Brighton East
A $2.305m house median and 92.8 household income percentile place Brighton East firmly in Melbourne's premium family belt. The suburb is older than the national norm, with a 45 median age sitting 5.0 years above national, and its 57.0% university qualification rate is 26.9 percentage points above national. Compared with nearby Brighton and Bentleigh, Brighton East's numbers point to an inland, family-sized market because 67.9% of dwellings are separate houses and the population base is a substantial 16,757.
Population
16,757
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,544/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
21
Median House
$2.3M
Apr-Jun 2024
Buyers are paying for scale, school access and established ownership rather than entry-level affordability. The $2.305m median house price is 8.5% lower than the $2.52m Jul-Sep 2023 peak, but still high because 67.9% of homes are separate houses and 40.1% have 4 or more bedrooms. Apartments are only 7.9%, so downsizer or first-home choices are limited compared with the family-home stock. Mortgage costs sit at 30.0% of income, which keeps stress contained for higher-income households.
For Buyers
Buyers are paying for scale, school access and established ownership rather than entry-level affordability. The $2.305m median house price is 8.5% lower than the $2.52m Jul-Sep 2023 peak, but still high because 67.9% of homes are separate houses and 40.1% have 4 or more bedrooms. Apartments are only 7.9%, so downsizer or first-home choices are limited compared with the family-home stock. Mortgage costs sit at 30.0% of income, which keeps stress contained for higher-income households.
For Investors
Brighton East is more a capital-preservation market than a high-yield rental play. Renting is 20.7%, lower than a typical investor-heavy profile, and the $600 weekly rent is modest compared with a $2.305m purchase price. Vacancy is higher at 8.5%, so tenant depth needs checking street by street. The counterweight is demand quality: overseas migration is the primary driver at +272 people a year, rent growth in the shift indicators is 33.8%, and 17 development applications suggest measured renewal rather than oversupply.
Development Activity
Total DAs
35
Last 12 Months
21
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+133.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Brighton East iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Leonard's College
Prep-12 · 1597 students
Gardenvale Primary School
Prep-6 · 617 students
St Finbar's School
Prep-6 · 331 students
Brighton Secondary College
7-12 · 873 students
Demographics
The resident base skews affluent, educated and older. Median age is 45, which is 5.0 years above national, while 57.0% of adults hold university qualifications, 26.9 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 30.7%, 9.1 points above national, but the largest ancestry counts remain English 5,261, Irish 1,914 and Scottish 1,585. Mandarin 349 and Greek 220 speakers add migrant depth because international inflow is material, while Christianity 7,150 and Judaism 1,535 are the largest listed religions.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
67.9%
Houses
23.9%
Townhouse
7.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is tightly held and equity-rich. The median house price has moved from $1.23m in 2013 to $2.305m in Apr-Jun 2024, an 87.4% rise with a 4.6% CAGR over 14 years, though the latest price is 8.5% below the $2.52m peak. Ownership explains the stability: 43.0% own outright, 36.3% have a mortgage and only 20.7% rent. Separate houses dominate at 67.9%, above apartments at 7.9%, while 40.1% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms and 37.3% have 3 bedrooms.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,300
Rent / wk
$600
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$1,036
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.5%
Unoccupied
556
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.5%
Couples, no children
13,707
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is weighted to high-income knowledge work. Professional/Tech leads at 17.9% or 1,065 workers, followed by Healthcare at 14.4%, Education at 10.3%, Finance at 8.6% and Construction at 7.4%. Occupations reinforce that pattern, with 2,714 Professionals and 1,920 Managers. Unemployment is 4.7% and full-time work is 62.5%, but participation is 57.7% because the 45 median age and 4,711 residents not in the labour force temper activity. IEO, IER, IRSD and IRSAD all rank decile 10.
Unemployment
2.6%
Labour Force
9,531
Unemployed
252
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.5%
Part-time
32.8%
Participation
57.7%
Employed
7,477
Occupations
Top Industries
University
57.0%
Postgraduate
15.4%
Born Overseas
30.7%
Dwellings
6,004
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented but supported by strong schools and low disadvantage. Public transport commuting is 3.8%, far below car driving at 85.9%, so access works best for households comfortable with driving. Four schools span ICSEA 1106 to 1184: St Leonard's College leads at 1184 with 1,597 enrolments, Gardenvale Primary is Government at 1164, and St Finbar's adds Catholic primary choice at 1136. Crime is 40.0 per 1,000, with 465 property and deception offences, while IRSAD decile 10 signals very high area advantage.
Drive
85.9%
Public Transport
3.8%
Walk / Cycle
4.8%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.55%/yr
(+97 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than explosive, lower compared with greenfield suburbs because Brighton East is already built out. The forecast trend adds 0.55% a year, or 97 people annually, taking the medium population path from 17,456 in 2026 to 17,939 in 2031. Migration is clearly external: overseas migration averages +272 a year while internal migration is 0. The gentrification score is 10 and stage is Not gentrifying, despite a Mixed shift profile with 33.8% rent growth and a +2.9 point senior-share change.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+272
Net Internal / yr
0
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Strong overseas inflow +272/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
671
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
40.0
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 Brighton East compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brighton East a good suburb to live in?
Yes, particularly for higher-income families seeking large homes and strong schools. The suburb ranks in IRSAD decile 10, has a $2.305m median house price and includes 4 schools with ICSEA scores from 1106 to 1184.
What is the median house price in Brighton East?
The median house price is $2,305,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 8.5% below the $2,520,000 peak in Jul-Sep 2023, but still 87.4% higher than the $1,230,000 level recorded in 2013.
What schools are in Brighton East?
Brighton East has 4 listed schools: St Leonard's College, Gardenvale Primary School, St Finbar's School and Brighton Secondary College. ICSEA scores range from 1106 to 1184, with Independent, Government and Catholic sectors represented.
Is Brighton East safe?
Brighton East records 671 offences and a crime rate of 40.0 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences are the largest category at 465, compared with 88 crimes against the person.
Is Brighton East good for property investment?
It suits investors focused on long-term capital quality more than yield. Rent is $600 a week, renting share is 20.7% and vacancy is 8.5%, while the house median is high at $2.305m.
How is Brighton East's population changing?
Population growth is modest. The trend forecast is 0.55% a year, equal to about 97 people annually, with the medium path rising from 17,456 in 2026 to 17,939 in 2031.
What languages are spoken in Brighton East?
English is dominant, but 30.7% of residents were born overseas. The largest listed non-English language counts are Mandarin 349, Greek 220, Russian 154, Italian 96 and Cantonese 49.
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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