Brunswick vs Coburg

Brunswick is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 37 in Coburg. In Brunswick, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Coburg, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Brunswick is closer to the city centre: 5.6 km, against 7.9 km. On these figures, Brunswick tends to suit renters, young adults, and 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

Coburg

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (14 vs 3)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (65% vs 35%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 31%)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

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

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Brunswick

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (49% vs 34%)

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

Commuting to the city

Brunswick

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (5.6 km vs 7.9 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (15 min vs 21 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Brunswick

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (65% vs 35%)
  • has more GPs (14 vs 8)

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

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

Brunswick Coburg
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.

Brunswick Coburg
Walkability 99 / 99
Brunswick — Walkability: 99/100 Coburg — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 18 / 22
Brunswick — Safety: 18/100 Coburg — Safety: 22/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Brunswick — Low fire risk: 100/100 Coburg — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 56 / 49
Brunswick — Low flood risk: 56/100 Coburg — Low flood risk: 49/100

Demographics

Coburg skews older (37 vs 34).

Brunswick Coburg
Population 24,896 26,574
+7% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.7% +1.5%
Median age 34 37
Median household income $108,992/yr
+1% vs other
 $107,380/yr
Median weekly rent $441/wk
+2% vs other
 $430/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Brunswick Coburg
0-4 3.9% / 5.3%
Brunswick — 0-4: 3.9% Coburg — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 6.3% / 9.9%
Brunswick — 5-14: 6.3% Coburg — 5-14: 9.9%
15-19 2.7% / 4.4%
Brunswick — 15-19: 2.7% Coburg — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 9.3% / 6.8%
Brunswick — 20-24: 9.3% Coburg — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 29.2% / 19.0%
Brunswick — 25-34: 29.2% Coburg — 25-34: 19.0%
35-44 17.8% / 16.6%
Brunswick — 35-44: 17.8% Coburg — 35-44: 16.6%
45-54 11.2% / 13.8%
Brunswick — 45-54: 11.2% Coburg — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 8.4% / 10.1%
Brunswick — 55-64: 8.4% Coburg — 55-64: 10.1%
65-74 5.7% / 7.1%
Brunswick — 65-74: 5.7% Coburg — 65-74: 7.1%
75-84 3.7% / 4.6%
Brunswick — 75-84: 3.7% Coburg — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 1.8% / 2.4%
Brunswick — 85+: 1.8% Coburg — 85+: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Brunswick 47.0% lone person
Brunswick — Lone Person: 47.0% Brunswick — Couple Families: 23.2% Brunswick — Group Household: 19.4% Brunswick — One Parent Families: 8.1% Brunswick — Other Families: 2.3%
Coburg 33.5% lone person
Coburg — Lone Person: 33.5% Coburg — Couple Families: 39.9% Coburg — Group Household: 11.9% Coburg — One Parent Families: 12.5% Coburg — Other Families: 2.2%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Brunswick 49.1% renting
Brunswick — Owned Outright: 24.2% Brunswick — Mortgage: 26.8% Brunswick — Renting: 49.1%
Coburg 34.0% renting
Coburg — Owned Outright: 33.1% Coburg — Mortgage: 32.9% Coburg — Renting: 34.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Brunswick Coburg
Bachelor Degree 29.4% / 21.2%
Brunswick — Bachelor Degree: 29.4% Coburg — Bachelor Degree: 21.2%
Postgraduate Degree 15.6% / 10.3%
Brunswick — Postgraduate Degree: 15.6% Coburg — Postgraduate Degree: 10.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.7% / 7.5%
Brunswick — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7% Coburg — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Certificate III & IV 6.1% / 7.8%
Brunswick — Certificate III & IV: 6.1% Coburg — Certificate III & IV: 7.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.7% / 3.9%
Brunswick — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.7% Coburg — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.4%).

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.

Brunswick Coburg
Italy 2.6% / 4.4%
Brunswick — Italy: 2.6% Coburg — Italy: 4.4%
England 3.6% / 2.4%
Brunswick — England: 3.6% Coburg — England: 2.4%
Greece 2.5% / 2.6%
Brunswick — Greece: 2.5% Coburg — Greece: 2.6%
New Zealand 3.0% / 1.8%
Brunswick — New Zealand: 3.0% Coburg — New Zealand: 1.8%
China 1.2% / 1.2%
Brunswick — China: 1.2% Coburg — China: 1.2%
Lebanon — / 2.3%
Brunswick — Lebanon: not among its largest Coburg — Lebanon: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Brunswick 35.3% houses
Brunswick — Houses: 35.3% Brunswick — Townhouses: 29.3% Brunswick — Flats / Apartments: 35.4%
Coburg 65.1% houses
Coburg — Houses: 65.1% Coburg — Townhouses: 24.3% Coburg — Flats / Apartments: 10.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Brunswick Coburg
Median house price $1,260,000 $1,235,000
Median unit price $555,000 $522,500
Median land price — $1,250,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 169 sales
 24 days
from 264 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.

