Alphington vs Fairfield

In both, most households own their home. In Fairfield, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Alphington: a median of $1.88 million, against $1.66 million in Fairfield, and rent is higher there too. Fairfield is closer to the city centre: 6.9 km, against 9.6 km. On these figures, Fairfield tends to suit people living alone.

Alphington and Fairfield are both affluent inner-Melbourne suburbs, but they suit different priorities. Fairfield is closer to the CBD at 6.9 km versus Alphington's 9.6 km, and offers significantly better walkability (96 versus 66), making it ideal if you value pedestrian-friendly streets and easy city access. Alphington commands higher household incomes ($126,308 versus $102,284) and stronger rental yields on houses (3.2% versus 2.5%), though property prices are correspondingly higher. Fairfield edges ahead on liveability (73 versus 68), while Alphington has lower crime risk (78 versus 84).

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Alphington

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 43%)

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

First-home buyers

Fairfield

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($483,250 vs $557,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,662,500 vs $1,880,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Fairfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($369/wk vs $451/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Fairfield

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (96/100 vs 66/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (6.9 km vs 9.6 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Fairfield

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (96/100 vs 66/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Alphington is growing faster (12.2% vs -0.4%)
  • Fairfield returns a higher gross yield on units (5.8% vs 4.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Alphington Fairfield
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.

Alphington Fairfield
Walkability 66 / 96
Alphington — Walkability: 66/100 Fairfield — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 24 / 27
Alphington — Safety: 24/100 Fairfield — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Alphington — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fairfield — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 20 / 30
Alphington — Low flood risk: 20/100 Fairfield — Low flood risk: 30/100

Demographics

Alphington has higher household incomes ($126,308 vs $102,284); Alphington rents higher ($451/wk vs $369/wk).

Alphington Fairfield
Population 5,702 6,535
+15% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.2% -0.4%
Median age 39 37
Median household income $126,308/yr
+19% vs other
 $102,284/yr
Median weekly rent $451/wk
+18% vs other
 $369/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Alphington Fairfield
0-4 4.7% / 5.2%
Alphington — 0-4: 4.7% Fairfield — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 10.6% / 10.2%
Alphington — 5-14: 10.6% Fairfield — 5-14: 10.2%
15-19 5.1% / 4.3%
Alphington — 15-19: 5.1% Fairfield — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 6.9% / 5.8%
Alphington — 20-24: 6.9% Fairfield — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 16.2% / 18.8%
Alphington — 25-34: 16.2% Fairfield — 25-34: 18.8%
35-44 14.3% / 17.0%
Alphington — 35-44: 14.3% Fairfield — 35-44: 17.0%
45-54 14.6% / 14.0%
Alphington — 45-54: 14.6% Fairfield — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 13.6% / 11.5%
Alphington — 55-64: 13.6% Fairfield — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 8.7% / 7.6%
Alphington — 65-74: 8.7% Fairfield — 65-74: 7.6%
75-84 3.8% / 4.0%
Alphington — 75-84: 3.8% Fairfield — 75-84: 4.0%
85+ 1.7% / 1.8%
Alphington — 85+: 1.7% Fairfield — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Alphington 39.1% lone person
Alphington — Lone Person: 39.1% Alphington — Couple Families: 40.7% Alphington — One Parent Families: 10.5% Alphington — Group Household: 8.4% Alphington — Other Families: 1.4%
Fairfield 49.1% lone person
Fairfield — Lone Person: 49.1% Fairfield — Couple Families: 33.6% Fairfield — One Parent Families: 9.0% Fairfield — Group Household: 6.8% Fairfield — Other Families: 1.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Alphington 34.4% renting
Alphington — Owned Outright: 32.9% Alphington — Mortgage: 32.8% Alphington — Renting: 34.4%
Fairfield 42.3% renting
Fairfield — Owned Outright: 29.2% Fairfield — Mortgage: 28.5% Fairfield — Renting: 42.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Alphington Fairfield
Bachelor Degree 26.6% / 24.9%
Alphington — Bachelor Degree: 26.6% Fairfield — Bachelor Degree: 24.9%
Postgraduate Degree 13.5% / 12.1%
Alphington — Postgraduate Degree: 13.5% Fairfield — Postgraduate Degree: 12.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 6.7%
Alphington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Fairfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Certificate III & IV 5.3% / 6.6%
Alphington — Certificate III & IV: 5.3% Fairfield — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.5% / 5.5%
Alphington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.5% Fairfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.6%).

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.

