Abbotsford vs Clifton Hill

Abbotsford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 37 in Clifton Hill. In Abbotsford, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Clifton Hill, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Clifton Hill: a median of $1.61 million, against $1.33 million in Abbotsford, and rent is higher there too. Abbotsford is closer to the city centre: 4.3 km, against 5.6 km. On these figures, Abbotsford tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Clifton Hill

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (24% vs 10%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (46% vs 24%)
  • carries lower crime risk (81/100 vs 92/100)
  • But Abbotsford has more parks and reserves (17 vs 10)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Abbotsford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($500,000 vs $675,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,331,000 vs $1,607,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Abbotsford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (57% vs 40%)
  • has cheaper rent ($425/wk vs $550/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Clifton Hill

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (15% vs 9%)
  • carries lower crime risk (81/100 vs 92/100)
  • But Abbotsford has more units and townhouses to downsize into (90% vs 76%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Abbotsford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (11.0% vs 4.2%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.9% vs 4.3%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Abbotsford and Clifton Hill drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Walkability 95 / 89
Abbotsford — Walkability: 95/100 Clifton Hill — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 8 / 19
Abbotsford — Safety: 8/100 Clifton Hill — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Abbotsford — Low fire risk: 100/100 Clifton Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 28 / 56
Abbotsford — Low flood risk: 28/100 Clifton Hill — Low flood risk: 56/100

Demographics

Abbotsford has more residents (9,088 vs 6,606); Clifton Hill rents higher ($550/wk vs $425/wk).

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Population 9,088
+27% vs other
 6,606
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.0% +4.2%
Median age 33 37
Median household income $114,244/yr $143,260/yr
+25% vs other
Median weekly rent $425/wk $550/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
0-4 3.7% / 5.6%
Abbotsford — 0-4: 3.7% Clifton Hill — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 4.4% / 10.4%
Abbotsford — 5-14: 4.4% Clifton Hill — 5-14: 10.4%
15-19 2.1% / 3.1%
Abbotsford — 15-19: 2.1% Clifton Hill — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 7.3% / 4.7%
Abbotsford — 20-24: 7.3% Clifton Hill — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 36.1% / 21.5%
Abbotsford — 25-34: 36.1% Clifton Hill — 25-34: 21.5%
35-44 19.6% / 17.2%
Abbotsford — 35-44: 19.6% Clifton Hill — 35-44: 17.2%
45-54 9.8% / 12.5%
Abbotsford — 45-54: 9.8% Clifton Hill — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 7.6% / 10.6%
Abbotsford — 55-64: 7.6% Clifton Hill — 55-64: 10.6%
65-74 5.6% / 9.3%
Abbotsford — 65-74: 5.6% Clifton Hill — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 2.7% / 3.9%
Abbotsford — 75-84: 2.7% Clifton Hill — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 1.1% / 1.3%
Abbotsford — 85+: 1.1% Clifton Hill — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford 57.9% lone person
Abbotsford — Lone Person: 57.9% Abbotsford — Couple Families: 18.0% Abbotsford — Group Household: 16.2% Abbotsford — One Parent Families: 6.0% Abbotsford — Other Families: 1.9%
Clifton Hill 39.0% lone person
Clifton Hill — Lone Person: 39.0% Clifton Hill — Couple Families: 37.0% Clifton Hill — Group Household: 13.0% Clifton Hill — One Parent Families: 9.2% Clifton Hill — Other Families: 1.8%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford 56.6% renting
Abbotsford — Owned Outright: 15.9% Abbotsford — Mortgage: 27.5% Abbotsford — Renting: 56.6%
Clifton Hill 39.7% renting
Clifton Hill — Owned Outright: 29.6% Clifton Hill — Mortgage: 30.7% Clifton Hill — Renting: 39.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Bachelor Degree 33.0% / 29.1%
Abbotsford — Bachelor Degree: 33.0% Clifton Hill — Bachelor Degree: 29.1%
Postgraduate Degree 15.2% / 18.2%
Abbotsford — Postgraduate Degree: 15.2% Clifton Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 18.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 5.5%
Abbotsford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Clifton Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.5%
Certificate III & IV 6.2% / 4.6%
Abbotsford — Certificate III & IV: 6.2% Clifton Hill — Certificate III & IV: 4.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.2% / 5.6%
Abbotsford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2% Clifton Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.0%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
England 3.7% / 4.3%
Abbotsford — England: 3.7% Clifton Hill — England: 4.3%
New Zealand 3.1% / 2.5%
Abbotsford — New Zealand: 3.1% Clifton Hill — New Zealand: 2.5%
Vietnam 3.9% / —
Abbotsford — Vietnam: 3.9% Clifton Hill — Vietnam: not among its largest
Malaysia 1.8% / 0.7%
Abbotsford — Malaysia: 1.8% Clifton Hill — Malaysia: 0.7%
Greece 1.0% / 1.3%
Abbotsford — Greece: 1.0% Clifton Hill — Greece: 1.3%
China 1.7% / —
Abbotsford — China: 1.7% Clifton Hill — China: not among its largest
Ireland — / 0.7%
Abbotsford — Ireland: not among its largest Clifton Hill — Ireland: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford 65.9% flats / apartments
Abbotsford — Flats / Apartments: 65.9% Abbotsford — Townhouses: 23.9% Abbotsford — Houses: 10.2%
Clifton Hill 25.5% flats / apartments
Clifton Hill — Flats / Apartments: 25.5% Clifton Hill — Townhouses: 50.8% Clifton Hill — Houses: 23.8%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Median house price $1,331,000 $1,607,500
Median unit price $500,000 $675,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 57 sales
 23 days
from 31 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
1 bed $380K / $444K
Abbotsford — 1 bed: $380K (98 sales) Clifton Hill — 1 bed: $444K (24 sales)

