Belgrave South vs Emerald

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Belgrave South: a median of $1.07 million, against $930,000 in Emerald, and rent is higher there too. Belgrave South is closer to the city centre: 43.5 km, against 54.7 km.

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

Emerald

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (5 vs 2)
  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 6)

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

First-home buyers

Emerald

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($930,000 vs $1,070,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Emerald

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $450/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Belgrave South

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (45 min vs 60 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (43.5 km vs 54.7 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Belgrave South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

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

Belgrave South Emerald
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.

Belgrave South Emerald
Walkability 23 / 0
Belgrave South — Walkability: 23/100 Emerald — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 61 / 60
Belgrave South — Safety: 61/100 Emerald — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 23 / 37
Belgrave South — Low fire risk: 23/100 Emerald — Low fire risk: 37/100
Low flood risk 83 / 84
Belgrave South — Low flood risk: 83/100 Emerald — Low flood risk: 84/100

Demographics

Emerald has more residents (5,890 vs 1,670); Belgrave South rents higher ($450/wk vs $400/wk).

Belgrave South Emerald
Population 1,670 5,890
+253% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.5% +1.9%
Median age 44 43
Median household income $123,864/yr
+11% vs other
 $110,188/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+11% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Belgrave South Emerald
0-4 5.0% / 5.1%
Belgrave South — 0-4: 5.0% Emerald — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 12.4% / 13.4%
Belgrave South — 5-14: 12.4% Emerald — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 7.3% / 6.4%
Belgrave South — 15-19: 7.3% Emerald — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 6.3% / 5.7%
Belgrave South — 20-24: 6.3% Emerald — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 7.2% / 8.9%
Belgrave South — 25-34: 7.2% Emerald — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 13.3% / 12.7%
Belgrave South — 35-44: 13.3% Emerald — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 14.3% / 15.4%
Belgrave South — 45-54: 14.3% Emerald — 45-54: 15.4%
55-64 15.5% / 13.9%
Belgrave South — 55-64: 15.5% Emerald — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 12.8% / 11.7%
Belgrave South — 65-74: 12.8% Emerald — 65-74: 11.7%
75-84 5.3% / 5.1%
Belgrave South — 75-84: 5.3% Emerald — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 0.9% / 1.7%
Belgrave South — 85+: 0.9% Emerald — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Belgrave South 65.6% couple families
Belgrave South — Couple Families: 65.6% Belgrave South — Lone Person: 19.5% Belgrave South — One Parent Families: 11.6% Belgrave South — Group Household: 2.3% Belgrave South — Other Families: 1.0%
Emerald 59.0% couple families
Emerald — Couple Families: 59.0% Emerald — Lone Person: 25.2% Emerald — One Parent Families: 12.7% Emerald — Group Household: 2.3% Emerald — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Belgrave South 6.0% renting
Belgrave South — Owned Outright: 42.3% Belgrave South — Mortgage: 51.7% Belgrave South — Renting: 6.0%
Emerald 8.5% renting
Emerald — Owned Outright: 39.5% Emerald — Mortgage: 52.0% Emerald — Renting: 8.5%
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.

Belgrave South Emerald
England 5.8% / 6.8%
Belgrave South — England: 5.8% Emerald — England: 6.8%
New Zealand 1.9% / 1.2%
Belgrave South — New Zealand: 1.9% Emerald — New Zealand: 1.2%
Netherlands 1.1% / 1.0%
Belgrave South — Netherlands: 1.1% Emerald — Netherlands: 1.0%
Scotland 0.8% / 0.7%
Belgrave South — Scotland: 0.8% Emerald — Scotland: 0.7%
Germany 0.7% / 0.6%
Belgrave South — Germany: 0.7% Emerald — Germany: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

Qualifications

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

Belgrave South Emerald
Certificate III & IV 18.0% / 16.6%
Belgrave South — Certificate III & IV: 18.0% Emerald — Certificate III & IV: 16.6%
Bachelor Degree 13.0% / 13.0%
Belgrave South — Bachelor Degree: 13.0% Emerald — Bachelor Degree: 13.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.7% / 9.8%
Belgrave South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.7% Emerald — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8%
Postgraduate Degree 3.4% / 3.7%
Belgrave South — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4% Emerald — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 3.0%
Belgrave South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Emerald — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Belgrave South 98.2% houses
Belgrave South — Houses: 98.2% Belgrave South — Flats / Apartments: 1.8% Belgrave South — Townhouses: 0.0%
Emerald 98.2% houses
Emerald — Houses: 98.2% Emerald — Flats / Apartments: 0.7% Emerald — Townhouses: 1.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Belgrave South Emerald
Median house price $1,070,500 $930,000
Median unit price — $920,000
Median land price — $522,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 8 sales
 22 days
from 39 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.

