Alphington vs Kew

In both, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Kew: a median of $2.45 million, against $1.88 million in Alphington, and rent is higher there too. Kew is closer to the city centre: 8.4 km, against 9.6 km. On these figures, Alphington tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

Kew is a larger, more walkable suburb with a walkability score of 93 compared to Alphington's 66, and sits slightly closer to the CBD at 8.4 km versus 9.6 km. However, Alphington offers notably lower property prices—median houses at $1,840,000 versus $2,553,000 in Kew—and better rental yields on houses at 3.2% against Kew's 2.7%. Both suburbs are affluent with similar household incomes and top-decile socio-economic rankings, though Kew edges ahead on liveability and has lower flood risk; Alphington may suit buyers prioritising affordability and rental income, while Kew appeals to those valuing walkability and proximity to the city.

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

Kew

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (13 vs 3)
  • has more parks and reserves (28 vs 7)
  • has more childcare (24 vs 7)

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

First-home buyers

Alphington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,880,000 vs $2,450,000)
  • has cheaper units ($557,000 vs $665,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Kew

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 66/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Kew

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 66/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 14%)

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

Investors

Alphington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (12.2% vs -0.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.2% vs 2.7%)
  • But Kew returns a higher gross yield on units (5.5% vs 4.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Alphington and Kew 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 Kew
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 Kew
Walkability 66 / 93
Alphington — Walkability: 66/100 Kew — Walkability: 93/100
Safety 24 / 31
Alphington — Safety: 24/100 Kew — Safety: 31/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Alphington — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kew — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 20 / 43
Alphington — Low flood risk: 20/100 Kew — Low flood risk: 43/100

Demographics

Kew has more residents (24,499 vs 5,702); Kew skews older (41 vs 39).

Alphington Kew
Population 5,702 24,499
+330% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.2% -0.4%
Median age 39 41
Median household income $126,308/yr $129,844/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $451/wk $476/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Alphington Kew
0-4 4.7% / 3.9%
Alphington — 0-4: 4.7% Kew — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 10.6% / 11.3%
Alphington — 5-14: 10.6% Kew — 5-14: 11.3%
15-19 5.1% / 7.0%
Alphington — 15-19: 5.1% Kew — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 6.9% / 7.2%
Alphington — 20-24: 6.9% Kew — 20-24: 7.2%
25-34 16.2% / 12.9%
Alphington — 25-34: 16.2% Kew — 25-34: 12.9%
35-44 14.3% / 11.5%
Alphington — 35-44: 14.3% Kew — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 14.6% / 14.0%
Alphington — 45-54: 14.6% Kew — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 13.6% / 12.9%
Alphington — 55-64: 13.6% Kew — 55-64: 12.9%
65-74 8.7% / 10.1%
Alphington — 65-74: 8.7% Kew — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 3.8% / 6.1%
Alphington — 75-84: 3.8% Kew — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 1.7% / 3.2%
Alphington — 85+: 1.7% Kew — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Alphington 40.7% couple families
Alphington — Couple Families: 40.7% Alphington — Lone Person: 39.1% Alphington — One Parent Families: 10.5% Alphington — Group Household: 8.4% Alphington — Other Families: 1.4%
Kew 43.6% couple families
Kew — Couple Families: 43.6% Kew — Lone Person: 34.9% Kew — One Parent Families: 12.7% Kew — Group Household: 7.0% Kew — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person 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%
Kew 29.4% renting
Kew — Owned Outright: 40.7% Kew — Mortgage: 29.9% Kew — Renting: 29.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Alphington Kew
Bachelor Degree 26.6% / 27.3%
Alphington — Bachelor Degree: 26.6% Kew — Bachelor Degree: 27.3%
Postgraduate Degree 13.5% / 13.1%
Alphington — Postgraduate Degree: 13.5% Kew — Postgraduate Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 7.4%
Alphington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Kew — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4%
Certificate III & IV 5.3% / 4.4%
Alphington — Certificate III & IV: 5.3% Kew — Certificate III & IV: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.5% / 3.8%
Alphington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.5% Kew — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.3%).

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.

Alphington Kew
China 2.3% / 6.6%
Alphington — China: 2.3% Kew — China: 6.6%
England 3.6% / 2.9%
Alphington — England: 3.6% Kew — England: 2.9%
Malaysia 0.8% / 2.2%
Alphington — Malaysia: 0.8% Kew — Malaysia: 2.2%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.4%
Alphington — New Zealand: 1.4% Kew — New Zealand: 1.4%
India 1.0% / 1.8%
Alphington — India: 1.0% Kew — India: 1.8%
Greece 1.7% / 1.0%
Alphington — Greece: 1.7% Kew — Greece: 1.0%
Italy 1.4% / 1.0%
Alphington — Italy: 1.4% Kew — Italy: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.6%).