98 vs 24 sales

2 bed $596K / $755K
Abbotsford — 2 bed: $596K (118 sales) Clifton Hill — 2 bed: $755K (23 sales)

118 vs 23 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
2 bed $1.21M / $1.28M
Abbotsford — 2 bed: $1.21M (51 sales) Clifton Hill — 2 bed: $1.28M (36 sales)

51 vs 36 sales

3 bed $1.43M / $1.65M
Abbotsford — 3 bed: $1.43M (40 sales) Clifton Hill — 3 bed: $1.65M (42 sales)

40 vs 42 sales

4 bed $1.75M / $2.02M
Abbotsford — 4 bed: $1.75M (6 sales) Clifton Hill — 4 bed: $2.02M (16 sales)

6 vs 16 sales

Zoning mix

Abbotsford has more industrially zoned land (19% vs 0%); Abbotsford has more commercially zoned land (23% vs 5%).

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Residential 31% 53%
Parks and recreation 12% 26%
Commercial 23% 5%
Industrial 19% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 17%
Other and special use 5% 0%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
New dwellings approved 1,675
across Yarra
same for both
Approvals change year on year +646%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Houses 3.7%
$850/wk on $1.2M
 3.3%
$948/wk on $1.5M
Units 5.9%
$600/wk on $525K
 4.3%
$608/wk on $735K

Ranking within VIC

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
House price Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Income Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 26% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 26% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 22% of VIC

Liveability

Abbotsford scores higher overall (72 vs 65).

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Grade A B
Score 72/100 65/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Abbotsford carries more flood risk (72 vs 44); Abbotsford carries more crime risk (92 vs 81).

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 High
81/100
Flood High
72/100
 Moderate
44/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 17
within 5 km
 15
within 5 km

Schools

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 1.8 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 2.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 2.3%

Schools in Abbotsford

  • Abbotsford Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Sophia Mundi Steiner School Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Clifton Hill

  • Clifton Hill Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Spensley Street Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • St John's School Catholic · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Supermarkets 7 1
Cafes & restaurants 37 10
Parks & reserves 17 10
Childcare 5
same for both
GPs 4 3
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 3 1
EV chargers 2 0

Mobility

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Walkability score 95/100 89/100
Distance to Melbourne 4.3 km 5.6 km
+30% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 12 min 14 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 428.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 128.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 3067
 2.5%
postcode 3068
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 6
postcode 3067
 16
postcode 3068

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Worked from Home 52.7% / 56.2%
Abbotsford — Worked from Home: 52.7% Clifton Hill — Worked from Home: 56.2%
Car (driver) 24.6% / 26.4%
Abbotsford — Car (driver): 24.6% Clifton Hill — Car (driver): 26.4%
Bicycle 4.3% / 6.2%
Abbotsford — Bicycle: 4.3% Clifton Hill — Bicycle: 6.2%
Walked Only 6.7% / 3.7%
Abbotsford — Walked Only: 6.7% Clifton Hill — Walked Only: 3.7%
Train 4.0% / 4.1%
Abbotsford — Train: 4.0% Clifton Hill — Train: 4.1%
Tram / Light Rail 4.8% / 1.1%
Abbotsford — Tram / Light Rail: 4.8% Clifton Hill — Tram / Light Rail: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.2%).

Setting

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 42 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.5 km 7.8 km

NBN connectivity

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Connectivity score 85/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
7,088 premises
 7%
3,270 premises

Climate

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Average residential rate $1,937/yr
same for both
Council Yarra
same for both

Federal electorate

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Division Melbourne Cooper
Member Sarah Witty Ged Kearney
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Abbotsford Clifton Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Abbotsford

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals River Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Clifton Hill

Easy Commute Inner Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Trains Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Abbotsford

Abbotsford vs Richmond Abbotsford vs Kew Abbotsford vs Hawthorn Abbotsford vs Collingwood Abbotsford vs Fairfield

Other comparisons with Clifton Hill

Clifton Hill vs Northcote Clifton Hill vs Fitzroy North Clifton Hill vs Fitzroy Clifton Hill vs Collingwood Clifton Hill vs Fairfield
Full data on Abbotsford Full data on Clifton Hill
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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