Box Hill North vs Blackburn

Box Hill North is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 41 in Blackburn. In both, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Blackburn: a median of $1.57 million, against $1.34 million in Box Hill North. Box Hill North is closer to the city centre: 19.6 km, against 22.9 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

Blackburn

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (19 vs 7)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 11)
  • But Box Hill North carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 65/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Box Hill North has cheaper houses ($1,340,000 vs $1,572,000)
  • Blackburn has cheaper units ($653,500 vs $770,000)

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

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Box Hill North sits closer to the CBD (19.6 km vs 22.9 km)
  • Blackburn is more walkable (89/100 vs 72/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Blackburn

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 72/100)
  • But Box Hill North carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 65/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

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

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Box Hill North Blackburn
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.

Box Hill North Blackburn
Walkability 72 / 89
Box Hill North — Walkability: 72/100 Blackburn — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 62 / 35
Box Hill North — Safety: 62/100 Blackburn — Safety: 35/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Box Hill North — Low fire risk: 100/100 Blackburn — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 74 / 65
Box Hill North — Low flood risk: 74/100 Blackburn — Low flood risk: 65/100

Demographics

Blackburn has higher household incomes ($107,380 vs $94,640); Blackburn skews older (41 vs 37).

Box Hill North Blackburn
Population 12,337 14,478
+17% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.9%
same for both
Median age 37 41
Median household income $94,640/yr $107,380/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $425/wk
+3% vs other
 $411/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Box Hill North Blackburn
0-4 5.2% / 3.9%
Box Hill North — 0-4: 5.2% Blackburn — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 11.4% / 11.9%
Box Hill North — 5-14: 11.4% Blackburn — 5-14: 11.9%
15-19 6.1% / 6.3%
Box Hill North — 15-19: 6.1% Blackburn — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 7.1% / 7.0%
Box Hill North — 20-24: 7.1% Blackburn — 20-24: 7.0%
25-34 16.1% / 12.1%
Box Hill North — 25-34: 16.1% Blackburn — 25-34: 12.1%
35-44 14.2% / 13.5%
Box Hill North — 35-44: 14.2% Blackburn — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 13.7% / 14.2%
Box Hill North — 45-54: 13.7% Blackburn — 45-54: 14.2%
55-64 11.3% / 12.4%
Box Hill North — 55-64: 11.3% Blackburn — 55-64: 12.4%
65-74 8.0% / 9.0%
Box Hill North — 65-74: 8.0% Blackburn — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 4.7% / 5.9%
Box Hill North — 75-84: 4.7% Blackburn — 75-84: 5.9%
85+ 2.3% / 3.7%
Box Hill North — 85+: 2.3% Blackburn — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Box Hill North 45.3% couple families
Box Hill North — Couple Families: 45.3% Box Hill North — Lone Person: 29.5% Box Hill North — One Parent Families: 15.5% Box Hill North — Group Household: 7.3% Box Hill North — Other Families: 2.5%
Blackburn 45.5% couple families
Blackburn — Couple Families: 45.5% Blackburn — Lone Person: 36.5% Blackburn — One Parent Families: 11.8% Blackburn — Group Household: 4.8% Blackburn — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Box Hill North 34.5% renting
Box Hill North — Owned Outright: 35.0% Box Hill North — Mortgage: 30.5% Box Hill North — Renting: 34.5%
Blackburn 26.5% renting
Blackburn — Owned Outright: 40.3% Blackburn — Mortgage: 33.2% Blackburn — Renting: 26.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Box Hill North Blackburn
Bachelor Degree 21.6% / 24.0%
Box Hill North — Bachelor Degree: 21.6% Blackburn — Bachelor Degree: 24.0%
Postgraduate Degree 10.1% / 11.4%
Box Hill North — Postgraduate Degree: 10.1% Blackburn — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 7.8%
Box Hill North — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Blackburn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Certificate III & IV 6.7% / 6.6%
Box Hill North — Certificate III & IV: 6.7% Blackburn — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / 4.1%
Box Hill North — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% Blackburn — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).

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.

Box Hill North Blackburn
China 17.9% / 8.2%
Box Hill North — China: 17.9% Blackburn — China: 8.2%
India 3.5% / 4.3%
Box Hill North — India: 3.5% Blackburn — India: 4.3%
Malaysia 4.4% / 2.5%
Box Hill North — Malaysia: 4.4% Blackburn — Malaysia: 2.5%
England 1.8% / 2.9%
Box Hill North — England: 1.8% Blackburn — England: 2.9%
Vietnam 1.5% / 0.9%
Box Hill North — Vietnam: 1.5% Blackburn — Vietnam: 0.9%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.1%
Box Hill North — New Zealand: 1.0% Blackburn — New Zealand: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Box Hill North 61.6% houses
Box Hill North — Houses: 61.6% Box Hill North — Townhouses: 29.9% Box Hill North — Flats / Apartments: 8.5%
Blackburn 66.0% houses
Blackburn — Houses: 66.0% Blackburn — Townhouses: 21.3% Blackburn — Flats / Apartments: 12.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Box Hill North Blackburn
Median house price $1,340,000 $1,572,000
Median unit price $770,000 $653,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 129 sales
 24 days
from 141 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.