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%
Kew 50.5% houses
Kew — Houses: 50.5% Kew — Flats / Apartments: 26.0% Kew — Townhouses: 23.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Alphington Kew
Median house price $1,880,000 $2,450,000
Median unit price $557,000 $665,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 34 sales
 24 days
from 43 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 Kew
2 bed $1.76M / $1.6M
Alphington — 2 bed: $1.76M (5 sales) Kew — 2 bed: $1.6M (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

3 bed $1.58M / $1.8M
Alphington — 3 bed: $1.58M (15 sales) Kew — 3 bed: $1.8M (22 sales)

15 vs 22 sales

4 bed $2.01M / $2.88M
Alphington — 4 bed: $2.01M (22 sales) Kew — 4 bed: $2.88M (21 sales)

22 vs 21 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 Kew
1 bed $378K / $451K
Alphington — 1 bed: $378K (26 sales) Kew — 1 bed: $451K (13 sales)

26 vs 13 sales

2 bed $694K / $665K
Alphington — 2 bed: $694K (30 sales) Kew — 2 bed: $665K (69 sales)

30 vs 69 sales

3 bed $1.17M / $925K
Alphington — 3 bed: $1.17M (7 sales) Kew — 3 bed: $925K (13 sales)

7 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Alphington Kew
Residential 52% 68%
Other and special use 19% 0%
Parks and recreation 12% 18%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 12%
Industrial 6% 0%
Commercial 2%
same for both
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 Kew
New dwellings approved 1,213
across Darebin
 711
across Boroondara
Approvals change year on year +0% -40%

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 Kew
Houses 3.2%
$950/wk on $1.55M
 2.7%
$1,275/wk on $2.49M
Units 4.1%
$565/wk on $719K
 5.5%
$682/wk on $650K

Ranking within VIC

Alphington Kew
House price Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Income Higher than 94% of VIC
same for both
Schools Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 6% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 6% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC

Liveability

Kew is more walkable (93 vs 66); Kew scores higher overall (74 vs 68).

Alphington Kew
Grade B A
Score 68/100 74/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Alphington carries more flood risk (80 vs 57).

Alphington Kew
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
76/100
 Moderate
69/100
Flood High
80/100
 Moderate
57/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Alphington Kew
Inside the suburb 3 13
Rated above peers 1 3
Rated at peers 2 3
Rated below peers 0 3
Universities within 10 km 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 4.9 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 2.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.7% 4.9%

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 Kew

  • Genazzano FCJ College Catholic · Combined above peers
  • Methodist Ladies' College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Trinity Grammar School Kew Independent · Combined above peers
  • Carey Baptist Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Kew Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Ruyton Girls' School Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Alphington Kew
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 4 22
Parks & reserves 7 28
Childcare 7 24
GPs 0 4
Pharmacies 1 2
Hospitals 0 3
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 6
Fuel stations 1 4
Waterways 1 4

Mobility

Alphington Kew
Walkability score 66/100 93/100
Distance to Melbourne 9.6 km
+12% vs other
 8.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 18 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
 81/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 92.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 702.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.0%
postcode 3078
 3.7%
postcode 3101
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3078
 18
postcode 3101

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 Kew
Worked from Home 51.9% / 46.4%
Alphington — Worked from Home: 51.9% Kew — Worked from Home: 46.4%
Car (driver) 35.1% / 41.5%
Alphington — Car (driver): 35.1% Kew — Car (driver): 41.5%
Walked Only 2.1% / 3.4%
Alphington — Walked Only: 2.1% Kew — Walked Only: 3.4%
Train 4.2% / 1.1%
Alphington — Train: 4.2% Kew — Train: 1.1%
Bicycle 3.4% / 1.6%
Alphington — Bicycle: 3.4% Kew — Bicycle: 1.6%
Car (passenger) 1.9% / 2.7%
Alphington — Car (passenger): 1.9% Kew — Car (passenger): 2.7%
Tram / Light Rail 0.1% / 2.1%
Alphington — Tram / Light Rail: 0.1% Kew — Tram / Light Rail: 2.1%

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

Setting

Alphington Kew
Elevation 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 73 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.3 km 8.4 km

NBN connectivity

Alphington Kew
Connectivity score 76/100 79/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
2,538 premises
 18%
12,405 premises

Climate

Alphington Kew
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 Kew
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 Kew
Average residential rate $1,764/yr $2,253/yr
Council Darebin Boroondara

Federal electorate

Alphington Kew
Division Cooper Kooyong
Member Ged Kearney Monique Ryan
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Alphington Kew
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

Kew

Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Alphington

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

Other comparisons with Kew

Kew vs Richmond Kew vs Hawthorn Kew vs Balwyn North Kew vs Hawthorn East Kew vs Balwyn Kew vs Abbotsford
Full data on Alphington Full data on Kew
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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