Alphington Fairfield
England 3.6% / 3.2%
Alphington — England: 3.6% Fairfield — England: 3.2%
Greece 1.7% / 2.6%
Alphington — Greece: 1.7% Fairfield — Greece: 2.6%
Italy 1.4% / 1.8%
Alphington — Italy: 1.4% Fairfield — Italy: 1.8%
China 2.3% / 0.8%
Alphington — China: 2.3% Fairfield — China: 0.8%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.4%
Alphington — New Zealand: 1.4% Fairfield — New Zealand: 1.4%
India 1.0% / 0.9%
Alphington — India: 1.0% Fairfield — India: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Alphington 51.9% houses
Alphington — Houses: 51.9% Alphington — Flats / Apartments: 23.0% Alphington — Townhouses: 25.0%
Fairfield 43.7% houses
Fairfield — Houses: 43.7% Fairfield — Flats / Apartments: 35.0% Fairfield — Townhouses: 21.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Alphington Fairfield
Median house price $1,880,000 $1,662,500
Median unit price $557,000 $483,250
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 34 sales
 22 days
from 16 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.

Alphington Fairfield
1 bed $378K / $385K
Alphington — 1 bed: $378K (26 sales) Fairfield — 1 bed: $385K (47 sales)

26 vs 47 sales

2 bed $694K / $580K
Alphington — 2 bed: $694K (30 sales) Fairfield — 2 bed: $580K (51 sales)

30 vs 51 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.

Alphington Fairfield
2 bed $1.76M / $1.61M
Alphington — 2 bed: $1.76M (5 sales) Fairfield — 2 bed: $1.61M (11 sales)

5 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1.58M / $1.55M
Alphington — 3 bed: $1.58M (15 sales) Fairfield — 3 bed: $1.55M (25 sales)

15 vs 25 sales

4 bed $2.01M / $1.95M
Alphington — 4 bed: $2.01M (22 sales) Fairfield — 4 bed: $1.95M (7 sales)

22 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Alphington Fairfield
Residential 52% 36%
Parks and recreation 12% 43%
Other and special use 19% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 12%
Industrial 6%
same for both
Commercial 2% 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

Alphington Fairfield
New dwellings approved 1,213
across Darebin
 1,675
across Yarra
Approvals change year on year +0% +646%

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.

Alphington Fairfield
Houses 3.2%
$950/wk on $1.55M
 3.2%
$825/wk on $1.32M
Units 4.1%
$565/wk on $719K
 5.8%
$500/wk on $445K

Ranking within VIC

Alphington Fairfield
House price Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Income Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Schools Higher than 73% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 6% of VIC Higher than 5% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 98% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 25% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC

Liveability

Fairfield is more walkable (96 vs 66); Fairfield scores higher overall (76 vs 68).

Alphington Fairfield
Grade B A
Score 68/100 76/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Alphington carries more flood risk (80 vs 70).

Alphington Fairfield
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
76/100
 High
73/100
Flood High
80/100
 High
70/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 11
within 5 km

Schools

Alphington Fairfield
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 4.9 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 3.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.7% 3.0%

Schools in Alphington

  • Alphington Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Alphington Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • St Anthony's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Fairfield

  • Fairfield Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Alphington Fairfield
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 4 35
Parks & reserves 7 6
Childcare 7 6
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 1 5
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1 4
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Alphington sits further from the CBD (9.6 km vs 6.9 km).

Alphington Fairfield
Walkability score 66/100 96/100
Distance to Melbourne 9.6 km
+28% vs other
 6.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 16 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 92.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 128.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.0%
postcode 3078
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3078
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.

Alphington Fairfield
Worked from Home 51.9% / 50.7%
Alphington — Worked from Home: 51.9% Fairfield — Worked from Home: 50.7%
Car (driver) 35.1% / 33.5%
Alphington — Car (driver): 35.1% Fairfield — Car (driver): 33.5%
Train 4.2% / 5.7%
Alphington — Train: 4.2% Fairfield — Train: 5.7%
Bicycle 3.4% / 4.3%
Alphington — Bicycle: 3.4% Fairfield — Bicycle: 4.3%
Walked Only 2.1% / 2.9%
Alphington — Walked Only: 2.1% Fairfield — Walked Only: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.9%).

Setting

Alphington Fairfield
Elevation 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.3 km 9.1 km

NBN connectivity

Alphington Fairfield
Connectivity score 76/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
2,538 premises
 6%
3,717 premises

Climate

Alphington Fairfield
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)

Alphington Fairfield
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.82 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Alphington Fairfield
Average residential rate $1,764/yr $1,937/yr
Council Darebin Yarra

Federal electorate

Alphington Fairfield
Division Cooper
same for both
Member Ged Kearney
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Alphington Fairfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Alphington

Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

Fairfield

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Village Feel

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Alphington

Alphington vs Kew Alphington vs Thornbury Alphington vs Ivanhoe Alphington vs Kew East

Other comparisons with Fairfield

Fairfield vs Northcote Fairfield vs Kew Fairfield vs Thornbury Fairfield vs Abbotsford Fairfield vs Clifton Hill
Full data on Alphington Full data on Fairfield
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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