Box Hill North Blackburn
2 bed $728K / $644K
Box Hill North — 2 bed: $728K (34 sales) Blackburn — 2 bed: $644K (86 sales)

34 vs 86 sales

3 bed $935K / $1.1M
Box Hill North — 3 bed: $935K (21 sales) Blackburn — 3 bed: $1.1M (47 sales)

21 vs 47 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.

Box Hill North Blackburn
2 bed $1.27M / $1M
Box Hill North — 2 bed: $1.27M (10 sales) Blackburn — 2 bed: $1M (19 sales)

10 vs 19 sales

3 bed $1.25M / $1.35M
Box Hill North — 3 bed: $1.25M (79 sales) Blackburn — 3 bed: $1.35M (72 sales)

79 vs 72 sales

4 bed $1.45M / $1.68M
Box Hill North — 4 bed: $1.45M (61 sales) Blackburn — 4 bed: $1.68M (75 sales)

61 vs 75 sales

5 bed $1.83M / $2.1M
Box Hill North — 5 bed: $1.83M (28 sales) Blackburn — 5 bed: $2.1M (25 sales)

28 vs 25 sales

Zoning mix

Box Hill North Blackburn
Residential 78% 72%
Parks and recreation 8% 11%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 9%
Commercial 5% 6%
Industrial 3%
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

Box Hill North Blackburn
New dwellings approved 879
across Whitehorse
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
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.

Box Hill North Blackburn
Houses 3.3%
$778/wk on $1.23M
 3.0%
$800/wk on $1.39M
Units 4.7%
$650/wk on $727K
 4.6%
$550/wk on $618K

Ranking within VIC

Box Hill North Blackburn
House price Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Income Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Schools Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 12% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 13% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC

Liveability

Blackburn is more walkable (89 vs 72); Blackburn scores higher overall (84 vs 78).

Box Hill North Blackburn
Grade A A+
Score 78/100 84/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Blackburn carries more crime risk (65 vs 38).

Box Hill North Blackburn
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
38/100
 Moderate
65/100
Flood Low
26/100
 Low
35/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Box Hill North Blackburn
Inside the suburb 3 5
Rated above peers 1 3
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 5.1 km
 1
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 4.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.8% 4.0%

Schools in Box Hill North

  • Kerrimuir Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Box Hill North Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Berengarra School Independent · Secondary · Special school below peers

Schools in Blackburn

  • Blackburn Lake Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Blackburn Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Laburnum Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Blackburn High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Thomas the Apostle School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Box Hill North Blackburn
Supermarkets 0 5
Cafes & restaurants 5 19
Parks & reserves 7 19
Childcare 11 14
GPs 1 6
Pharmacies 2 4
Banks & Bank@Post 2 3
Fuel stations 1 3
Waterways 2 4

Mobility

Blackburn sits further from the CBD (22.9 km vs 19.6 km).

Box Hill North Blackburn
Walkability score 72/100 89/100
Distance to Melbourne 19.6 km 22.9 km
+17% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 29 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 265.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 360.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.3%
postcode 3129
 2.1%
postcode 3130
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 23
postcode 3129
 27
postcode 3130

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.

Box Hill North Blackburn
Car (driver) 47.8% / 40.4%
Box Hill North — Car (driver): 47.8% Blackburn — Car (driver): 40.4%
Worked from Home 36.8% / 47.4%
Box Hill North — Worked from Home: 36.8% Blackburn — Worked from Home: 47.4%
Train 4.1% / 5.7%
Box Hill North — Train: 4.1% Blackburn — Train: 5.7%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 3.1%
Box Hill North — Car (passenger): 4.9% Blackburn — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Walked Only 2.9% / 1.9%
Box Hill North — Walked Only: 2.9% Blackburn — Walked Only: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (47.8%).

Setting

Box Hill North Blackburn
Elevation 75 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 102 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 15.3 km 16.4 km

NBN connectivity

Box Hill North Blackburn
Connectivity score 75/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
5,594 premises
 12%
7,295 premises

Climate

Box Hill North Blackburn
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)

Box Hill North Blackburn
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Box Hill North Blackburn
Average residential rate $1,516/yr
same for both
Council Whitehorse
same for both

Federal electorate

Box Hill North Blackburn
Division Menzies
same for both
Member Gabriel Ng
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Box Hill North Blackburn
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Box Hill North

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban

Blackburn

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Box Hill North

Box Hill North vs Doncaster East Box Hill North vs Doncaster Box Hill North vs Box Hill Box Hill North vs Blackburn North Box Hill North vs Mont Albert North Box Hill North vs Mont Albert

Other comparisons with Blackburn

Blackburn vs Box Hill Blackburn vs Nunawading Blackburn vs Blackburn South Blackburn vs Forest Hill Blackburn vs Box Hill South Blackburn vs Blackburn North
Full data on Box Hill North Full data on Blackburn
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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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