Baxter vs Somerville

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Somerville, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Somerville: a median of $880,000, against $754,000 in Baxter, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Baxter tends to suit people living alone, while Somerville suits couples.

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

Somerville

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (24 vs 6)
  • has more childcare (8 vs 3)
  • But Baxter has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Baxter

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($945,000 vs $1,615,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($753,750 vs $880,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land 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

Baxter

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (58/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (51 min vs 56 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (61.1 km vs 64.8 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Somerville

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 1)
  • carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 89/100)
  • But Baxter is more walkable (58/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Baxter

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.5% vs 3.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Baxter Somerville
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.

Baxter Somerville
Walkability 58 / 0
Baxter — Walkability: 58/100 Somerville — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 11 / 46
Baxter — Safety: 11/100 Somerville — Safety: 46/100
Low fire risk 100 / 86
Baxter — Low fire risk: 100/100 Somerville — Low fire risk: 86/100
Low flood risk 100 / 50
Baxter — Low flood risk: 100/100 Somerville — Low flood risk: 50/100

Demographics

Somerville has more residents (11,767 vs 2,166); Somerville has higher household incomes ($92,612 vs $77,636).

Baxter Somerville
Population 2,166 11,767
+443% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.2% +3.8%
Median age 40
same for both
Median household income $77,636/yr $92,612/yr
+19% vs other
Median weekly rent $360/wk $380/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Baxter Somerville
0-4 5.7% / 6.6%
Baxter — 0-4: 5.7% Somerville — 0-4: 6.6%
5-14 9.0% / 12.0%
Baxter — 5-14: 9.0% Somerville — 5-14: 12.0%
15-19 5.2% / 5.7%
Baxter — 15-19: 5.2% Somerville — 15-19: 5.7%
20-24 5.7% / 5.5%
Baxter — 20-24: 5.7% Somerville — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 16.8% / 13.4%
Baxter — 25-34: 16.8% Somerville — 25-34: 13.4%
35-44 11.6% / 12.1%
Baxter — 35-44: 11.6% Somerville — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 11.4% / 12.3%
Baxter — 45-54: 11.4% Somerville — 45-54: 12.3%
55-64 15.1% / 13.5%
Baxter — 55-64: 15.1% Somerville — 55-64: 13.5%
65-74 11.2% / 10.5%
Baxter — 65-74: 11.2% Somerville — 65-74: 10.5%
75-84 6.5% / 5.8%
Baxter — 75-84: 6.5% Somerville — 75-84: 5.8%
85+ 1.5% / 2.7%
Baxter — 85+: 1.5% Somerville — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Baxter 37.0% couple families
Baxter — Couple Families: 37.0% Baxter — Lone Person: 42.3% Baxter — One Parent Families: 17.7% Baxter — Group Household: 2.1% Baxter — Other Families: 0.9%
Somerville 47.8% couple families
Somerville — Couple Families: 47.8% Somerville — Lone Person: 32.1% Somerville — One Parent Families: 16.6% Somerville — Group Household: 2.3% Somerville — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Baxter 17.1% renting
Baxter — Owned Outright: 34.5% Baxter — Mortgage: 48.4% Baxter — Renting: 17.1%
Somerville 16.7% renting
Somerville — Owned Outright: 33.7% Somerville — Mortgage: 49.6% Somerville — Renting: 16.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Baxter Somerville
England 5.3% / 6.9%
Baxter — England: 5.3% Somerville — England: 6.9%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.2%
Baxter — New Zealand: 1.4% Somerville — New Zealand: 1.2%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.9%
Baxter — Scotland: 0.8% Somerville — Scotland: 0.9%
Germany 0.9% / 0.5%
Baxter — Germany: 0.9% Somerville — Germany: 0.5%
Netherlands 0.6% / 0.5%
Baxter — Netherlands: 0.6% Somerville — Netherlands: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.9%).

Qualifications

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

Baxter Somerville
Certificate III & IV 21.9% / 19.2%
Baxter — Certificate III & IV: 21.9% Somerville — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Bachelor Degree 8.0% / 9.0%
Baxter — Bachelor Degree: 8.0% Somerville — Bachelor Degree: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 9.1%
Baxter — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Somerville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / 1.9%
Baxter — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% Somerville — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.9%
Baxter — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Somerville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Baxter 87.3% houses
Baxter — Houses: 87.3% Baxter — Townhouses: 12.8% Baxter — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Somerville 82.3% houses
Somerville — Houses: 82.3% Somerville — Townhouses: 17.1% Somerville — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Baxter Somerville
Median house price $753,750 $880,000
Median unit price $650,000 $629,250
Median land price $945,000 $1,615,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 7 sales
 24 days
from 109 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.

