Airport West vs Tullamarine
In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Airport West: a median of $1.04 million, against $795,000 in Tullamarine, and rent is higher there too. Airport West is closer to the city centre: 15.1 km, against 17.7 km. On these figures, Tullamarine tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Airport West has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
- Tullamarine has more parks and reserves (14 vs 7)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Tullamarine
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($795,000 vs $1,040,000)
- has cheaper units ($540,000 vs $655,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Tullamarine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($355/wk vs $401/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Airport West
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (85/100 vs 61/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (15.1 km vs 17.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Airport West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (85/100 vs 61/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Airport West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.1% vs 1.9%)
Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.
Where they sit
Airport West and Tullamarine 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
Airport West has higher household incomes ($91,572 vs $73,008); Airport West rents higher ($401/wk vs $355/wk).
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,173 +18% vs other | 6,733 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.1% | +1.9% |
| Median age | 39 same for both | |
| Median household income | $91,572/yr +20% vs other | $73,008/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $401/wk +11% vs other | $355/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).
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 (5.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,040,000 | $795,000 |
| Median unit price | $655,000 | $540,000 |
| Median land price | $1,250,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 23 days from 84 sales | 24 days from 66 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.
46 vs 29 sales
27 vs 14 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.
19 vs 16 sales
104 vs 86 sales
39 vs 21 sales
Zoning mix
Tullamarine has more industrially zoned land (32% vs 2%).
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 61% | 25% |
| Industrial | 2% | 32% |
| Commercial | 24% | 23% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 7% | 16% |
| Parks and recreation | 7% | 3% |
| 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
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 702 across Moonee Valley | 3,063 across Hume |
| Approvals change year on year | +82% | +0% |
Gross rental yield
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.0% $700/wk on $910K | 4.1% $585/wk on $750K |
| Units | 4.9% $572/wk on $612K | 4.5% $500/wk on $584K |
Ranking within VIC
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 54% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 60% of VIC | Higher than 38% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 71% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 95% of VIC | Higher than 88% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 23% of VIC | Higher than 31% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 84% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 99% of VIC | Higher than 100% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 69% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 54% of VIC | Higher than 29% of VIC |
Liveability
Airport West scores higher overall (68 vs 45); Airport West is more walkable (85 vs 61).
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | C |
| Score | 68/100 | 45/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Tullamarine carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0); Airport West carries more flood risk (35 vs 20).
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Crime | High 86/100 | High 88/100 |
| Flood | Low 35/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 | High 70/100 |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 5 within 5 km | 8 within 5 km |
Schools
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 2 Victoria University Footscray Park, 8.4 km | None |
Schools in Airport West
- Niddrie Primary School Government · Primary above peers
- St Christopher's School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Essendon Keilor College-Niddrie Campus Government · Secondary
Schools in Tullamarine
- Tullamarine Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 4 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 9 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 14 |
| Childcare | 5 same for both | |
| GPs | 4 same for both | |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 5 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 3 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 7 |
Mobility
Tullamarine sits further from the CBD (17.7 km vs 15.1 km).
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 85/100 | 61/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 15.1 km | 17.7 km +17% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 21 min | 24 min |
| Public transport score | 95/100 Tram · Bus | 79/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 265.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 160.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3042 | 1.3% postcode 3043 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 21 postcode 3042 | 27 postcode 3043 |
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 (68.6%).
Setting
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 79 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 85 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 13.3 km | 15.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 99/100 | 100/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 96% 4,996 premises | 99% 5,165 premises |
Climate
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 18.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,027/yr | $1,715/yr |
| Council | Moonee Valley | Hume |
Federal electorate
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Maribyrnong same for both | |
| Member | Jo Briskey same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Airport West | Tullamarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Airport West
Tullamarine
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Airport West
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.