Abbotsford vs Kew

Abbotsford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 41 in Kew. In Abbotsford, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Kew, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Kew: a median of $2.45 million, against $1.33 million in Abbotsford, and rent is higher there too. Abbotsford is closer to the city centre: 4.3 km, against 8.4 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

Kew

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (13 vs 2)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (50% vs 10%)
  • has more childcare (24 vs 5)

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 $2,450,000)
  • has cheaper units ($500,000 vs $665,000)

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 29%)
  • has cheaper rent ($425/wk vs $476/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Abbotsford

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (9% vs 3%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (4.3 km vs 8.4 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (12 min vs 18 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Kew

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 9%)
  • carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 92/100)
  • But Abbotsford has more units and townhouses to downsize into (90% vs 50%)

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 -0.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.7% vs 2.7%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Abbotsford and Kew 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 Kew
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 Kew
Walkability 95 / 93
Abbotsford — Walkability: 95/100 Kew — Walkability: 93/100
Safety 8 / 31
Abbotsford — Safety: 8/100 Kew — Safety: 31/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Abbotsford — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kew — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 28 / 43
Abbotsford — Low flood risk: 28/100 Kew — Low flood risk: 43/100

Demographics

Kew has more residents (24,499 vs 9,088); Kew skews older (41 vs 33).

Abbotsford Kew
Population 9,088 24,499
+170% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.0% -0.4%
Median age 33 41
Median household income $114,244/yr $129,844/yr
+14% vs other
Median weekly rent $425/wk $476/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford Kew
0-4 3.7% / 3.9%
Abbotsford — 0-4: 3.7% Kew — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 4.4% / 11.3%
Abbotsford — 5-14: 4.4% Kew — 5-14: 11.3%
15-19 2.1% / 7.0%
Abbotsford — 15-19: 2.1% Kew — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 7.3% / 7.2%
Abbotsford — 20-24: 7.3% Kew — 20-24: 7.2%
25-34 36.1% / 12.9%
Abbotsford — 25-34: 36.1% Kew — 25-34: 12.9%
35-44 19.6% / 11.5%
Abbotsford — 35-44: 19.6% Kew — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 9.8% / 14.0%
Abbotsford — 45-54: 9.8% Kew — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 7.6% / 12.9%
Abbotsford — 55-64: 7.6% Kew — 55-64: 12.9%
65-74 5.6% / 10.1%
Abbotsford — 65-74: 5.6% Kew — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 2.7% / 6.1%
Abbotsford — 75-84: 2.7% Kew — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 1.1% / 3.2%
Abbotsford — 85+: 1.1% Kew — 85+: 3.2%

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%
Kew 34.9% lone person
Kew — Lone Person: 34.9% Kew — Couple Families: 43.6% Kew — Group Household: 7.0% Kew — One Parent Families: 12.7% Kew — 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%
Kew 29.4% renting
Kew — Owned Outright: 40.7% Kew — Mortgage: 29.9% Kew — Renting: 29.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Abbotsford Kew
Bachelor Degree 33.0% / 27.3%
Abbotsford — Bachelor Degree: 33.0% Kew — Bachelor Degree: 27.3%
Postgraduate Degree 15.2% / 13.1%
Abbotsford — Postgraduate Degree: 15.2% Kew — Postgraduate Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 7.4%
Abbotsford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Kew — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4%
Certificate III & IV 6.2% / 4.4%
Abbotsford — Certificate III & IV: 6.2% Kew — Certificate III & IV: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.2% / 3.8%
Abbotsford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2% Kew — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

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 Kew
China 1.7% / 6.6%
Abbotsford — China: 1.7% Kew — China: 6.6%
England 3.7% / 2.9%
Abbotsford — England: 3.7% Kew — England: 2.9%
Vietnam 3.9% / 1.3%
Abbotsford — Vietnam: 3.9% Kew — Vietnam: 1.3%
New Zealand 3.1% / 1.4%
Abbotsford — New Zealand: 3.1% Kew — New Zealand: 1.4%
Malaysia 1.8% / 2.2%
Abbotsford — Malaysia: 1.8% Kew — Malaysia: 2.2%
India 1.6% / 1.8%
Abbotsford — India: 1.6% Kew — India: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Abbotsford 65.9% flats / apartments
Abbotsford — Flats / Apartments: 65.9% Abbotsford — Houses: 10.2% Abbotsford — Townhouses: 23.9%
Kew 26.0% flats / apartments
Kew — Flats / Apartments: 26.0% Kew — Houses: 50.5% Kew — Townhouses: 23.6%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Abbotsford Kew
Median house price $1,331,000 $2,450,000
Median unit price $500,000 $665,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 57 sales
 24 days
from 43 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 Kew
2 bed $1.21M / $1.6M
Abbotsford — 2 bed: $1.21M (51 sales) Kew — 2 bed: $1.6M (6 sales)

