Albion vs Sunshine West

Albion is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Sunshine West. In Albion, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Sunshine West, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Sunshine West is closer to the city centre: 14.6 km, against 24.4 km. On these figures, Albion tends to suit renters 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

Sunshine West

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 3)
  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 10)

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

First-home buyers

Albion

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($295,000 vs $585,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Albion

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (46% vs 29%)
  • has cheaper rent ($301/wk vs $346/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sunshine West

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (14.6 km vs 24.4 km)
  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 62/100)
  • But Albion gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 5%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Sunshine West

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 62/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 84/100)
  • But Albion has more units and townhouses to downsize into (45% vs 17%)

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

Investors

Sunshine West

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (-0.2% vs -8.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.5% vs 4.6%)
  • But Albion returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.4% vs 3.7%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Albion Sunshine West
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.

Albion Sunshine West
Walkability 62 / 81
Albion — Walkability: 62/100 Sunshine West — Walkability: 81/100
Safety 16 / 34
Albion — Safety: 16/100 Sunshine West — Safety: 34/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Albion — Low fire risk: 100/100 Sunshine West — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 61 / 58
Albion — Low flood risk: 61/100 Sunshine West — Low flood risk: 58/100

Demographics

Sunshine West has more residents (18,552 vs 4,334); Sunshine West rents higher ($346/wk vs $301/wk).

Albion Sunshine West
Population 4,334 18,552
+328% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -8.4% -0.2%
Median age 35 38
Median household income $68,120/yr $73,632/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $301/wk $346/wk
+15% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Albion Sunshine West
0-4 5.6% / 5.6%
Albion — 0-4: 5.6% Sunshine West — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 8.6% / 11.1%
Albion — 5-14: 8.6% Sunshine West — 5-14: 11.1%
15-19 3.6% / 5.3%
Albion — 15-19: 3.6% Sunshine West — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 7.4% / 6.5%
Albion — 20-24: 7.4% Sunshine West — 20-24: 6.5%
25-34 23.1% / 16.5%
Albion — 25-34: 23.1% Sunshine West — 25-34: 16.5%
35-44 16.7% / 14.0%
Albion — 35-44: 16.7% Sunshine West — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 10.3% / 12.2%
Albion — 45-54: 10.3% Sunshine West — 45-54: 12.2%
55-64 9.7% / 10.6%
Albion — 55-64: 9.7% Sunshine West — 55-64: 10.6%
65-74 8.5% / 9.3%
Albion — 65-74: 8.5% Sunshine West — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 4.8% / 6.7%
Albion — 75-84: 4.8% Sunshine West — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 1.8% / 2.2%
Albion — 85+: 1.8% Sunshine West — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Albion 47.4% lone person
Albion — Lone Person: 47.4% Albion — Couple Families: 25.9% Albion — One Parent Families: 14.4% Albion — Group Household: 9.3% Albion — Other Families: 3.0%
Sunshine West 27.0% lone person
Sunshine West — Lone Person: 27.0% Sunshine West — Couple Families: 42.6% Sunshine West — One Parent Families: 22.3% Sunshine West — Group Household: 5.6% Sunshine West — Other Families: 2.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Albion 46.5% renting
Albion — Owned Outright: 26.2% Albion — Mortgage: 27.3% Albion — Renting: 46.5%
Sunshine West 28.9% renting
Sunshine West — Owned Outright: 40.5% Sunshine West — Mortgage: 30.6% Sunshine West — Renting: 28.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Albion Sunshine West
Bachelor Degree 14.7% / 11.1%
Albion — Bachelor Degree: 14.7% Sunshine West — Bachelor Degree: 11.1%
Certificate III & IV 9.4% / 9.1%
Albion — Certificate III & IV: 9.4% Sunshine West — Certificate III & IV: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 6.1%
Albion — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Sunshine West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Postgraduate Degree 6.8% / 3.4%
Albion — Postgraduate Degree: 6.8% Sunshine West — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 1.1%
Albion — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Sunshine West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.7%).

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.

Albion Sunshine West
Vietnam 6.4% / 13.8%
Albion — Vietnam: 6.4% Sunshine West — Vietnam: 13.8%
India 7.1% / 2.9%
Albion — India: 7.1% Sunshine West — India: 2.9%
Philippines 3.7% / 2.4%
Albion — Philippines: 3.7% Sunshine West — Philippines: 2.4%
China 2.0% / 1.4%
Albion — China: 2.0% Sunshine West — China: 1.4%
Nepal 3.2% / —
Albion — Nepal: 3.2% Sunshine West — Nepal: not among its largest
Greece — / 2.4%
Albion — Greece: not among its largest Sunshine West — Greece: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Albion 54.8% houses
Albion — Houses: 54.8% Albion — Townhouses: 18.9% Albion — Flats / Apartments: 26.3%
Sunshine West 82.6% houses
Sunshine West — Houses: 82.6% Sunshine West — Townhouses: 14.2% Sunshine West — Flats / Apartments: 3.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Albion Sunshine West
Median house price $791,000 $755,000
Median unit price $295,000 $585,000
Median land price — $660,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 15 sales
 27 days
from 181 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.

