Glen Iris
Sitting 10km southeast of Melbourne CBD across the Stonnington and Boroondara LGA boundary, Glen Iris pulls a $2.43M house median and a 92nd-percentile household income ($2,491/week) on the back of 65.1% university attainment, which is 35 percentage points above the national 30%. The blue-chip identity is real but quieter than neighbouring Toorak: 27.3% of dwellings are apartments and 18.0% semi-detached, so 45% of the housing stock is non-house, more medium-density than the leafy reputation suggests. Prices sit 5.4% below the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.57M after a 4.5% 14-year CAGR, and the 10.0% rental vacancy rate ranks well above Melbourne's 1.7% benchmark, signalling investor caution rather than tenant scarcity here.
Population
26,131
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,491/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
206
Median House
$2.4M
Apr-Jun 2024
Buyers face a $2.43M house median, down 5.4% from the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.57M but still 85.5% above the 2013 trough of $1.31M, a 4.5% CAGR across 14 quarters of data. Stock skews larger than typical inner-east: 33.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms versus the Melbourne average near 21%, and only 7.4% are studios or one-bedrooms. Mortgage-to-income sits at 26.2%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold and lower than mortgage-belt suburbs like Berwick that push past 35%, because the median household earns $2,491 weekly. Ownership is split 37.9% outright, 33.8% with mortgage, 28.3% renting, so the market is dominated by established owners trading up rather than first-home stretch buyers. Family upgraders priced out of Toorak's $4M+ medians treat Glen Iris as the realistic blue-chip step.
For Buyers
Buyers face a $2.43M house median, down 5.4% from the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.57M but still 85.5% above the 2013 trough of $1.31M, a 4.5% CAGR across 14 quarters of data. Stock skews larger than typical inner-east: 33.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms versus the Melbourne average near 21%, and only 7.4% are studios or one-bedrooms. Mortgage-to-income sits at 26.2%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold and lower than mortgage-belt suburbs like Berwick that push past 35%, because the median household earns $2,491 weekly. Ownership is split 37.9% outright, 33.8% with mortgage, 28.3% renting, so the market is dominated by established owners trading up rather than first-home stretch buyers. Family upgraders priced out of Toorak's $4M+ medians treat Glen Iris as the realistic blue-chip step.
For Investors
Yields are the standout weakness: $450/week rent against a $2.43M median works out to a 0.96% gross yield, well below Melbourne's 3% average and lower than Bentleigh East at roughly 2.4%. The 10.0% vacancy rate is far above the Melbourne benchmark of 1.7%, which means landlords compete for tenants rather than the reverse, despite the postcode prestige. Capital growth has stalled since 2023, with prices 5.4% below peak after a 4.5% 14-year CAGR. 59 development applications in the past 12 months point to ongoing infill of the 27.3% apartment stock, adding supply that further pressures rents. Investor logic only works if the buyer treats Glen Iris as a long-hold capital play with negative gearing absorbing the yield gap, not as a cashflow asset; the data does not support a positive-cashflow thesis here.
Development Activity
Total DAs
219
Last 12 Months
206
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+3333.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Glen Iris iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Camberwell South Primary School
Prep-6 · 423 students
Korowa Anglican Girls' School
Prep-12 · 774 students
Glen Iris Primary School
Prep-6 · 408 students
St Cecilia's School
Prep-6 · 258 students
Sacre Coeur
Prep-12 · 659 students
Demographics
The 26,131 residents skew Anglo-established but with a meaningful Asian overlay that distinguishes Glen Iris from peer affluent suburbs further east. Top ancestries are English (8,408), Irish (3,243), and Chinese (3,172), with Scottish (2,827) close behind, so the Anglo-Celtic base still dominates while Chinese ancestry runs ahead of suburbs like Mount Waverley on absolute count but well below Glen Waverley's Asian-majority profile. 28.5% were born overseas, 6.9 percentage points above the national 21.6%. Top languages other than English are Mandarin (668), Greek (340), and Cantonese (163). University attainment of 65.1% is 35pp above the national 30% and signals a graduate-professional concentration, which feeds the 5,715 Professionals and 2,959 Managers in the workforce. Median age is 40, exactly on the national figure, neither aging nor youthful.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
54.7%
Houses
18.0%
Townhouse
27.3%
Apartment
Tenure
The stock is mixed-density rather than uniformly detached: 54.7% separate houses, 27.3% apartments, 18.0% semi-detached, with 33.4% of all dwellings carrying four or more bedrooms. Prices have moved from $1.31M (2013) to $2.43M (Apr-Jun 2024), an 85.5% lift over 14 years and a 4.5% compound annual rate, which trails the broader Melbourne CAGR of roughly 5-6% over the same window. The market peaked at $2.57M in Apr-Jun 2023 and is currently 5.4% below that ceiling. Tenure splits 37.9% owned outright, 33.8% mortgaged, 28.3% rented; the outright share is well above Melbourne's 31% average, reflecting an older established-wealth cohort. Price-to-income runs at 19.2 times annual household income ($2.43M vs $129,532 a year), comparable to Toorak's 22x but far above mortgage-belt ratios near 7-8x.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,830
Rent / wk
$450
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$1,179
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
10.0%
Unoccupied
1,102
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.8%
Couples, no children
21,056
Total families
Economy & Employment
Workforce concentration sits in Professional/Tech (18.9%, 2,123 workers), Healthcare (17.5%, 1,971), Education (11.2%, 1,260), Finance (8.8%, 989) and Retail (6.6%, 746), so the top three industries together absorb 47.6% of employed residents, far more white-collar-skewed than the national mix where Healthcare leads at 14% and Professional/Tech sits near 9%. Occupations confirm the pattern: 5,715 Professionals and 2,959 Managers between them account for 56.5% of workers, well above the national Professional+Manager share of about 38%. Unemployment is 4.2%, on par with Greater Melbourne's 4.3%, and the 64.9% participation rate is on the higher side given a median age of 40. Personal weekly income of $1,179 sits 30%+ above the national $805 median, and household income at $2,491 lands in the 92.2nd national percentile.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.1%
Part-time
31.7%
Participation
64.9%
Employed
13,448
Occupations
Top Industries
University
65.1%
Postgraduate
19.8%
Born Overseas
28.5%
Dwellings
9,882
Transport to Work
Six schools sit inside the suburb and every one carries an ICSEA above 1166, putting them in the top decile nationally where the median is 1000. Camberwell South Primary and Korowa Anglican Girls' School share the highest score at 1183, with Korowa enrolling 774 girls across primary and secondary. Glen Iris Primary at 1174 (408 pupils) and Sacre Coeur at 1171 (659) round out the major options, well above peer suburbs like Bentleigh East where local primaries cluster around ICSEA 1080-1120. Crime runs at 32.3 per 1,000 residents (843 incidents over 12 months), of which 75.3% are property and deception offences and only 11.1% crimes against the person, lower than the Greater Melbourne rate of roughly 60-70 per 1,000. Public transport mode share is 6.6% versus 13% for inner Melbourne, and 82.1% drive to work, reflecting the suburb's deeper-east position past the tram heartland.
