Elsternwick
Premium density defines Elsternwick: 10,887 residents fit into 2.6 sq km, with apartments at 41.4% and separate houses at 38.3%. Compared with nearby Caulfield and Ripponlea, its appeal is tied to a compact mixed-housing pattern rather than one dominant stock type. The $2.16m median house price sits alongside household income in the 84th percentile, because high-earning professional households can support premium detached prices while 2-bedroom homes remain 37.7% of stock. University attainment is 60.8%, 30.7 points above national.
Population
10,887
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,209/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
36
Median House
$2.2M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers face a premium but not a one-note market. The median house price is $2.16m in Apr-Jun 2024, 6.1% below the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.30m, so buyers are negotiating after a mild pullback rather than at the top. Separate houses are 38.3% of dwellings, apartments are higher at 41.4%, and 2-bedroom homes are 37.7%, giving downsizers and couples more choice than a pure family-house suburb. Mortgage costs take 25.1% of income, below common stress thresholds, because local household income sits in the 84th percentile.
For Buyers
Homebuyers face a premium but not a one-note market. The median house price is $2.16m in Apr-Jun 2024, 6.1% below the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.30m, so buyers are negotiating after a mild pullback rather than at the top. Separate houses are 38.3% of dwellings, apartments are higher at 41.4%, and 2-bedroom homes are 37.7%, giving downsizers and couples more choice than a pure family-house suburb. Mortgage costs take 25.1% of income, below common stress thresholds, because local household income sits in the 84th percentile.
For Investors
Investors get clear tenant depth but must price for vacancy risk. Renters make up 39.6% of households, higher than mortgaged owners at 29.0%, and the median rent is $441 a week. The caution is an 11.4% vacancy rate, which is elevated compared with tighter inner-ring markets and can lengthen leasing times. Development is moderate at 17 applications over 12 months, so new supply pressure is present without dominating the market. Forecast rent growth of 25.7% signals demand support because overseas migration is the main population driver.
Development Activity
Total DAs
39
Last 12 Months
36
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+1700.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Elsternwick iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Sholem Aleichem College
Prep-6 · 96 students
St Joseph's School
Prep-6 · 347 students
Leibler Yavneh College
Prep-12 · 559 students
Adass Israel School
Prep-12 · 382 students
Demographics
Elsternwick skews educated, affluent and slightly younger than Australia overall. The median age is 38, 2 years below national, while 60.8% hold university qualifications, 30.7 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 30.5%, 8.9 points above national, but the largest ancestry counts remain English at 3,277, Irish at 1,459 and Scottish at 1,013. Judaism is prominent with 1,952 residents, alongside 3,270 identifying with Christianity, because established cultural institutions support a distinctive local mix.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
38.3%
Houses
19.3%
Townhouse
41.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is split between prestige houses and a large apartment base. The latest median house price of $2.16m is 58.2% above the 2013 level of $1.365m, with a 3.3% CAGR over 14 years, but it remains 6.1% below the $2.30m peak in Apr-Jun 2023. Ownership is mixed: 31.4% own outright, 29.0% have a mortgage and 39.6% rent. Apartments at 41.4% sit above separate houses at 38.3%, while 4-plus-bedroom homes are only 19.6%, because compact blocks favour smaller dwelling formats.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,400
Rent / wk
$441
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$1,206
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.4%
Unoccupied
581
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.4%
Couples, no children
8,090
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local economy is heavily white-collar. Professional/Tech employs 904 people or 19.1%, followed by Healthcare at 743 and 15.7%, Education at 526 and 11.1%, Finance at 362 and Retail at 332. Occupations reinforce this, with 2,419 professionals and 1,157 managers. Unemployment is low at 3.7% and participation is 65.5%. SEIFA is high on education and advantage: IEO decile 10, IRSAD decile 10 and IRSD decile 9, while IER sits lower at decile 6 because resources are less extreme than qualifications and occupations.
Unemployment
3.5%
Labour Force
7,881
Unemployed
274
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.3%
Part-time
30.0%
Participation
65.5%
Employed
5,703
Occupations
Top Industries
University
60.8%
Postgraduate
17.2%
Born Overseas
30.5%
Dwellings
4,526
Transport to Work
Livability is strongest for households that value walkable services but still rely on cars. Car driving is 75.6% of commuting, compared with 10.7% by public transport and 9.5% walking or cycling, so convenience is local rather than fully transit-led. Four schools sit in the suburb, with an ICSEA range from 932 to 1168; Sholem Aleichem College leads at 1168, St Joseph's School follows at 1164, and Leibler Yavneh College records 1123 across the Independent and Catholic mix. Crime is 72.3 per 1,000 residents, while IRSAD decile 10 points to above-average social advantage.
Drive
75.6%
Public Transport
10.7%
Walk / Cycle
9.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.74%/yr
(+95 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than speculative. The trend outlook is 0.74% a year, equal to about 95 extra residents annually, which is lower than the 10.8% population increase recorded over the past 10 years. The medium path rises from 12,839 in 2026 to 13,314 in 2031. Migration explains the pattern: Overseas migration is the primary driver at +236 people a year, compared with net internal outflow of -108 a year. Gentrification is marked as Early signs with a score of 25, so change is incremental rather than a wholesale reset.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+236
Net Internal / yr
-108
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +14% since 2011, Net internal outflow -108/yr, Strong overseas inflow +236/yr, COVID recovered (-4% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
787
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
72.3
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 Elsternwick compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elsternwick a good suburb to live in?
Yes. Elsternwick suits buyers who can afford a premium setting: household income is in the 84th percentile, university attainment is 60.8%, and the suburb has 4 local schools. The trade-off is price, with a $2.16m median house value.
What is the median house price in Elsternwick?
The median house price in Elsternwick is $2.16m for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 6.1% below the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.30m, but still 58.2% above the 2013 level of $1.365m.
What schools are in Elsternwick?
Elsternwick has 4 schools: Sholem Aleichem College, St Joseph's School, Leibler Yavneh College and Adass Israel School. ICSEA scores range from 932 to 1168, covering Independent, Catholic and combined settings.
Is Elsternwick safe?
Elsternwick recorded 787 offences, equal to 72.3 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences account for 546 incidents, so safety perceptions can vary by street, building security and exposure to retail areas.
Is Elsternwick good for property investment?
Elsternwick has investor depth, with renters at 39.6% and median rent at $441 a week. The key caution is vacancy at 11.4%, so rental pricing and property presentation matter more than in lower-vacancy markets.
How is Elsternwick's population changing?
Elsternwick's population outlook is modest growth: 0.74% a year, or about 95 extra residents annually. The medium forecast reaches 13,314 by 2031, supported by +236 overseas migrants a year despite -108 internal migration.
What languages are spoken in Elsternwick?
About 30.5% of residents were born overseas, 8.9 percentage points above national. Common non-English language counts include Greek at 99, Russian at 87, French at 69, Mandarin at 62 and Italian at 62.
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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