Where to Live in Melbourne

Click Here for the new, detailed report – Where to Live in Melbourne.

Melbourne does not sit directly on the ocean. It sits inside a bay – Port Phillip Bay – on the south coast of Australia’s state of Victoria.

Painting with a broad brush, the western half of Melbourne is perceived as “working class”. The eastern half of the city is thought of as “managerial” or “professional”.

About three quarters of Melbourne’s residential properties are separate, detached houses with their own gardens.

Housing is more expensive in the southern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Houses in many of the city’s “good” areas command prices of over $500,000.

Fashionable inner-eastern Melbourne can be particularly expensive – for example Kew has an average house price of over $1 million and the elite suburb of Toorak has an average price of about $1.5 million.

Fortunately, there are also a good number of desireable, family-oriented suburbs with much more affordable houses.

Average House Prices in Melbourne
($thousands)
2004 to 2009

Inner western suburbs can be more affordable (average prices $300,000 – $450,000) compared with the inner eastern side of the city.

Inner suburbs lie within half an hour’s train ride of the city centre.

Melbourne enjoys lower crime rates than other Australian cities although some areas – even in the “better” parts of the city – have significantly higher crime rates than others.

If you intend catching a train into the CBD (Central Business District), the eastern half of Melbourne has more railway stations.

One hour maximum on the train will take you into the centre of the city from all but Melbourne’s farthest outer suburbs.

If you choose to live on the beautiful Mornington peninsula, the commute would take a bit longer.

Click Here for the new, detailed report – Where to Live in Melbourne.