Baxter Somerville
3 bed $748K / $808K
Baxter — 3 bed: $748K (57 sales) Somerville — 3 bed: $808K (110 sales)

57 vs 110 sales

4 bed $852K / $1.07M
Baxter — 4 bed: $852K (17 sales) Somerville — 4 bed: $1.07M (75 sales)

17 vs 75 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.

Baxter Somerville
2 bed $600K / $595K
Baxter — 2 bed: $600K (5 sales) Somerville — 2 bed: $595K (17 sales)

5 vs 17 sales

3 bed $666K / $682K
Baxter — 3 bed: $666K (8 sales) Somerville — 3 bed: $682K (16 sales)

8 vs 16 sales

Zoning mix

Baxter has more rural and farming land (83% vs 38%).

Baxter Somerville
Rural and farming 83% 38%
Other and special use 0% 26%
Residential 7% 25%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 4%
Parks and recreation 0% 2%
Industrial 0% 2%
Planning zones cover 100% of Baxter and 98% of Somerville. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Baxter Somerville
New dwellings approved 791
across Mornington Peninsula
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
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.

Baxter Somerville
Houses 4.5%
$650/wk on $755K
 3.5%
$675/wk on $990K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Baxter Somerville
House price Higher than 54% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC
Income Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 1% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 37% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC

Liveability

Baxter is more walkable (58 vs 0); Baxter scores higher overall (56 vs 38).

Baxter Somerville
Grade B C
Score 56/100 38/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Somerville carries more flood risk (50 vs 0); Somerville carries more bushfire risk (14 vs 0).

Baxter Somerville
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
14/100
Crime High
89/100
 Moderate
54/100
Flood None
0/100
 Moderate
50/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
69/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Baxter Somerville
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Baxter

  • Baxter Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Somerville

  • Somerville Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Somerville Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Brendan's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Somerville Rise Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Baxter Somerville
Supermarkets 1 3
Cafes & restaurants 2 4
Parks & reserves 6 24
Childcare 3 8
GPs 1 5
Pharmacies 1 2
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 5 3
Waterways 3 4

Mobility

Somerville sits further from the CBD (64.8 km vs 61.1 km).

Baxter Somerville
Walkability score 58/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 61.1 km 64.8 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 51 min 56 min
Public transport score 41/100
Rail · Bus
 76/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 8.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 28.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 3 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3911
 0.6%
postcode 3912
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 3911
 42
postcode 3912

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.

Baxter Somerville
Car (driver) 77.6% / 73.8%
Baxter — Car (driver): 77.6% Somerville — Car (driver): 73.8%
Worked from Home 15.1% / 19.5%
Baxter — Worked from Home: 15.1% Somerville — Worked from Home: 19.5%
Car (passenger) 2.8% / 4.0%
Baxter — Car (passenger): 2.8% Somerville — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Walked Only 2.7% / 1.6%
Baxter — Walked Only: 2.7% Somerville — Walked Only: 1.6%
Train 1.4% / 0.7%
Baxter — Train: 1.4% Somerville — Train: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.6%).

Setting

Baxter Somerville
Elevation 51 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.7 km 4.7 km

NBN connectivity

Baxter Somerville
Connectivity score 84/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 46%
1,083 premises
 49%
5,511 premises

Climate

Baxter Somerville
Annual rainfall — 700 mm
Summer max (Jan) 24.5°C —
Winter min (Jul) 8.3°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Baxter Somerville
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.98 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Baxter Somerville
Average residential rate $1,659/yr
same for both
Council Mornington Peninsula
same for both

Federal electorate

Baxter Somerville
Division Flinders
same for both
Member Zoe Mckenzie
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Baxter Somerville
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Baxter

Acreage Outer Quiet Trains

Somerville

Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Baxter

Baxter vs Frankston South Baxter vs Mount Eliza Baxter vs Pearcedale Baxter vs Langwarrin South Baxter vs Moorooduc

Other comparisons with Somerville

Somerville vs Pearcedale Somerville vs Tyabb Somerville vs Moorooduc
Full data on Baxter Full data on Somerville
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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