Bonbeach vs Carrum

In both, most households own their home. In Bonbeach, about half of households are people living alone.

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

Bonbeach

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 62/100)

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

First-home buyers

Bonbeach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($656,500 vs $725,000)

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

Carrum

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (85/100 vs 57/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (48.4 km vs 50.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Carrum

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (85/100 vs 57/100)
  • But Bonbeach carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 62/100)

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

Investors

Bonbeach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (4.7% vs 3.4%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bonbeach Carrum
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.

Bonbeach Carrum
Walkability 57 / 85
Bonbeach — Walkability: 57/100 Carrum — Walkability: 85/100
Safety 59 / 38
Bonbeach — Safety: 59/100 Carrum — Safety: 38/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bonbeach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Carrum — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 19 / 38
Bonbeach — Low flood risk: 19/100 Carrum — Low flood risk: 38/100

Demographics

Bonbeach has more residents (6,855 vs 4,239); Bonbeach skews older (42 vs 40).

Bonbeach Carrum
Population 6,855
+38% vs other
 4,239
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.8% +6.5%
Median age 42 40
Median household income $91,832/yr
+2% vs other
 $90,064/yr
Median weekly rent $391/wk $406/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bonbeach Carrum
0-4 6.0% / 7.8%
Bonbeach — 0-4: 6.0% Carrum — 0-4: 7.8%
5-14 11.1% / 10.2%
Bonbeach — 5-14: 11.1% Carrum — 5-14: 10.2%
15-19 4.3% / 4.3%
Bonbeach — 15-19: 4.3% Carrum — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 3.9% / 4.2%
Bonbeach — 20-24: 3.9% Carrum — 20-24: 4.2%
25-34 13.8% / 14.0%
Bonbeach — 25-34: 13.8% Carrum — 25-34: 14.0%
35-44 15.9% / 15.3%
Bonbeach — 35-44: 15.9% Carrum — 35-44: 15.3%
45-54 13.8% / 13.8%
Bonbeach — 45-54: 13.8% Carrum — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 12.5% / 13.3%
Bonbeach — 55-64: 12.5% Carrum — 55-64: 13.3%
65-74 10.7% / 10.2%
Bonbeach — 65-74: 10.7% Carrum — 65-74: 10.2%
75-84 5.6% / 5.3%
Bonbeach — 75-84: 5.6% Carrum — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 2.6% / 1.7%
Bonbeach — 85+: 2.6% Carrum — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bonbeach 45.4% lone person
Bonbeach — Lone Person: 45.4% Bonbeach — Couple Families: 35.9% Bonbeach — One Parent Families: 13.2% Bonbeach — Group Household: 4.3% Bonbeach — Other Families: 1.2%
Carrum 42.6% lone person
Carrum — Lone Person: 42.6% Carrum — Couple Families: 33.8% Carrum — One Parent Families: 18.0% Carrum — Group Household: 4.3% Carrum — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bonbeach 29.9% renting
Bonbeach — Owned Outright: 30.8% Bonbeach — Mortgage: 39.3% Bonbeach — Renting: 29.9%
Carrum 31.2% renting
Carrum — Owned Outright: 31.6% Carrum — Mortgage: 37.2% Carrum — Renting: 31.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bonbeach Carrum
Certificate III & IV 13.9% / 16.4%
Bonbeach — Certificate III & IV: 13.9% Carrum — Certificate III & IV: 16.4%
Bachelor Degree 15.1% / 14.6%
Bonbeach — Bachelor Degree: 15.1% Carrum — Bachelor Degree: 14.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.5% / 9.8%
Bonbeach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5% Carrum — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.8% / 4.0%
Bonbeach — Postgraduate Degree: 4.8% Carrum — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / 2.5%
Bonbeach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% Carrum — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

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.

Bonbeach Carrum
England 5.3% / 5.1%
Bonbeach — England: 5.3% Carrum — England: 5.1%
New Zealand 2.7% / 1.7%
Bonbeach — New Zealand: 2.7% Carrum — New Zealand: 1.7%
India 0.9% / 0.9%
Bonbeach — India: 0.9% Carrum — India: 0.9%
China 0.8% / 0.7%
Bonbeach — China: 0.8% Carrum — China: 0.7%
South Africa 0.7% / 0.8%
Bonbeach — South Africa: 0.7% Carrum — South Africa: 0.8%
Scotland 0.8% / —
Bonbeach — Scotland: 0.8% Carrum — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bonbeach 47.6% townhouses
Bonbeach — Townhouses: 47.6% Bonbeach — Houses: 38.8% Bonbeach — Flats / Apartments: 13.6%
Carrum 41.6% townhouses
Carrum — Townhouses: 41.6% Carrum — Houses: 45.1% Carrum — Flats / Apartments: 13.4%
Townhouses Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bonbeach Carrum
Median house price $1,150,000 $1,087,500
Median unit price $656,500 $725,000
Median land price — $1,400,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 26 sales
 27 days
from 17 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.