Brunswick Coburg
1 bed $376K / $392K
Brunswick — 1 bed: $376K (173 sales) Coburg — 1 bed: $392K (82 sales)

173 vs 82 sales

2 bed $629K / $600K
Brunswick — 2 bed: $629K (301 sales) Coburg — 2 bed: $600K (123 sales)

301 vs 123 sales

3 bed $1.06M / $690K
Brunswick — 3 bed: $1.06M (29 sales) Coburg — 3 bed: $690K (17 sales)

29 vs 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.

Brunswick Coburg
2 bed $1.12M / $1.01M
Brunswick — 2 bed: $1.12M (118 sales) Coburg — 2 bed: $1.01M (85 sales)

118 vs 85 sales

3 bed $1.36M / $1.22M
Brunswick — 3 bed: $1.36M (131 sales) Coburg — 3 bed: $1.22M (193 sales)

131 vs 193 sales

4 bed $1.5M / $1.43M
Brunswick — 4 bed: $1.5M (32 sales) Coburg — 4 bed: $1.43M (93 sales)

32 vs 93 sales

5 bed $2.1M / $1.61M
Brunswick — 5 bed: $2.1M (11 sales) Coburg — 5 bed: $1.61M (11 sales)

11 vs 11 sales

Zoning mix

Brunswick has more industrially zoned land (11% vs 0%).

Brunswick Coburg
Residential 68% 77%
Industrial 11% 0%
Commercial 11% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 8%
Parks and recreation 5% 6%
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

Brunswick Coburg
New dwellings approved 1,387
across Merri-bek
same for both
Approvals change year on year +68%
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.

Brunswick Coburg
Houses 3.8%
$880/wk on $1.2M
 3.4%
$750/wk on $1.15M
Units 5.5%
$625/wk on $592K
 5.3%
$550/wk on $540K

Ranking within VIC

Brunswick Coburg
House price Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 78% of VIC
Income Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Schools Higher than 19% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 25% of VIC Higher than 30% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 31% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC

Liveability

Brunswick Coburg
Grade B
same for both
Score 64/100 67/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Brunswick Coburg
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
82/100
 High
78/100
Flood Moderate
44/100
 Moderate
51/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 11
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Brunswick Coburg
Inside the suburb 3 14
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 2 5
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Melbourne, 2.4 km
 3
The University of Melbourne, 4.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.3% 2.9%

Schools in Brunswick

  • Brunswick Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Margaret Mary's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Sydney Road Community School Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Coburg

  • St Bernard's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Paul's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Coburg High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Fidelis' School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Australian International Academy of Education Independent · Combined below peers
  • Coburg North Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Brunswick Coburg
Supermarkets 12 9
Cafes & restaurants 132 67
Parks & reserves 29 33
Childcare 14 23
GPs 14 8
Pharmacies 7 9
Hospitals 1
same for both
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 7
Fuel stations 2 5
EV chargers 5 2
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Coburg sits further from the CBD (7.9 km vs 5.6 km).

Brunswick Coburg
Walkability score 99/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 5.6 km 7.9 km
+41% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 15 min 21 min
Public transport score 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 516.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 754.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 3056
 1.5%
postcode 3058
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 14
postcode 3056
 26
postcode 3058

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.

Brunswick Coburg
Worked from Home 52.1% / 45.4%
Brunswick — Worked from Home: 52.1% Coburg — Worked from Home: 45.4%
Car (driver) 24.7% / 37.3%
Brunswick — Car (driver): 24.7% Coburg — Car (driver): 37.3%
Bicycle 7.0% / 3.8%
Brunswick — Bicycle: 7.0% Coburg — Bicycle: 3.8%
Tram / Light Rail 5.5% / 3.6%
Brunswick — Tram / Light Rail: 5.5% Coburg — Tram / Light Rail: 3.6%
Train 4.0% / 3.9%
Brunswick — Train: 4.0% Coburg — Train: 3.9%
Walked Only 4.4% / 2.4%
Brunswick — Walked Only: 4.4% Coburg — Walked Only: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.1%).

Setting

Brunswick Coburg
Elevation 53 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 61 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.7 km 11.1 km

NBN connectivity

Brunswick Coburg
Connectivity score 91/100 82/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 67%
15,802 premises
 26%
13,334 premises

Climate

Brunswick Coburg
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Brunswick Coburg
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³ 7.3 µg/m³
PM10 — 17.8 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.82 pphm

Council rates

Brunswick Coburg
Average residential rate $1,914/yr
same for both
Council Merri-bek
same for both

Federal electorate

Brunswick Coburg
Division Wills
same for both
Member Peter Khalil
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Brunswick Coburg
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Brunswick

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Nightlife Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Coburg

Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Brunswick

Brunswick vs Brunswick West Brunswick vs Brunswick East Brunswick vs Parkville Brunswick vs Carlton North Brunswick vs Princes Hill

Other comparisons with Coburg

Coburg vs Preston Coburg vs Thornbury Coburg vs Pascoe Vale Coburg vs Brunswick West Coburg vs Brunswick East Coburg vs Pascoe Vale South
Full data on Brunswick Full data on Coburg
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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