Box Hill vs Blackburn

Box Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 41 in Blackburn. In Box Hill, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. In Blackburn, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Box Hill tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Blackburn 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

Blackburn

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (66% vs 22%)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 6)
  • has more parks and reserves (19 vs 10)

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 has cheaper units ($465,000 vs $653,500)
  • Blackburn leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Box Hill has a bigger rental market to choose from (61% vs 26%)
  • Blackburn leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Box Hill

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 6%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 89/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (20.7 km vs 22.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Box Hill

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (78% vs 34%)
  • has more GPs (11 vs 6)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 89/100)
  • But Blackburn carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 91/100)

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

Investors

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (26.0% vs 3.9%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.8% vs 4.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Box Hill 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 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 Blackburn
Walkability 99 / 89
Box Hill — Walkability: 99/100 Blackburn — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 9 / 35
Box Hill — Safety: 9/100 Blackburn — Safety: 35/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Box Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100 Blackburn — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 77 / 65
Box Hill — Low flood risk: 77/100 Blackburn — Low flood risk: 65/100

Demographics

Blackburn has higher household incomes ($107,380 vs $65,884); Blackburn skews older (41 vs 33).

Box Hill Blackburn
Population 14,353 14,478
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +26.0% +3.9%
Median age 33 41
Median household income $65,884/yr $107,380/yr
+63% vs other
Median weekly rent $381/wk $411/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Box Hill Blackburn
0-4 3.1% / 3.9%
Box Hill — 0-4: 3.1% Blackburn — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 6.5% / 11.9%
Box Hill — 5-14: 6.5% Blackburn — 5-14: 11.9%
15-19 4.5% / 6.3%
Box Hill — 15-19: 4.5% Blackburn — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 13.2% / 7.0%
Box Hill — 20-24: 13.2% Blackburn — 20-24: 7.0%
25-34 26.1% / 12.1%
Box Hill — 25-34: 26.1% Blackburn — 25-34: 12.1%
35-44 13.2% / 13.5%
Box Hill — 35-44: 13.2% Blackburn — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 10.8% / 14.2%
Box Hill — 45-54: 10.8% Blackburn — 45-54: 14.2%
55-64 8.2% / 12.4%
Box Hill — 55-64: 8.2% Blackburn — 55-64: 12.4%
65-74 6.5% / 9.0%
Box Hill — 65-74: 6.5% Blackburn — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 4.5% / 5.9%
Box Hill — 75-84: 4.5% Blackburn — 75-84: 5.9%
85+ 3.3% / 3.7%
Box Hill — 85+: 3.3% Blackburn — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Box Hill 45.0% lone person
Box Hill — Lone Person: 45.0% Box Hill — Couple Families: 24.6% Box Hill — One Parent Families: 12.8% Box Hill — Group Household: 14.7% Box Hill — Other Families: 3.0%
Blackburn 36.5% lone person
Blackburn — Lone Person: 36.5% Blackburn — Couple Families: 45.5% Blackburn — One Parent Families: 11.8% Blackburn — Group Household: 4.8% Blackburn — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Box Hill 60.7% renting
Box Hill — Owned Outright: 20.8% Box Hill — Mortgage: 18.5% Box Hill — Renting: 60.7%
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 Blackburn
Bachelor Degree 22.1% / 24.0%
Box Hill — Bachelor Degree: 22.1% Blackburn — Bachelor Degree: 24.0%
Postgraduate Degree 11.6% / 11.4%
Box Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 11.6% Blackburn — Postgraduate Degree: 11.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 7.8%
Box Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Blackburn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Certificate III & IV 5.2% / 6.6%
Box Hill — Certificate III & IV: 5.2% Blackburn — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 4.1%
Box Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% 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 Blackburn
China 29.5% / 8.2%
Box Hill — China: 29.5% Blackburn — China: 8.2%
Malaysia 6.4% / 2.5%
Box Hill — Malaysia: 6.4% Blackburn — Malaysia: 2.5%
India 4.5% / 4.3%
Box Hill — India: 4.5% Blackburn — India: 4.3%
England 1.0% / 2.9%
Box Hill — England: 1.0% Blackburn — England: 2.9%
Vietnam 1.9% / 0.9%
Box Hill — Vietnam: 1.9% Blackburn — Vietnam: 0.9%
Taiwan 1.2% / —
Box Hill — Taiwan: 1.2% Blackburn — Taiwan: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.1%
Box Hill — New Zealand: not among its largest Blackburn — New Zealand: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Box Hill 22.0% houses
Box Hill — Houses: 22.0% Box Hill — Flats / Apartments: 53.2% Box Hill — Townhouses: 24.7%
Blackburn 66.0% houses
Blackburn — Houses: 66.0% Blackburn — Flats / Apartments: 12.7% Blackburn — Townhouses: 21.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Box Hill Blackburn
Median house price $1,605,000 $1,572,000
Median unit price $465,000 $653,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 51 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 Blackburn
1 bed $307K / $365K
Box Hill — 1 bed: $307K (86 sales) Blackburn — 1 bed: $365K (38 sales)