Belgrave South Emerald
3 bed $935K / $875K
Belgrave South — 3 bed: $935K (12 sales) Emerald — 3 bed: $875K (42 sales)

12 vs 42 sales

4 bed $1.29M / $1.08M
Belgrave South — 4 bed: $1.29M (10 sales) Emerald — 4 bed: $1.08M (44 sales)

10 vs 44 sales

Zoning mix

Belgrave South has more rural and farming land (61% vs 13%); Belgrave South has more land zoned for conservation (29% vs 19%).

Belgrave South Emerald
Rural and farming 61% 13%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 56%
Environmental 29% 19%
Residential 0% 9%
Parks and recreation 7% 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

Belgrave South Emerald
New dwellings approved 416
across Yarra Ranges
 1,323
across Cardinia
Approvals change year on year -57% +13%

Ranking within VIC

Belgrave South Emerald
House price — Higher than 61% of VIC
Income Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 65% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 69% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC

Liveability

Belgrave South is more walkable (23 vs 0).

Belgrave South Emerald
Grade B
same for both
Score 58/100 56/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Belgrave South carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 63).

Belgrave South Emerald
Bushfire High
77/100
 Moderate
63/100
Crime Low
39/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood Low
17/100
 Low
16/100
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

Belgrave South Emerald
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0 2

Schools in Belgrave South

  • Belgrave South Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Emerald

  • Dandenong Ranges Steiner School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Emerald Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Emerald Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Belgrave South Emerald
Supermarkets 2
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 1 7
Parks & reserves 6 14
Childcare 2 5
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 1 11

Mobility

Emerald sits further from the CBD (54.7 km vs 43.5 km).

Belgrave South Emerald
Walkability score 23/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 43.5 km 54.7 km
+26% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 45 min 60 min
Public transport score 65/100
Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 27.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 31.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 3160
 1.1%
postcode 3782
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 3160
 39
postcode 3782

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.

Belgrave South Emerald
Car (driver) 58.1% / 65.4%
Belgrave South — Car (driver): 58.1% Emerald — Car (driver): 65.4%
Worked from Home 34.1% / 27.7%
Belgrave South — Worked from Home: 34.1% Emerald — Worked from Home: 27.7%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 4.4%
Belgrave South — Car (passenger): 3.5% Emerald — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Walked Only 3.1% / 1.5%
Belgrave South — Walked Only: 3.1% Emerald — Walked Only: 1.5%
Train 1.3% / 0.7%
Belgrave South — Train: 1.3% Emerald — Train: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.4%).

Setting

Belgrave South Emerald
Elevation 190 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 231 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 24.4 km 30.1 km

NBN connectivity

Belgrave South Emerald
Connectivity score 68/100 57/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
637 premises
 23%
2,364 premises

Climate

Belgrave South Emerald
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Belgrave South Emerald
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ —
PM10 20.8 µg/m³ 15.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.98 pphm —

Council rates

Belgrave South Emerald
Average residential rate $2,161/yr $1,880/yr
Council Yarra Ranges Cardinia

Federal electorate

Belgrave South Emerald
Division Casey La Trobe
Member Aaron Violi Jason Wood
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Belgrave South Emerald
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Belgrave South

Acreage Outer

Emerald

Acreage Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Belgrave South

Belgrave South vs Lysterfield Belgrave South vs Belgrave Belgrave South vs Selby Belgrave South vs Belgrave Heights Belgrave South vs Menzies Creek Belgrave South vs Narre Warren East

Other comparisons with Emerald

Emerald vs Cockatoo Emerald vs Monbulk Emerald vs Beaconsfield Upper Emerald vs Kallista Emerald vs Menzies Creek Emerald vs Macclesfield
Full data on Belgrave South Full data on Emerald
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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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