Albion Sunshine West
2 bed $705K / $610K
Albion — 2 bed: $705K (10 sales) Sunshine West — 2 bed: $610K (14 sales)

10 vs 14 sales

3 bed $791K / $735K
Albion — 3 bed: $791K (21 sales) Sunshine West — 3 bed: $735K (212 sales)

21 vs 212 sales

4 bed $804K / $825K
Albion — 4 bed: $804K (14 sales) Sunshine West — 4 bed: $825K (82 sales)

14 vs 82 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.

Albion Sunshine West
1 bed $238K / $375K
Albion — 1 bed: $238K (24 sales) Sunshine West — 1 bed: $375K (5 sales)

24 vs 5 sales

2 bed $340K / $505K
Albion — 2 bed: $340K (34 sales) Sunshine West — 2 bed: $505K (13 sales)

34 vs 13 sales

3 bed $591K / $618K
Albion — 3 bed: $591K (6 sales) Sunshine West — 3 bed: $618K (16 sales)

6 vs 16 sales

Zoning mix

Albion Sunshine West
Residential 43% 57%
Parks and recreation 29% 6%
Industrial 16% 26%
Infrastructure and transport 9%
same for both
Commercial 2% 1%
Other and special use 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

Albion Sunshine West
New dwellings approved 670
across Brimbank
same for both
Approvals change year on year +40%
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.

Albion Sunshine West
Houses 4.4%
$650/wk on $762K
 3.7%
$550/wk on $772K
Units 4.6%
$422/wk on $475K
 5.5%
$500/wk on $471K

Ranking within VIC

Albion Sunshine West
House price Higher than 49% of VIC Higher than 45% of VIC
Income Higher than 29% of VIC —
Schools — Higher than 63% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 31% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 73% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC

Liveability

Sunshine West is more walkable (81 vs 62); Sunshine West scores higher overall (57 vs 48).

Albion Sunshine West
Grade C B
Score 48/100 57/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Albion carries more crime risk (84 vs 66).

Albion Sunshine West
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
84/100
 Moderate
66/100
Flood Low
39/100
 Moderate
42/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 28
within 5 km
 48
within 5 km

Schools

Albion Sunshine West
Inside the suburb 2 10
Rated above peers 2 3
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
Victoria University Footscray Park, 7.5 km
 1
Victoria University Footscray Park, 7.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.2% 2.5%

Schools in Albion

  • Albion Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Theresa's School Catholic · Primary above peers

Schools in Sunshine West

  • Ardeer South Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Marian College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • St Paul's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Peter's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Sunshine College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Sunshine Heights Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Albion Sunshine West
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 1 4
Parks & reserves 10 27
Childcare 3 14
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 3
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 1 2
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 5 1

Mobility

Albion sits further from the CBD (24.4 km vs 14.6 km).

Albion Sunshine West
Walkability score 62/100 81/100
Distance to Melbourne 24.4 km
+40% vs other
 14.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 27 min 26 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 89/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 132.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 275.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3020
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 3020
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.

Albion Sunshine West
Car (driver) 52.4% / 65.9%
Albion — Car (driver): 52.4% Sunshine West — Car (driver): 65.9%
Worked from Home 26.1% / 20.7%
Albion — Worked from Home: 26.1% Sunshine West — Worked from Home: 20.7%
Train 12.5% / 4.8%
Albion — Train: 12.5% Sunshine West — Train: 4.8%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 5.8%
Albion — Car (passenger): 4.6% Sunshine West — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Bus 2.0% / 1.4%
Albion — Bus: 2.0% Sunshine West — Bus: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.9%).

Setting

Albion Sunshine West
Elevation 45 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.1 km 8.2 km

NBN connectivity

Albion Sunshine West
Connectivity score 76/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
2,427 premises
 15%
7,989 premises

Climate

Albion Sunshine West
Annual rainfall 534 mm 482 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C 25.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C 6.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Albion Sunshine West
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 23.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Albion Sunshine West
Average residential rate $1,847/yr
same for both
Council Brimbank
same for both

Federal electorate

Albion Sunshine West
Division Fraser
same for both
Member Daniel Mulino
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Albion Sunshine West
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Albion

Affordable Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks

Sunshine West

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Albion

Albion vs St Albans Albion vs Sunshine North Albion vs Cairnlea Albion vs Sunshine Albion vs Ardeer

Other comparisons with Sunshine West

Sunshine West vs Deer Park Sunshine West vs Sunshine Sunshine West vs Derrimut Sunshine West vs Ardeer Sunshine West vs Brooklyn Sunshine West vs Laverton North
Full data on Albion Full data on Sunshine West
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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