Mentone
Education is the standout in Mentone: 8 local schools span ICSEA 1082 to 1174, led by Mentone Girls' Grammar and Mentone Grammar. The suburb carries a $1.36m median house price, 46.5% university attainment, and household income in the 70.5 percentile, above many national benchmarks. Compared with nearby Cheltenham and Parkdale, Mentone feels more compact and school-centred, with 13,197 people across 4.53 sq km and a rail village that supports both family buyers and downsizers.
Population
13,197
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,889/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
47
Median House
$1.4M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers are paying for bayside access, schools and a split housing stock rather than only detached blocks. The median house price is $1.36m, while values sit 7.8% below the 2022 peak after rising 92.9% from 2013. Separate houses are 44.0% of dwellings, semi-detached homes 37.2% and apartments 18.2%, giving more townhouse choice than a typical low-density family suburb. Mortgage costs use 26.5% of income, below common stress thresholds, because household income is relatively high at $1,889 weekly.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are paying for bayside access, schools and a split housing stock rather than only detached blocks. The median house price is $1.36m, while values sit 7.8% below the 2022 peak after rising 92.9% from 2013. Separate houses are 44.0% of dwellings, semi-detached homes 37.2% and apartments 18.2%, giving more townhouse choice than a typical low-density family suburb. Mortgage costs use 26.5% of income, below common stress thresholds, because household income is relatively high at $1,889 weekly.
For Investors
Investors face mixed signals: tenant depth is meaningful, but vacant stock is elevated. Renters make up 32.9% of households and the median rent is $392 weekly, while the vacancy rate is 9.0%, higher than a tight rental market. Development is moderate with 14 applications in 12 months, including 2 lot subdivisions and 3 dwelling proposals, so supply is still being added. The stronger case is long-term demand because overseas migration is averaging +250 people a year compared with -66 internal migration.
Development Activity
Total DAs
60
Last 12 Months
47
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+422.2%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mentone iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Mentone Girls' Grammar School
Prep-12 · 560 students
Mentone Grammar School
Prep-12 · 2008 students
St Patrick's School
Prep-6 · 460 students
Mentone Primary School
Prep-6 · 299 students
Mentone Girls Secondary College
7-12 · 1102 students
Demographics
Mentone skews older, educated and slightly smaller-household than Australia overall. The median age is 42, which is 2.0 years above the national benchmark, and university attainment is 46.5%, 16.4 percentage points higher than nationally. Overseas-born residents are 29.6%, 8.0 points above the national share, with English, Irish, Scottish and Italian ancestry prominent. Greek has 205 speakers and Mandarin 169, but average household size is 2.3, 0.2 below the national average, fitting the mix of families, couples and downsizers.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
44.0%
Houses
37.2%
Townhouse
18.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Mentone's housing market has repriced rather than reset. Across 15 tracked quarters, the median moved from the $705,000 trough in 2013 to $1.36m in Apr-Jun 2024, a 92.9% gain and 4.8% CAGR over 14 years, but it remains 7.8% below the $1.475m 2022 peak. Ownership is evenly spread: 32.4% owned outright, 34.7% with a mortgage and 32.9% renting. The $1.36m median is about 13.8 times annual household income, higher than income alone would justify, because school access, rail and scarce bayside land support prices.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$392
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$981
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.0%
Unoccupied
557
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.1%
Couples, no children
10,283
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mentone's workforce is tilted to skilled services rather than a single local employer. Healthcare leads at 15.8% or 827 workers, followed by Professional/Tech at 13.3%, Education at 12.8%, Construction at 9.0% and Public Admin at 7.7%. Professionals number 2,102 and Managers 1,252, supporting household income in the 70.5 percentile. SEIFA is above average on IEO decile 8, IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 8, while IER is lower at decile 6, suggesting education and advantage are stronger than household economic resources alone. Unemployment is 4.3% with 63.1% participation.
Unemployment
5.2%
Labour Force
8,257
Unemployed
431
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
67.0%
Part-time
28.7%
Participation
63.1%
Employed
6,708
Occupations
Top Industries
University
46.5%
Postgraduate
11.9%
Born Overseas
29.6%
Dwellings
5,641
Transport to Work
Daily life is shaped by rail access, schools and car use. Public transport commuting is 5.7%, while 84.6% drive, so convenience is strongest for households that can mix the station with car trips. Eight schools sit in the suburb with an ICSEA range from 1082 to 1174; Mentone Girls' Grammar at 1174, Mentone Grammar at 1144 and St Patrick's School at 1116 set a higher academic benchmark than many localities. Safety is the main trade-off: crime is 66.6 per 1,000 people, led by 618 property and deception offences, while IRSAD decile 8 points to above-average advantage.
Drive
84.6%
Public Transport
5.7%
Walk / Cycle
5.2%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.73%/yr
(+103 people/yr)
EstablishedMentone's growth outlook is steady rather than speculative. The forecast trend adds 0.73% a year, about 103 people annually, taking the medium case from 14,186 in 2026 to 14,702 in 2031. Migration is the key driver: overseas migration averages +250 people a year, compared with -66 internal migration. The shift profile is Mixed, with rents up 35.2%, real incomes up 19.9% and affordability improving from 43.6 to 40.0. Gentrification is labelled Early signs with a score of 25, so change is visible but not in a high-pressure stage.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+250
Net Internal / yr
-66
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +16% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +250/yr, COVID recovered (-4% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
879
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
66.6
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 Mentone compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mentone a good suburb to live in?
Yes. Mentone suits households wanting schools, rail and bayside access, with 8 local schools and household income in the 70.5 percentile. Its trade-offs are the $1.36m median house price and car reliance of 84.6%.
What is the median house price in Mentone?
The median house price in Mentone is $1.36m for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 7.8% below the 2022 peak of $1.475m, but still 92.9% higher than the $705,000 level recorded in 2013.
What schools are in Mentone?
Mentone has 8 schools across Independent, Catholic and Government sectors. The ICSEA range runs from 1082 to 1174, with Mentone Girls' Grammar, Mentone Grammar and St Patrick's School among the highest scoring local campuses.
Is Mentone safe?
Mentone recorded 879 offences, equal to 66.6 per 1,000 people. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 618, so buyers should compare specific streets and building security rather than rely only on suburb-wide figures.
Is Mentone good for property investment?
Mentone can work for selective investors because 32.9% of households rent and long-term demand is supported by +250 net overseas migrants a year. The caution is a 9.0% vacancy rate, which is higher than a tight rental market.
How is Mentone's population changing?
Mentone is growing steadily, with a forecast trend of 0.73% or about 103 people a year. The medium population case rises from 14,186 in 2026 to 14,702 in 2031, mainly driven by overseas migration.
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.
Explore Mentone on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map