Brim vs Lah
Lah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 50 in Brim. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Brim, about half of households are couple families. In Lah, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Brim tends to suit older residents, while Lah suits families with children and 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Brim carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 49/100)
- Lah is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 62%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Lah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $165/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Lah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (244 min vs 250 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (353 km vs 361 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Brim
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 9%)
- carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 49/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.8% vs 5.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Brim and Lah drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Brim rents higher ($165/wk vs $0/wk); Brim has more residents (181 vs 57).
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 181 +69% vs other | 57 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.8% | +18.8% |
| Median age | 50 | 42 |
| Median household income | $70,200/yr | $112,632/yr +60% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $165/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).
Property market
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $235,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% 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
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 17 across Yarriambiack same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +300% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 32% of VIC | Higher than 85% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 6% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 69% of VIC |
Liveability
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lah carries more crime risk (49 vs 22); Lah carries more bushfire risk (26 vs 15).
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 15/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Crime | Low 22/100 | Moderate 49/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 6 | 1 |
Mobility
Brim sits further from the CBD (361 km vs 353 km).
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 361 km +2% vs other | 353 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 250 min | 244 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3391 | 0.1% postcode 3393 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — | 39 postcode 3393 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.2%).
Setting
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 96 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 104 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 104 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Climate
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 300 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,795/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yarriambiack same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Brim | Lah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Brim
Other comparisons with Lah
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.