Bull Creek vs Murdoch

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bull Creek, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Bull Creek: a median of $1.42 million, against $1.2 million in Murdoch, though rent is higher in Murdoch. On these figures, Bull Creek tends to suit families with children and couples, while Murdoch suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Bull Creek

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (4 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 3)
  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 8)

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

First-home buyers

Bull Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($649,000 vs $1,100,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 32%)
  • But Murdoch has cheaper houses ($1,200,000 vs $1,423,888)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bull Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

Murdoch

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 2)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 27%)
  • But Bull Creek carries lower crime risk (56/100 vs 74/100)

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

Investors

Bull Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (3.7% vs -4.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bull Creek Murdoch
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.

Bull Creek Murdoch
Walkability 81 / 83
Bull Creek — Walkability: 81/100 Murdoch — Walkability: 83/100
Safety 44 / 26
Bull Creek — Safety: 44/100 Murdoch — Safety: 26/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bull Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100 Murdoch — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Bull Creek — Low flood risk: 100/100 Murdoch — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Bull Creek has more residents (8,030 vs 3,352); Bull Creek has higher household incomes ($97,760 vs $75,868).

Bull Creek Murdoch
Population 8,030
+58% vs other
 3,352
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.7% -4.9%
Median age 44 43
Median household income $97,760/yr
+22% vs other
 $75,868/yr
Median weekly rent $420/wk $445/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bull Creek Murdoch
0-4 3.9% / 2.9%
Bull Creek — 0-4: 3.9% Murdoch — 0-4: 2.9%
5-14 14.6% / 6.1%
Bull Creek — 5-14: 14.6% Murdoch — 5-14: 6.1%
15-19 5.7% / 9.2%
Bull Creek — 15-19: 5.7% Murdoch — 15-19: 9.2%
20-24 5.0% / 12.7%
Bull Creek — 20-24: 5.0% Murdoch — 20-24: 12.7%
25-34 7.5% / 11.7%
Bull Creek — 25-34: 7.5% Murdoch — 25-34: 11.7%
35-44 13.6% / 8.4%
Bull Creek — 35-44: 13.6% Murdoch — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 12.3% / 7.6%
Bull Creek — 45-54: 12.3% Murdoch — 45-54: 7.6%
55-64 10.7% / 9.4%
Bull Creek — 55-64: 10.7% Murdoch — 55-64: 9.4%
65-74 13.5% / 12.5%
Bull Creek — 65-74: 13.5% Murdoch — 65-74: 12.5%
75-84 8.5% / 11.1%
Bull Creek — 75-84: 8.5% Murdoch — 75-84: 11.1%
85+ 4.7% / 8.5%
Bull Creek — 85+: 4.7% Murdoch — 85+: 8.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bull Creek 53.8% couple families
Bull Creek — Couple Families: 53.8% Bull Creek — Lone Person: 30.7% Bull Creek — One Parent Families: 12.2% Bull Creek — Group Household: 2.5% Bull Creek — Other Families: 0.8%
Murdoch 40.7% couple families
Murdoch — Couple Families: 40.7% Murdoch — Lone Person: 39.3% Murdoch — One Parent Families: 9.4% Murdoch — Group Household: 7.5% Murdoch — Other Families: 3.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bull Creek 20.0% renting
Bull Creek — Owned Outright: 45.7% Bull Creek — Mortgage: 34.3% Bull Creek — Renting: 20.0%
Murdoch 23.4% renting
Murdoch — Owned Outright: 53.2% Murdoch — Mortgage: 23.4% Murdoch — Renting: 23.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Bull Creek Murdoch
Malaysia 8.4% / 6.8%
Bull Creek — Malaysia: 8.4% Murdoch — Malaysia: 6.8%
England 5.6% / 4.8%
Bull Creek — England: 5.6% Murdoch — England: 4.8%
China 5.3% / 2.5%
Bull Creek — China: 5.3% Murdoch — China: 2.5%
India 4.4% / 3.1%
Bull Creek — India: 4.4% Murdoch — India: 3.1%
Singapore 2.6% / 3.1%
Bull Creek — Singapore: 2.6% Murdoch — Singapore: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.4%).

Qualifications

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

Bull Creek Murdoch
Bachelor Degree 21.3% / 19.2%
Bull Creek — Bachelor Degree: 21.3% Murdoch — Bachelor Degree: 19.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 8.6%
Bull Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Murdoch — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Certificate III & IV 7.6% / 8.3%
Bull Creek — Certificate III & IV: 7.6% Murdoch — Certificate III & IV: 8.3%
Postgraduate Degree 8.9% / 6.1%
Bull Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 8.9% Murdoch — Postgraduate Degree: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 2.5%
Bull Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Murdoch — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bull Creek 78.6% houses
Bull Creek — Houses: 78.6% Bull Creek — Townhouses: 9.9% Bull Creek — Flats / Apartments: 11.5%
Murdoch 77.7% houses
Murdoch — Houses: 77.7% Murdoch — Townhouses: 13.9% Murdoch — Flats / Apartments: 8.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bull Creek Murdoch
Median house price $1,423,888 $1,200,000
Median unit price $649,000 $1,100,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 11 days
from 85 sales
 48 days
from 19 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.