Drive
82.1%
Public Transport
6.6%
Walk / Cycle
6.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
843
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
32.3
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 Glen Iris compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Glen Iris a good suburb to live in?
Glen Iris fits established-affluent families and graduate professionals: house median is $2.43M, household income sits in the 92.2nd national percentile ($2,491/week), and university attainment of 65.1% runs 35 percentage points above the national 30%. Six schools inside the suburb all carry ICSEA above 1166 (top decile vs national median of 1000). Crime at 32.3 per 1,000 residents is well below Greater Melbourne's 60-70 range. The trade-off is a 0.96% rental yield.
What is the median house price in Glen Iris?
The median house price is $2.43M as of Apr-Jun 2024, down 5.4% from the Apr-Jun 2023 peak of $2.57M but 85.5% higher than the 2013 trough of $1.31M. Across 14 quarters of price data the compound annual growth rate is 4.5%, trailing Melbourne's broader CAGR of roughly 5-6%. Stock skews larger than typical inner-east: 33.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms versus the Melbourne average near 21%, and only 7.4% are studios or one-bedrooms.
What schools are in Glen Iris?
Six schools sit inside Glen Iris, all in the top ICSEA decile (above 1166 vs national median 1000). The two highest at ICSEA 1183 are Camberwell South Primary School (Government, 423 students) and Korowa Anglican Girls' School (Independent, 774). Other options: Glen Iris Primary (Government, ICSEA 1174, 408 students), Sacre Coeur (Catholic, 1171, 659), St Cecilia's (Catholic, 1172, 258) and St Roch's (Catholic, 1166, 125). The cluster averages around ICSEA 1175.
Is Glen Iris safe?
Yes, Glen Iris ranks safer than Greater Melbourne. Total recorded offences over the past 12 months were 843, equivalent to 32.3 per 1,000 residents, well below the Greater Melbourne rate of roughly 60-70 per 1,000. The mix skews to non-violent crime: property and deception offences account for 635 incidents (75.3% of the total) while crimes against the person are 94 (11.1%), justice procedures 57 and public order 34. The pattern is typical of an affluent established suburb.
Is Glen Iris good for property investment?
Glen Iris is a capital-growth play, not a yield play. Weekly rent of $450 against a $2.43M median works out to a 0.96% gross yield, well below Melbourne's 3% average and lower than Bentleigh East near 2.4%. The 10.0% rental vacancy rate runs far above the Greater Melbourne benchmark of 1.7%, so landlords compete for tenants. Capital growth has also stalled, with prices 5.4% below the Apr-Jun 2023 peak after a 4.5% 14-year CAGR. The thesis only works for long-hold negative-gearing buyers.
How is Glen Iris's population changing?
The population is 26,131 across 8.23 sq km, a density of 3,175 per sq km that runs well above the Greater Melbourne average near 510. Resident mobility is moderate: 22.5% of households moved address in the past five years while 77.5% stayed put, lower turnover than typical apartment-heavy inner suburbs. With 27.3% of stock already in apartments and 59 planning applications lodged in 12 months, future growth is constrained-infill around Glen Iris and Gardiner stations.
What languages are spoken in Glen Iris?
28.5% of residents were born overseas, 6.9 percentage points above the national 21.6%, but the suburb stays Anglo-majority by ancestry: English (8,408), Irish (3,243) and Scottish (2,827) collectively dwarf any single non-Anglo group, with Chinese ancestry at 3,172 the largest non-British group. Top languages other than English are Mandarin (668 speakers), Greek (340), Cantonese (163), Hindi (128) and Italian (100). The Asian overlay reads cosmopolitan-Anglo, not migrant-majority.
What is the development activity like in Glen Iris?
59 planning applications were lodged in the past 12 months, moderate for an inner-east suburb of 26,131 residents. Recent samples skew toward minor VicSmart actions like two-lot subdivisions and tree-canopy work rather than apartment towers. With 27.3% of dwellings already apartments and 18.0% semi-detached, 45% of stock is medium-density, so most lodgements continue infill around Glen Iris and Gardiner stations rather than redeveloping the 54.7% separate-house stock.
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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