Allendale vs Kingston
Allendale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 56 in Kingston. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Allendale, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Allendale tends to suit families with children, while Kingston suits older residents.
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
Kingston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 41/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Allendale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($187/wk vs $230/wk)
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
Kingston
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 41/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Allendale and Kingston 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
Kingston rents higher ($230/wk vs $187/wk); Kingston skews older (56 vs 48).
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 185 | 190 +3% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.4% | +7.3% |
| Median age | 48 | 56 |
| Median household income | $83,200/yr +5% vs other | $78,884/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $187/wk | $230/wk +23% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.3%).
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 (4.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $685,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Kingston has more land zoned for conservation (47% vs 6%); Allendale has more rural and farming land (85% vs 48%).
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 85% | 48% |
| Environmental | 6% | 47% |
| Residential | 7% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 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
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 104 across Hepburn same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 67% of VIC | Higher than 41% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 52% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of VIC | Higher than 62% of VIC |
Liveability
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Allendale carries more bushfire risk (79 vs 0); Allendale carries more crime risk (41 vs 20).
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 79/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 41/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 129.7 km +2% vs other | 127.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 98 min | 94 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3364 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 3364 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 (75.6%).
Setting
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 477 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 531 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 87 premises | 0% 101 premises |
Climate
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 714 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,748/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hepburn same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Allendale | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Allendale
Other comparisons with Kingston
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.