86 vs 38 sales

2 bed $505K / $644K
Box Hill — 2 bed: $505K (229 sales) Blackburn — 2 bed: $644K (86 sales)

229 vs 86 sales

3 bed $784K / $1.1M
Box Hill — 3 bed: $784K (20 sales) Blackburn — 3 bed: $1.1M (47 sales)

20 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 Blackburn
2 bed $701K / $1M
Box Hill — 2 bed: $701K (12 sales) Blackburn — 2 bed: $1M (19 sales)

12 vs 19 sales

3 bed $1.37M / $1.35M
Box Hill — 3 bed: $1.37M (20 sales) Blackburn — 3 bed: $1.35M (72 sales)

20 vs 72 sales

4 bed $1.72M / $1.68M
Box Hill — 4 bed: $1.72M (28 sales) Blackburn — 4 bed: $1.68M (75 sales)

28 vs 75 sales

5 bed $2.17M / $2.1M
Box Hill — 5 bed: $2.17M (5 sales) Blackburn — 5 bed: $2.1M (25 sales)

5 vs 25 sales

Zoning mix

Box Hill has more commercially zoned land (51% vs 6%).

Box Hill Blackburn
Residential 20% 72%
Commercial 51% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 15% 9%
Parks and recreation 12% 11%
Industrial 0% 3%
Other and special use 2% 0%
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 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 Blackburn
Houses 2.9%
$740/wk on $1.35M
 3.0%
$800/wk on $1.39M
Units 5.8%
$620/wk on $552K
 4.6%
$550/wk on $618K

Ranking within VIC

Box Hill Blackburn
House price Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Income Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Schools Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 12% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 9% of VIC Higher than 13% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC

Liveability

Blackburn scores higher overall (84 vs 75); Box Hill is more walkable (99 vs 89).

Box Hill Blackburn
Grade A A+
Score 75/100 84/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Blackburn carries more flood risk (35 vs 23); Box Hill carries more crime risk (91 vs 65).

Box Hill Blackburn
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
91/100
 Moderate
65/100
Flood Low
23/100
 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 Blackburn
Inside the suburb 4 5
Rated above peers 2 3
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 3.4 km
 1
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 4.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 6.7% 4.0%

Schools in Box Hill

  • Box Hill High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Francis Xavier's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady of Sion College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Cricket Australia - Box Hill Independent · Secondary

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 Blackburn
Supermarkets 11 5
Cafes & restaurants 70 19
Parks & reserves 10 19
Childcare 6 14
GPs 11 6
Pharmacies 5 4
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 8 3
Fuel stations 1 3
Waterways 1 4

Mobility

Blackburn sits further from the CBD (22.9 km vs 20.7 km).

Box Hill Blackburn
Walkability score 99/100 89/100
Distance to Melbourne 20.7 km 22.9 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 29 min
same for both
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 547.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 360.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 3128
 2.1%
postcode 3130
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 14
postcode 3128
 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 Blackburn
Car (driver) 39.5% / 40.4%
Box Hill — Car (driver): 39.5% Blackburn — Car (driver): 40.4%
Worked from Home 31.0% / 47.4%
Box Hill — Worked from Home: 31.0% Blackburn — Worked from Home: 47.4%
Train 11.3% / 5.7%
Box Hill — Train: 11.3% Blackburn — Train: 5.7%
Walked Only 9.5% / 1.9%
Box Hill — Walked Only: 9.5% Blackburn — Walked Only: 1.9%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 3.1%
Box Hill — Car (passenger): 4.1% Blackburn — Car (passenger): 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (47.4%).

Setting

Box Hill Blackburn
Elevation 94 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 102 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.3 km 16.4 km

NBN connectivity

Box Hill Blackburn
Connectivity score 81/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
9,245 premises
 12%
7,295 premises

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

Tags

Box Hill

Affordable Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Urban

Blackburn

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Box Hill

Box Hill vs Surrey Hills Box Hill vs Box Hill North Box Hill vs Blackburn South Box Hill vs Box Hill South Box Hill vs Mont Albert North Box Hill vs Mont Albert

Other comparisons with Blackburn

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