vacancy rate is higher than a tightly supplied rental market, so leasing competition and holding periods deserve close attention. The 53.2% apartment share and 51.7% two-bedroom concentration make unit-level research particularly important because comparable properties may compete directly with one another. Development activity reached 35 applications in 12 months, which can add future stock. The outlook is stronger than a low-growth market, with forecast growth of 5.71% annually, internal migration as the primary driver and rent growth of 65.3% across the shift period.
Development Activity
Total DAs
48
Last 12 Months
36
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+620.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Box Hill
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Kingswood College
St Francis Xavier's School
Box Hill High School
Our Lady of Sion College
Demographics
Box Hill has a young and highly international population: the median age is 33, or 7.0 years lower than nationally, and 65.8% of residents were born overseas, 44.2 percentage points higher than the national comparison. Chinese ancestry is recorded for 6,684 people, while Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken by 2,294 and 585 residents respectively. University attainment is 54.1%, 24.0 points above the national figure. Average household size is 2.2, which is 0.3 lower than nationally, and the 39.2% turnover rate points to a mobile population. The apartment-heavy, renter-majority market helps explain smaller households and frequent moves, while 7,227 residents report no religion, compared with 3,395 identifying with Christianity.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
22.1%
Houses
24.8%
Townhouse
53.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Compared with house-dominated suburbs, Box Hill has a notably different tenure and dwelling mix: 53.2% of homes are apartments, 24.8% are semi-detached and 22.1% are separate houses. Only 20.1% are owned outright and 17.8% carry a mortgage, while 58.6% are rented. Rent stress at 30.1% and mortgage stress at 35.5% reflect pressure created by premium pricing and relatively modest household incomes.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $381.
$610
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $650 · units $610
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$627
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
18.4%
Unoccupied
1,344
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.1% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
35.5% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
31.4%
Couples with children
48.5%
Couples, no children
16.3%
Single parent
3,422
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is Box Hill's largest recorded industry at 18.7%, employing 944 people, followed by Professional and Technical services at 13.0% and 657 people. Hospitality, education and retail account for 9.2%, 8.8% and 8.7%, with 468, 447 and 442 workers respectively. Professionals lead occupations at 2,088, ahead of community and personal services at 875, trades at 806, clerical and administrative work at 760 and managers at 707. Unemployment is 7.8%, participation is 57.9% and full-time employment is 51.8%. Household income sits at the 28.5th percentile, below the midpoint, despite an education and occupation index in decile 9, above most areas. The economic resources index is decile 2, below the education profile, suggesting housing costs and household structure limit financial capacity.
Unemployment
7.8%
Labour Force
7,512
Unemployed
583
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
51.8%
Part-time
41.8%
Participation
57.9%
Employed
6,929
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
54.1%
Postgraduate
18.7%
Born Overseas
65.8%
Dwellings
5,958
Transport to Work
Box Hill supports several travel patterns: 41.1% of residents drive to work, 12.0% use public transport, 10.5% walk or cycle and 32.2% work from home. The density of 4,075.2 people per square kilometre and 53.2% apartment share help explain why local access and building amenities may matter more than large private yards. Four nearby schools provide a published mix of Catholic primary and secondary education, a government secondary school and an independent primary/secondary college. Safety requires practical due diligence: the recorded crime rate is 139.3 per 1,000 residents, with 2,000 offences including 1,273 property and deception offences and 298 crimes against the person. Socioeconomic conditions are mixed, with IRSAD decile 7 above the midpoint but IRSD decile 4 below it.
Drive
41.1%
Public Transport
12.0%
Walk / Cycle
10.5%
Work from Home
32.2%
Population Forecast
+5.71%/yr
(+1,505 people/yr)
High GrowthBox Hill is forecast to grow at 5.71% annually, a rate higher than a stable or low-growth trajectory, with internal migration identified as the primary driver. The shift profile calls the suburb Rejuvenating, with the young share up 10.5 percentage points, the senior share down 8.7 points and rent growth of 65.3%. Population change across the wider area is recorded at 525.0% over ten years. Development activity supports this direction, with 35 applications lodged in 12 months. Gentrification has a score of 0 and is described as Not gentrifying in the shift profile, while the separate growth stage is New development. Together, these labels point to expansion through new housing and resident turnover rather than a settled gentrification cycle.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+96
Net Internal / yr
+3,561
Gentrification Signal
New development
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
2,000
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
139.3
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 Box Hill compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Box Hill a good suburb to live in?
Box Hill suits residents who value density, services and multicultural connections. The median age is 33, 58.6% of households rent and 53.2% of dwellings are apartments. Public transport accounts for 12.0% of commuting, while 32.2% work from home, creating a flexible but urban lifestyle.
What schools are in Box Hill?
Box Hill has 4 listed schools covering Catholic primary and secondary education, a government secondary school and an independent primary/secondary college. School options include Our Lady of Sion College, St Francis Xavier's School, Box Hill High School and Kingswood College. Check enrolment zones for the exact address.
Is Box Hill safe?
Safety is mixed and should be assessed by street and building. The recorded rate is 139.3 offences per 1,000 residents, with 2,000 total offences. Property and deception offences account for 1,273 cases, while crimes against the person account for 298, making security and local inspection important.
Is Box Hill good for property investment?
Box Hill has a large tenant base, with 58.6% renting and weekly rent of $381. The 18.4% vacancy rate is higher than a tightly supplied market, so investors should allow for competition. Forecast growth is 5.71% annually, while 35 development applications in 12 months may increase future supply.
How is Box Hill's population changing?
The suburb has 14,353 residents today and a Rejuvenating trajectory. Forecast growth is 5.71% annually, driven primarily by internal migration, while the young share has increased by 10.5 percentage points. Wider-area population change is recorded at 525.0% over 10 years.
What languages are spoken in Box Hill?
Box Hill is highly multicultural, with 65.8% of residents born overseas. Mandarin is spoken by 2,294 people and Cantonese by 585, while Chinese ancestry is recorded for 6,684 residents. Hindi, Korean and Nepali are also represented by 99, 94 and 68 people respectively.
What development is occurring in Box Hill?
There were 35 development applications in the past 12 months, including a permit for 2 double-storey dwellings and other use or renovation applications. With apartments accounting for 53.2% of dwellings and the growth stage described as New development, ongoing change is more likely than in a static housing market.
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), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), 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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