Abbotsford vs Hawthorn

In both, most homes are flats or apartments. In Abbotsford, most households rent and most households are people living alone. In Hawthorn, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. Units cost more in Hawthorn: a median of $558,000, against $500,000 in Abbotsford, though rent is higher in Abbotsford. Abbotsford is closer to the city centre: 4.3 km, against 9.9 km. On these figures, Abbotsford tends to suit young adults.

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

Hawthorn

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (11 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (13 vs 5)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (24% 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 houses ($1,331,000 vs $2,019,000)
  • has cheaper units ($500,000 vs $558,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Abbotsford

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (4.3 km vs 9.9 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (12 min vs 18 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Hawthorn

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (12 vs 4)
  • carries lower crime risk (77/100 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 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (11.0% vs -5.1%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.7% vs 3.1%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.9% vs 5.0%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Abbotsford and Hawthorn 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 Hawthorn
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 Hawthorn
Walkability 95 / 97
Abbotsford — Walkability: 95/100 Hawthorn — Walkability: 97/100
Safety 8 / 23
Abbotsford — Safety: 8/100 Hawthorn — Safety: 23/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Abbotsford — Low fire risk: 100/100 Hawthorn — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 28 / 40
Abbotsford — Low flood risk: 28/100 Hawthorn — Low flood risk: 40/100

Demographics

Hawthorn has more residents (22,322 vs 9,088).

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Population 9,088 22,322
+146% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.0% -5.1%
Median age 33 34
Median household income $114,244/yr
+2% vs other
 $111,540/yr
Median weekly rent $425/wk
+6% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford Hawthorn
0-4 3.7% / 3.8%
Abbotsford — 0-4: 3.7% Hawthorn — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 4.4% / 8.5%
Abbotsford — 5-14: 4.4% Hawthorn — 5-14: 8.5%
15-19 2.1% / 6.0%
Abbotsford — 15-19: 2.1% Hawthorn — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 7.3% / 9.7%
Abbotsford — 20-24: 7.3% Hawthorn — 20-24: 9.7%
25-34 36.1% / 22.3%
Abbotsford — 25-34: 36.1% Hawthorn — 25-34: 22.3%
35-44 19.6% / 14.3%
Abbotsford — 35-44: 19.6% Hawthorn — 35-44: 14.3%
45-54 9.8% / 11.6%
Abbotsford — 45-54: 9.8% Hawthorn — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 7.6% / 9.5%
Abbotsford — 55-64: 7.6% Hawthorn — 55-64: 9.5%
65-74 5.6% / 7.8%
Abbotsford — 65-74: 5.6% Hawthorn — 65-74: 7.8%
75-84 2.7% / 4.7%
Abbotsford — 75-84: 2.7% Hawthorn — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 1.1% / 1.8%
Abbotsford — 85+: 1.1% Hawthorn — 85+: 1.8%

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%
Hawthorn 51.5% lone person
Hawthorn — Lone Person: 51.5% Hawthorn — Couple Families: 28.3% Hawthorn — Group Household: 10.6% Hawthorn — One Parent Families: 7.3% Hawthorn — Other Families: 2.2%
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%
Hawthorn 46.8% renting
Hawthorn — Owned Outright: 27.5% Hawthorn — Mortgage: 25.6% Hawthorn — Renting: 46.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Bachelor Degree 33.0% / 30.2%
Abbotsford — Bachelor Degree: 33.0% Hawthorn — Bachelor Degree: 30.2%
Postgraduate Degree 15.2% / 14.9%
Abbotsford — Postgraduate Degree: 15.2% Hawthorn — Postgraduate Degree: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 7.5%
Abbotsford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Hawthorn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Certificate III & IV 6.2% / 4.7%
Abbotsford — Certificate III & IV: 6.2% Hawthorn — Certificate III & IV: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.2% / 4.2%
Abbotsford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2% Hawthorn — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2%

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 Hawthorn
England 3.7% / 3.1%
Abbotsford — England: 3.7% Hawthorn — England: 3.1%
Vietnam 3.9% / 1.3%
Abbotsford — Vietnam: 3.9% Hawthorn — Vietnam: 1.3%
India 1.6% / 3.5%
Abbotsford — India: 1.6% Hawthorn — India: 3.5%
New Zealand 3.1% / 1.7%
Abbotsford — New Zealand: 3.1% Hawthorn — New Zealand: 1.7%
China 1.7% / 3.1%
Abbotsford — China: 1.7% Hawthorn — China: 3.1%
Malaysia 1.8% / 1.6%
Abbotsford — Malaysia: 1.8% Hawthorn — Malaysia: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

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%
Hawthorn 59.6% flats / apartments
Hawthorn — Flats / Apartments: 59.6% Hawthorn — Townhouses: 16.1% Hawthorn — Houses: 24.3%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Median house price $1,331,000 $2,019,000
Median unit price $500,000 $558,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 57 sales
 25 days
from 75 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 Hawthorn
2 bed $1.21M / $1.35M
Abbotsford — 2 bed: $1.21M (51 sales) Hawthorn — 2 bed: $1.35M (21 sales)