51 vs 6 sales

3 bed $1.43M / $1.8M
Abbotsford — 3 bed: $1.43M (40 sales) Kew — 3 bed: $1.8M (22 sales)

40 vs 22 sales

4 bed $1.75M / $2.88M
Abbotsford — 4 bed: $1.75M (6 sales) Kew — 4 bed: $2.88M (21 sales)

6 vs 21 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 Kew
1 bed $380K / $451K
Abbotsford — 1 bed: $380K (98 sales) Kew — 1 bed: $451K (13 sales)

98 vs 13 sales

2 bed $596K / $665K
Abbotsford — 2 bed: $596K (118 sales) Kew — 2 bed: $665K (69 sales)

118 vs 69 sales

3 bed $1.01M / $925K
Abbotsford — 3 bed: $1.01M (25 sales) Kew — 3 bed: $925K (13 sales)

25 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Abbotsford has more commercially zoned land (23% vs 2%); Abbotsford has more industrially zoned land (19% vs 0%).

Abbotsford Kew
Residential 31% 68%
Commercial 23% 2%
Industrial 19% 0%
Parks and recreation 12% 18%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 12%
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 Kew
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 Kew
Houses 3.7%
$850/wk on $1.2M
 2.7%
$1,275/wk on $2.49M
Units 5.9%
$600/wk on $525K
 5.5%
$682/wk on $650K

Ranking within VIC

Abbotsford Kew
House price Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Income Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 53% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 6% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC

Liveability

Abbotsford Kew
Grade A
same for both
Score 72/100 74/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Abbotsford carries more crime risk (92 vs 69); Abbotsford carries more flood risk (72 vs 57).

Abbotsford Kew
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 Moderate
69/100
Flood High
72/100
 Moderate
57/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 17
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Abbotsford Kew
Inside the suburb 2 13
Rated above peers 0 3
Rated at peers 1 3
Rated below peers 1 3
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 1.8 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 2.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 4.9%

Schools in Abbotsford

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

Schools in Kew

  • Genazzano FCJ College Catholic · Combined above peers
  • Methodist Ladies' College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Trinity Grammar School Kew Independent · Combined above peers
  • Carey Baptist Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Kew Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Ruyton Girls' School Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Abbotsford Kew
Supermarkets 7 4
Cafes & restaurants 37 22
Parks & reserves 17 28
Childcare 5 24
GPs 4
same for both
Pharmacies 1 2
Hospitals 0 3
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 6
Fuel stations 3 4
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 0 4

Mobility

Kew sits further from the CBD (8.4 km vs 4.3 km).

Abbotsford Kew
Walkability score 95/100 93/100
Distance to Melbourne 4.3 km 8.4 km
+95% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 12 min 18 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 81/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 428.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 702.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 3067
 3.7%
postcode 3101
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 6
postcode 3067
 18
postcode 3101

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 Kew
Worked from Home 52.7% / 46.4%
Abbotsford — Worked from Home: 52.7% Kew — Worked from Home: 46.4%
Car (driver) 24.6% / 41.5%
Abbotsford — Car (driver): 24.6% Kew — Car (driver): 41.5%
Walked Only 6.7% / 3.4%
Abbotsford — Walked Only: 6.7% Kew — Walked Only: 3.4%
Tram / Light Rail 4.8% / 2.1%
Abbotsford — Tram / Light Rail: 4.8% Kew — Tram / Light Rail: 2.1%
Bicycle 4.3% / 1.6%
Abbotsford — Bicycle: 4.3% Kew — Bicycle: 1.6%
Car (passenger) 1.4% / 2.7%
Abbotsford — Car (passenger): 1.4% Kew — Car (passenger): 2.7%

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

Setting

Abbotsford Kew
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 73 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.5 km 8.4 km

NBN connectivity

Abbotsford Kew
Connectivity score 85/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
7,088 premises
 18%
12,405 premises

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Abbotsford Kew
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

Kew

Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Abbotsford

Abbotsford vs Richmond Abbotsford vs Hawthorn Abbotsford vs Collingwood Abbotsford vs Clifton Hill Abbotsford vs Fairfield

Other comparisons with Kew

Kew vs Richmond Kew vs Hawthorn Kew vs Balwyn North Kew vs Hawthorn East Kew vs Balwyn Kew vs Canterbury
Full data on Abbotsford Full data on Kew
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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