St Kilda West
Apartment-led St Kilda West packs 2,951 residents into 0.53 sq km, producing a density of 5,578.4 people per sq km and a renter share of 51.5%. University attainment is 30.5 percentage points above the national comparison, and household income sits at the 74.4th percentile. The average household has 1.9 people, below the national comparison, helping explain the concentration of smaller homes. Compared with nearby St Kilda and Elwood, St Kilda West is more tightly packed and apartment-dependent, suiting buyers who prioritise beachside access over yard space.
Local council: Port Phillip
Population
2,951
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,983/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
6
Median House
$3.0M
October to December 2025
Only a handful of houses sold here in this period, so this median can jump sharply from one quarter to the next for reasons that have nothing to do with the market. Treat it as a rough guide, not a settled price.
The stock is not typical detached housing, with only 8.4% of dwellings being separate houses compared with 71.3% apartments and 20.1% semi-detached homes. Smaller households help explain why 40.0% of homes have two bedrooms and 32.7% have zero or one bedroom. Mortgage costs at 26.8% of household income indicate less stress than a highly leveraged market, but the entry price remains substantial. Compared with St Kilda's broader apartment market, buyers should scrutinise building quality, owners corporation costs, parking and outlook.
For Buyers
The stock is not typical detached housing, with only 8.4% of dwellings being separate houses compared with 71.3% apartments and 20.1% semi-detached homes. Smaller households help explain why 40.0% of homes have two bedrooms and 32.7% have zero or one bedroom. Mortgage costs at 26.8% of household income indicate less stress than a highly leveraged market, but the entry price remains substantial. Compared with St Kilda's broader apartment market, buyers should scrutinise building quality, owners corporation costs, parking and outlook.
For Investors
St Kilda West has a clear rental orientation, with 51.5% of dwellings rented compared with 23.1% owned outright and 23.8% held with a mortgage. Weekly rent is $385, while the 20.3% vacancy rate is unusually high and can weaken leasing certainty because apartments compete for tenants at the same time. The apartment share is 71.3%, so investor outcomes depend heavily on building presentation, fees, parking and the appeal of smaller floorplans: 32.7% of dwellings contain zero or one bedroom and 40.0% contain two bedrooms. Only 6 development applications were recorded over 12 months, suggesting limited recent local pipeline rather than a major construction wave. Compared with detached-house markets in nearby Elwood, St Kilda West provides a more concentrated apartment niche but carries higher vacancy risk.
Development Activity
Total DAs
6
Last 12 Months
6
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
St Kilda West has a median age of 40, exactly aligned with the national comparison, while its 60.6% university attainment is 30.5 percentage points above the national figure. That education profile supports a professional population, with 696 Professionals and 392 Managers. Overseas-born residents account for 31.3%, or 9.7 percentage points above the national comparison, with Hindi, Greek, Italian and Portuguese among recorded home languages. No religion is the largest affiliation at 1,595 people, ahead of Christianity at 829 and Hinduism at 165. Average household size is 1.9, which is 0.6 below the national comparison, while 50.4% of families are couples without children. Residential turnover is 34.5%, making the suburb more mobile than a settled family district.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
8.4%
Houses
20.1%
Townhouse
71.3%
Apartment
Tenure
St Kilda West's housing market is premium but uneven. Tenure is renter-majority, with 51.5% renting, 23.8% paying a mortgage and 23.1% owning outright. Apartments account for 71.3%, while separate houses make up just 8.4%, explaining the concentration of zero or one-bedroom homes at 32.7% and two-bedroom homes at 40.0%. Compared with Elwood, the suburb is more apartment-dominant and less suited to buyers seeking conventional family-house stock. The 20.3% vacancy rate may also amplify price and rent swings.
Mortgage / mo
$2,300
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$385
Census 2021
HH Size
1.9
Personal Income / wk
$1,314
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
20.3%
Unoccupied
359
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
38.2%
Couples with children
50.4%
Couples, no children
9.8%
Single parent
655
Total families
Economy & Employment
St Kilda West has an educated, service-led workforce. Professional and technical industries account for 20.2% of jobs, followed by healthcare at 14.7%, education at 9.4%, finance at 8.0% and public administration at 6.2%. The occupational mix reinforces that pattern, with 696 Professionals, 392 Managers and 218 Clerical/Admin workers. Labour-force participation is 72.2%, while employment includes 1,172 full-time and 502 part-time workers and unemployment is 4.5%. Household income sits at the 74.4th percentile nationally. Full-time workers represent 66.0% of employed residents, while 53.6% work from home, likely reflecting the professional concentration and apartment-based lifestyle. Compared with lower-income outer suburban markets, this profile supports premium local spending, although the compact 0.53 sq km footprint limits large employment sites.