51 vs 21 sales

3 bed $1.43M / $1.9M
Abbotsford — 3 bed: $1.43M (40 sales) Hawthorn — 3 bed: $1.9M (38 sales)

40 vs 38 sales

4 bed $1.75M / $3.21M
Abbotsford — 4 bed: $1.75M (6 sales) Hawthorn — 4 bed: $3.21M (23 sales)

6 vs 23 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 Hawthorn
1 bed $380K / $395K
Abbotsford — 1 bed: $380K (98 sales) Hawthorn — 1 bed: $395K (183 sales)

98 vs 183 sales

2 bed $596K / $633K
Abbotsford — 2 bed: $596K (118 sales) Hawthorn — 2 bed: $633K (275 sales)

118 vs 275 sales

3 bed $1.01M / $995K
Abbotsford — 3 bed: $1.01M (25 sales) Hawthorn — 3 bed: $995K (21 sales)

25 vs 21 sales

Zoning mix

Abbotsford has more industrially zoned land (19% vs 0%); Abbotsford has more commercially zoned land (23% vs 8%).

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Residential 31% 68%
Commercial 23% 8%
Industrial 19% 0%
Parks and recreation 12% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 11%
same for both
Other and special use 5% 4%
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 Hawthorn
New dwellings approved 1,675
across Yarra
 711
across Boroondara
Approvals change year on year +646% -40%

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 Hawthorn
Houses 3.7%
$850/wk on $1.2M
 3.1%
$1,250/wk on $2.1M
Units 5.9%
$600/wk on $525K
 5.0%
$550/wk on $571K

Ranking within VIC

Abbotsford Hawthorn
House price Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Income Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 47% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 17% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC

Liveability

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Grade A
same for both
Score 72/100 71/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Abbotsford carries more flood risk (72 vs 60); Abbotsford carries more crime risk (92 vs 77).

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 High
77/100
Flood High
72/100
 Moderate
60/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 17
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Inside the suburb 2 11
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 1 2
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 1.8 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 6.7%

Schools in Abbotsford

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

Schools in Hawthorn

  • Erasmus Primary School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Scotch College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Glenferrie Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Bialik College Independent · Combined below peers
  • Hawthorn West Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Supermarkets 7 3
Cafes & restaurants 37 82
Parks & reserves 17 29
Childcare 5 13
GPs 4 12
Pharmacies 1 7
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 7
Fuel stations 3 6
EV chargers 2 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Hawthorn sits further from the CBD (9.9 km vs 4.3 km).

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Walkability score 95/100 97/100
Distance to Melbourne 4.3 km 9.9 km
+130% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 12 min 18 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 97/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 428.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 468.5
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 3122
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 6
postcode 3067
 9
postcode 3122

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 Hawthorn
Worked from Home 52.7% / 50.5%
Abbotsford — Worked from Home: 52.7% Hawthorn — Worked from Home: 50.5%
Car (driver) 24.6% / 31.6%
Abbotsford — Car (driver): 24.6% Hawthorn — Car (driver): 31.6%
Walked Only 6.7% / 5.4%
Abbotsford — Walked Only: 6.7% Hawthorn — Walked Only: 5.4%
Train 4.0% / 6.3%
Abbotsford — Train: 4.0% Hawthorn — Train: 6.3%
Tram / Light Rail 4.8% / 2.6%
Abbotsford — Tram / Light Rail: 4.8% Hawthorn — Tram / Light Rail: 2.6%
Bicycle 4.3% / 1.5%
Abbotsford — Bicycle: 4.3% Hawthorn — Bicycle: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.7%).

Setting

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 38 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.5 km 6.8 km

NBN connectivity

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Connectivity score 85/100 82/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the curb
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
7,088 premises
 27%
15,213 premises

Climate

Abbotsford Hawthorn
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 Hawthorn
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³ 7.3 µg/m³
PM10 — 17.8 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.82 pphm

Council rates

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Average residential rate $1,937/yr $2,253/yr
Council Yarra Boroondara

Federal electorate

Abbotsford Hawthorn
Division Melbourne Kooyong
Member Sarah Witty Monique Ryan
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Abbotsford Hawthorn
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

Hawthorn

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Abbotsford

Abbotsford vs Richmond Abbotsford vs Kew Abbotsford vs Collingwood Abbotsford vs Clifton Hill Abbotsford vs Fairfield

Other comparisons with Hawthorn

Hawthorn vs Richmond Hawthorn vs Kew Hawthorn vs Hawthorn East Hawthorn vs Toorak Hawthorn vs Malvern Hawthorn vs Kooyong
Full data on Abbotsford Full data on Hawthorn
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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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