Bull Creek Murdoch
3 bed $1.2M / $1.15M
Bull Creek — 3 bed: $1.2M (36 sales) Murdoch — 3 bed: $1.15M (13 sales)

36 vs 13 sales

4 bed $1.52M / $1.26M
Bull Creek — 4 bed: $1.52M (82 sales) Murdoch — 4 bed: $1.26M (19 sales)

82 vs 19 sales

Development activity

Bull Creek Murdoch
New dwellings approved 727
across Melville
same for both
Approvals change year on year +268%
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.

Bull Creek Murdoch
Houses 2.9%
$880/wk on $1.6M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Bull Creek Murdoch
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 65% of WA Higher than 38% of WA
Schools Higher than 99% of WA Higher than 57% of WA
Walkability Higher than 95% of WA Higher than 97% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 94% of WA Higher than 97% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of WA Higher than 77% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 5% of WA —

Liveability

Bull Creek scores higher overall (90 vs 70).

Bull Creek Murdoch
Grade A+ A
Score 90/100 70/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Murdoch carries more crime risk (74 vs 56).

Bull Creek Murdoch
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
56/100
 High
74/100
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 12
within 5 km
 13
within 5 km

Schools

Bull Creek Murdoch
Inside the suburb 5 4
Rated above peers 4 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Murdoch University (Murdoch), 2.8 km
 3
Murdoch University (Murdoch), 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.5% 13.8%

Schools in Bull Creek

  • All Saints' College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Bull Creek Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Oberthur Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Rossmoyne Senior High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Fremantle Language Development Centre - Bull Creek Campus Government · Primary · Special school

Schools in Murdoch

  • Kennedy Baptist College Independent · Secondary above peers
  • SEDA College WA (Murdoch) Independent · Secondary
  • School Of Special Educational Needs: Medical And Mental Health - Fiona Stanley Hospital: Paediatrics Government · Combined · Special school
  • School Of Special Educational Needs: Medical And Mental Health - Fiona Stanley Hospital: State Rehabilitation Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Bull Creek Murdoch
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 13 7
Parks & reserves 13 8
Childcare 6 3
GPs 2 4
Pharmacies 2
same for both
Hospitals 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 2
same for both
EV chargers 1
same for both
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Bull Creek Murdoch
Walkability score 81/100 83/100
Distance to Perth 15.3 km 16 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 19 min
same for both
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 367.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 467.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 6149
 2.5%
postcode 6150
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 6149
 66
postcode 6150

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.

Bull Creek Murdoch
Car (driver) 68.1% / 68.8%
Bull Creek — Car (driver): 68.1% Murdoch — Car (driver): 68.8%
Worked from Home 12.0% / 9.1%
Bull Creek — Worked from Home: 12.0% Murdoch — Worked from Home: 9.1%
Train 11.1% / 9.4%
Bull Creek — Train: 11.1% Murdoch — Train: 9.4%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 5.6%
Bull Creek — Car (passenger): 4.8% Murdoch — Car (passenger): 5.6%
Bus 1.9% / 3.3%
Bull Creek — Bus: 1.9% Murdoch — Bus: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.8%).

Setting

Bull Creek Murdoch
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.7 km
3.7 km to a named beach
 8.0 km

NBN connectivity

Bull Creek Murdoch
Connectivity score 88/100 63/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 56%
3,358 premises
 7%
1,775 premises

Climate

Bull Creek Murdoch
Annual rainfall 745 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.6°C
same for both

Council rates

Bull Creek Murdoch
Average residential rate $2,396/yr
same for both
Council Melville
same for both

Federal electorate

Bull Creek Murdoch
Division Tangney
same for both
Member Sam Lim
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bull Creek Murdoch
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bull Creek

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Retirees Transport Hub

Murdoch

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Quiet Retirees Students Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bull Creek

Bull Creek vs Willetton Bull Creek vs Leeming Bull Creek vs Bateman Bull Creek vs Rossmoyne Bull Creek vs Brentwood

Other comparisons with Murdoch

Murdoch vs Leeming Murdoch vs Kardinya Murdoch vs Winthrop Murdoch vs Bateman Murdoch vs North Lake
Full data on Bull Creek Full data on Murdoch
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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