Airly vs Montgomery
Montgomery is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 44 in Airly. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Montgomery tends to suit families with children and couples.
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
Montgomery
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 46/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 86%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (115% vs 100%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Airly
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 44%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Montgomery
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 8%)
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $330/wk)
- But Airly leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 27%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Montgomery
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Airly
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.6% vs 0.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Airly and Montgomery drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Airly has more residents (160 vs 65); Airly has higher household incomes ($96,200 vs $46,800).
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 160 +59% vs other | 65 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.6% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 44 | 37 |
| Median household income | $96,200/yr +51% vs other | $46,800/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk +27% vs other | $240/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 95% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 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
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 209 across Wellington same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +17% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 67% of VIC | Higher than 7% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of VIC | Higher than 27% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
Liveability
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Airly carries more crime risk (46 vs 25); Airly carries more flood risk (75 vs 45).
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 46/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Flood | High 75/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Airly
- Airly Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Montgomery
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 222.9 km | 221.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 163 min | 160 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3851 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 3851 same for both | |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.7%).
Setting
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 13 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 15 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 33.1 km | 34.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 55 premises | 0% 28 premises |
Climate
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 546 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,960/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wellington same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Airly | Montgomery | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Airly
Montgomery
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Airly
Other comparisons with Montgomery
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.