Unemployment
4.5%
Labour Force
1,860
Unemployed
84
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.0%
Part-time
28.3%
Participation
72.2%
Employed
1,776
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
60.6%
Postgraduate
21.0%
Born Overseas
31.3%
Dwellings
1,409
Transport to Work
Daily life is shaped by a compact inner-city setting, with 53.6% working from home, 30.2% driving and 7.4% using public transport; another 7.2% walked or cycled to work. The small 0.53 sq km footprint and 5,578.4 people per sq km place services and beachside amenity within a dense urban environment, but residents should expect less private open space because only 8.4% of dwellings are separate houses and 71.3% are apartments. Safety requires a practical reading of the 77.6 offences per 1,000 residents: property and deception offences total 155 of 229 recorded offences, much higher than crimes against the person at 30. The 20.9% volunteering rate is a positive civic indicator, while 2.5% need assistance. Compared with quieter suburban settings, St Kilda West trades space for proximity and a more active streetscape.
Drive
30.2%
Public Transport
7.4%
Walk / Cycle
7.2%
Work from Home
53.6%
Growth Outlook
St Kilda West's strongest growth signal is long-run price appreciation rather than a large development pipeline. The median price rose 158.2% from 2013 to Oct-Dec 2025, equivalent to a 5.1% annual compound rate over 19 years, but the latest result sits 27.8% below the Jan-Mar 2024 peak. Only 6 development applications were recorded over 12 months, and the compact 0.53 sq km area constrains the scale of new supply. High density at 5,578.4 people per sq km and a 71.3% apartment share mean future change is more likely to come through renovations, apartment turnover and selective infill than broad greenfield expansion. Compared with growth corridors nationally, St Kilda West is a mature, land-constrained market where cyclical price rebounds should be separated from genuine additions to housing capacity.
Population trend: Port Phillip council area
St Kilda West sits in the Port Phillip council area. These are the council area's residents, not St Kilda West's.
Residents 2025
114,434
Growth, 5 yr average
+0.7%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.9%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
229
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
77.6
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 St Kilda West compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is St Kilda West a good suburb to live in?
St Kilda West suits residents who value a beachside inner-city setting, apartment living and professional connectivity. Its 53.6% work-from-home rate, 71.3% apartment share and 20.3% vacancy point to a dense, mobile market. It is less suitable than Elwood for buyers seeking detached-house stock, while the 77.6 per 1,000 crime rate warrants attention to property security.
What schools are in St Kilda West?
Families should check the exact address against nearby enrolment zones, because St Kilda West covers only 0.53 sq km and school options can sit outside the suburb boundary. Compared with larger suburban catchments, compact inner-city boundaries require careful checking of government, Catholic and independent intake rules, travel time and current capacity.
Is St Kilda West safe?
St Kilda West recorded 229 offences, equal to 77.6 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences made up 155, far more than crimes against the person at 30, so apartment access control, lighting and valuables security deserve attention. Compared with the suburb's total incident count, personal offences are a smaller category, but street and building conditions still matter.
Is St Kilda West good for property investment?
St Kilda West can suit investors seeking a premium apartment market, with 51.5% of dwellings rented and weekly rent of $385. However, the 20.3% vacancy rate is high, and 71.3% of homes are apartments, increasing competition between similar properties. Compared with a tightly supplied rental market, vacancy risk is higher, so owners corporation costs, building quality and tenant demand should be tested carefully.
How is St Kilda West's population changing?
St Kilda West has 2,951 residents in a compact, mobile market. Residential turnover is 34.5%, while 65.5% stayed at the same address, indicating both movement and a substantial settled base. The average household size is 1.9, or 0.6 below the national comparison, and 31.3% of residents were born overseas. Compared with larger family suburbs, change is more likely to appear through apartment turnover than expanding household size.
What languages are spoken in St Kilda West?
English ancestry is the largest reported background at 1,077 people, followed by Irish at 458 and Scottish at 375. Among the listed non-English home languages, Hindi accounts for 37 residents, Greek 26, Italian 14 and Portuguese 11. Compared with the suburb's total population of 2,951, these language groups are relatively small but add to the area's cultural mix.
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), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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