Buln Buln East vs Neerim East
Neerim East is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Buln Buln East. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Buln Buln East, most households are couple families. In Neerim East, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Buln Buln East tends to suit couples, while Neerim East suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Buln Buln East is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 51%)
- Neerim East carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Buln Buln East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Neerim East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($166/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Buln Buln East
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (89 min vs 110 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (111.1 km vs 124.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Neerim East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Buln Buln East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.0% vs 2.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Buln Buln East and Neerim East 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
Buln Buln East rents higher ($250/wk vs $166/wk); Buln Buln East has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $82,316).
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 182 | 196 +8% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.0% | +2.1% |
| Median age | 50 | 47 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr +13% vs other | $82,316/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +34% vs other | $166/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (19.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $840,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Buln Buln East has more rural and farming land (83% vs 36%).
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 36% |
| Parks and recreation | 17% | 64% |
| 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
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 619 across Baw Baw same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +49% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 50% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 14% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 57% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 22% of VIC | Higher than 30% of VIC |
Liveability
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Buln Buln East carries more crime risk (55 vs 12).
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 99/100 | High 97/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | Low 12/100 |
| 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
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 14 | 137 |
Mobility
Neerim East sits further from the CBD (124.1 km vs 111.1 km).
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 111.1 km | 124.1 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 89 min | 110 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3821 | 0.6% postcode 3831 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 3821 | 60 postcode 3831 |
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 (61.5%).
Setting
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 144 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 284 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 56 premises | 0% 79 premises |
Climate
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,090 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,138/yr same for both | |
| Council | Baw Baw same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Buln Buln East | Neerim East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Buln Buln East
Other comparisons with Neerim East
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.