Gardenvale
At 0.26 km2 with just over 1,000 residents, Gardenvale is one of Melbourne's smallest suburbs by area, yet its median house price reached $2,300,000 in 2023, up 100% from $1,150,000 in 2013. That decade-long growth of 7.2% per year annually places it well above typical Melbourne price trajectories. The suburb carries a 13.4% vacancy rate and 43.7% apartment share, signals that supply in the rental segment is looser than the headline price implies. Professionals and managers make up the bulk of the workforce, and 57.8% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 27.7 percentage points above the national figure.
Population
1,019
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,708/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
The median house price stood at $2,300,000 in 2023, the highest recorded in the available data and double the $1,150,000 trough in 2013. Separate houses account for only 36.7% of dwellings, with apartments at 43.7% and semi-detached at 19.6%, so detached house buyers compete for genuinely scarce stock. The bedroom split skews toward smaller dwellings: 30.3% are studios or one-bedroom and 22.8% are two-bedroom, leaving three-bedroom homes at 31.4% and four-plus at 15.6%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,953, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 39.9%, above the 30% stress threshold and higher than most Melbourne outer suburbs. Household income sits at the 59.8th percentile nationally, which means the mortgage burden is stretching relative to typical earnings here.
For Buyers
The median house price stood at $2,300,000 in 2023, the highest recorded in the available data and double the $1,150,000 trough in 2013. Separate houses account for only 36.7% of dwellings, with apartments at 43.7% and semi-detached at 19.6%, so detached house buyers compete for genuinely scarce stock. The bedroom split skews toward smaller dwellings: 30.3% are studios or one-bedroom and 22.8% are two-bedroom, leaving three-bedroom homes at 31.4% and four-plus at 15.6%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,953, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 39.9%, above the 30% stress threshold and higher than most Melbourne outer suburbs. Household income sits at the 59.8th percentile nationally, which means the mortgage burden is stretching relative to typical earnings here.
For Investors
Renters make up 47.2% of residents, one of the higher renter shares in Melbourne's inner south, compared with a national average closer to 30%. Weekly rent is $301 and vacancy sits at 13.4%, flagging oversupply in the apartment segment that dominates at 43.7% of dwellings. Only 5 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, so new supply is not the driver of that vacancy; rather, the small suburb population of 1,019 amplifies any short-term turnover effect. The turnover rate of 24.7% means roughly one in four residents moved in the past year, sustaining a continual pool of prospective tenants. Capital growth has been the stronger investment argument here: a 7.2% compound annual growth rate over 10 years, taking prices from $1,150,000 to $2,300,000.
Development Activity
Total DAs
6
Last 12 Months
5
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+400.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
Median age is 39, one year below the national figure of 40, and the population is compact at 1,019 residents across 0.26 km2. University qualifications reach 57.8%, which is 27.7 percentage points above the national average, placing Gardenvale among Melbourne's most highly educated suburbs. Overseas-born residents make up 29.7%, which is 8.1 points above national. English ancestry leads (352 residents), followed by Irish (127) and Scottish (108). Average household size of 2.1 is 0.4 below national, consistent with the prevalence of apartments and couples-without-children households. Of 700 families, 323 are couples with children and 159 are couples without, while one-parent families are negligible in the data.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
36.7%
Houses
19.6%
Townhouse
43.7%
Apartment
Tenure
The price record runs from $1,150,000 in 2013 to $2,300,000 in 2023, a 100% gain over ten years at a 7.2% compound annual rate. Despite those prices, only 27.7% of residents own outright and 25.1% carry a mortgage, while 47.2% rent, a tenure split that reflects the apartment-heavy stock and relatively compact household incomes at the 59.8th percentile nationally. Apartments account for 43.7% of dwellings, semi-detached for 19.6% and separate houses for just 36.7%, so the market is structurally more urban in character than the median house price alone would suggest. Rent-to-income sits at 17.6%, which is below the 30% stress threshold, while the mortgage-to-income ratio of 39.9% is in stress territory, underlining how much harder ownership has become relative to renting here.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,953
Rent / wk
$301
HH Size
2.1
Personal Income / wk
$1,087
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
13.4%
Unoccupied
70
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
39.9% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.7%
Couples, no children
700
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employment sector at 19.9% (91 workers), closely followed by Professional and Technical services at 19.0% (87 workers), with Education at 10.7% (49 workers) a distant third. By occupation, Professionals (215) and Managers (118) together account for the majority of employed residents, a workforce profile well above average for Melbourne. The full-time employment rate is 62.2% with an unemployment rate of 4.6%, slightly above the national average. Participation is 67.5%, and 215 residents are not in the labour force, a share consistent with the small suburb size. Weekly personal income averages $1,087 and household income $1,708, placing household income at the 59.8th percentile nationally, above median but not in the top tier given the cost of housing here.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.2%
Part-time
33.2%
Participation
67.5%
Employed
542
Occupations
Top Industries
University
57.8%
Postgraduate
17.8%
Born Overseas
29.7%
Dwellings
449
Transport to Work
Car use is dominant at 75.0%, compared with 13.5% using public transport and 7.9% walking or cycling. No schools are recorded within Gardenvale's 0.26 km2 boundary, so families use institutions in surrounding suburbs of Melbourne's inner south. The crime rate of 109.9 incidents per 1,000 residents is elevated, driven primarily by property and deception offences (73 of 112 total incidents) rather than crimes against the person (12 incidents). Rent-to-income at 17.6% keeps renting comfortable, below the 30% stress line, while mortgage holders face a 39.9% ratio above that threshold. The suburb's high university qualification rate (57.8%) and professional workforce concentration support a relatively high-income, educated community by national standards.
Drive
75.0%
Public Transport
13.5%
Walk / Cycle
7.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
112
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
109.9
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 Gardenvale compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gardenvale a good suburb to live in?
Gardenvale offers high educational attainment, with 57.8% of residents holding university qualifications, which is 27.7 percentage points above the national average. Median house prices reached $2,300,000 in 2023. The main trade-offs are a 13.4% vacancy rate in the apartment segment and a crime rate of 109.9 incidents per 1,000 residents, above typical inner-Melbourne levels.
What is the median house price in Gardenvale?
The median house price was $2,300,000 in 2023, up from $1,150,000 in 2013. That is a 100% gain over 10 years, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 7.2%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,953, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 39.9%, above the standard 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Gardenvale?
No schools are recorded within Gardenvale's 0.26 km2 boundary, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs of Melbourne's inner south. The suburb's university qualification rate of 57.8%, which is 27.7 percentage points above national, indicates that households here are highly engaged with education despite the lack of local schools.
Is Gardenvale safe?
The crime rate is 109.9 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 112 total incidents. The majority (73 incidents) are property and deception offences, while crimes against the person account for 12 incidents. This rate is higher than many comparable Melbourne inner suburbs, and property crime is the primary driver.
Is Gardenvale good for property investment?
Capital growth has been strong, with the median rising from $1,150,000 to $2,300,000 over 10 years at a 7.2% compound annual growth rate. The 47.2% renter share is well above the national average, providing a deep tenant pool. However, the 13.4% vacancy rate signals oversupply in apartments, which make up 43.7% of dwellings, and weekly rent of $301 implies a low gross yield at current prices.
How is Gardenvale's population changing?
Gardenvale has a small population of 1,019 residents within 0.26 km2. The turnover rate is 24.7%, meaning roughly one in four residents moved in the past year, higher than most stable Melbourne inner suburbs. No population forecast is available for this suburb in the current dataset, but the density of 3,937 residents per km2 and minimal development activity (5 applications in 12 months) suggest limited near-term growth.
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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