Bonbeach Carrum
3 bed $1.04M / $1.03M
Bonbeach — 3 bed: $1.04M (34 sales) Carrum — 3 bed: $1.03M (41 sales)

34 vs 41 sales

4 bed $1.37M / $1.31M
Bonbeach — 4 bed: $1.37M (20 sales) Carrum — 4 bed: $1.31M (16 sales)

20 vs 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.

Bonbeach Carrum
2 bed $632K / $676K
Bonbeach — 2 bed: $632K (78 sales) Carrum — 2 bed: $676K (34 sales)

78 vs 34 sales

3 bed $821K / $811K
Bonbeach — 3 bed: $821K (18 sales) Carrum — 3 bed: $811K (14 sales)

18 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Bonbeach Carrum
Residential 57% 72%
Other and special use 21% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 14% 15%
Parks and recreation 8% 13%
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

Bonbeach Carrum
New dwellings approved 465
across Kingston (Vic.)
same for both
Approvals change year on year -36%
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.

Bonbeach Carrum
Houses 3.8%
$795/wk on $1.1M
 4.1%
$825/wk on $1.05M
Units 4.7%
$560/wk on $619K
 3.4%
$598/wk on $920K

Ranking within VIC

Bonbeach Carrum
House price Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Income Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 24% of VIC Higher than 20% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 80% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 51% of VIC Higher than 73% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC

Liveability

Carrum is more walkable (85 vs 57).

Bonbeach Carrum
Grade B
same for both
Score 60/100 62/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Carrum carries more crime risk (62 vs 41); Bonbeach carries more flood risk (81 vs 62).

Bonbeach Carrum
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
41/100
 Moderate
62/100
Flood High
81/100
 Moderate
62/100
Coastal erosion Moderate
41/100
 Moderate
45/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Bonbeach Carrum
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Bonbeach

  • Bonbeach Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Carrum

  • Carrum Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Bonbeach Carrum
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 3
Parks & reserves 5 4
Childcare 3 4
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Bonbeach sits further from the CBD (50.5 km vs 48.4 km).

Bonbeach Carrum
Walkability score 57/100 85/100
Distance to Melbourne 50.5 km
+4% vs other
 48.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 49 min 45 min
Public transport score 92/100
Rail · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 26.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 77.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 3196
 1.1%
postcode 3197
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3196
 29
postcode 3197

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.

Bonbeach Carrum
Car (driver) 58.8% / 59.8%
Bonbeach — Car (driver): 58.8% Carrum — Car (driver): 59.8%
Worked from Home 33.4% / 31.2%
Bonbeach — Worked from Home: 33.4% Carrum — Worked from Home: 31.2%
Train 3.5% / 4.3%
Bonbeach — Train: 3.5% Carrum — Train: 4.3%
Car (passenger) 2.4% / 3.3%
Bonbeach — Car (passenger): 2.4% Carrum — Car (passenger): 3.3%
Walked Only 1.3% / 1.0%
Bonbeach — Walked Only: 1.3% Carrum — Walked Only: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.8%).

Setting

Bonbeach Carrum
Elevation 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 911 m
928 m to a named beach
 620 m
700 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Bonbeach Carrum
Connectivity score 88/100 89/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 41%
3,588 premises
 44%
2,293 premises

Climate

Bonbeach Carrum
Annual rainfall —
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bonbeach Carrum
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

Bonbeach Carrum
Average residential rate $1,940/yr
same for both
Council Kingston (Vic.)
same for both

Federal electorate

Bonbeach Carrum
Division Dunkley
same for both
Member Jodie Belyea
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bonbeach Carrum
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bonbeach

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Outer Parks Premium Townhouses Trains Transport Hub

Carrum

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Outer Parks River Townhouses Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bonbeach

Bonbeach vs Chelsea Bonbeach vs Patterson Lakes Bonbeach vs Chelsea Heights

Other comparisons with Carrum

Carrum vs Seaford Carrum vs Patterson Lakes
Full data on Bonbeach Full data on Carrum
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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