Burnley vs Hawthorn

In both, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Hawthorn, most homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Hawthorn: a median of $2.02 million, against $1.35 million in Burnley, though rent is higher in Burnley. Hawthorn is closer to the city centre: 9.9 km, against 13 km. On these figures, Burnley tends to suit 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

Hawthorn

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (13 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (11 vs 3)
  • has more parks and reserves (29 vs 14)

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

First-home buyers

Burnley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,350,000 vs $2,019,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hawthorn

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Hawthorn

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (97/100 vs 65/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (9.9 km vs 13 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Hawthorn

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (12 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (97/100 vs 65/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (77/100 vs 96/100)

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

Investors

Burnley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (3.3% vs -5.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Burnley Hawthorn
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.

Burnley Hawthorn
Walkability 65 / 97
Burnley — Walkability: 65/100 Hawthorn — Walkability: 97/100
Safety 4 / 23
Burnley — Safety: 4/100 Hawthorn — Safety: 23/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Burnley — Low fire risk: 100/100 Hawthorn — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 12 / 40
Burnley — Low flood risk: 12/100 Hawthorn — Low flood risk: 40/100

Demographics

Hawthorn has more residents (22,322 vs 794); Burnley has higher household incomes ($125,996 vs $111,540).

Burnley Hawthorn
Population 794 22,322
+2711% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.3% -5.1%
Median age 32 34
Median household income $125,996/yr
+11% vs other
 $111,540/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+9% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Burnley Hawthorn
0-4 5.7% / 3.8%
Burnley — 0-4: 5.7% Hawthorn — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 6.9% / 8.5%
Burnley — 5-14: 6.9% Hawthorn — 5-14: 8.5%
15-19 4.0% / 6.0%
Burnley — 15-19: 4.0% Hawthorn — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 8.2% / 9.7%
Burnley — 20-24: 8.2% Hawthorn — 20-24: 9.7%
25-34 31.2% / 22.3%
Burnley — 25-34: 31.2% Hawthorn — 25-34: 22.3%
35-44 17.9% / 14.3%
Burnley — 35-44: 17.9% Hawthorn — 35-44: 14.3%
45-54 10.1% / 11.6%
Burnley — 45-54: 10.1% Hawthorn — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 7.8% / 9.5%
Burnley — 55-64: 7.8% Hawthorn — 55-64: 9.5%
65-74 5.7% / 7.8%
Burnley — 65-74: 5.7% Hawthorn — 65-74: 7.8%
75-84 2.3% / 4.7%
Burnley — 75-84: 2.3% Hawthorn — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 1.5% / 1.8%
Burnley — 85+: 1.5% Hawthorn — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Burnley 47.8% lone person
Burnley — Lone Person: 47.8% Burnley — Couple Families: 27.7% Burnley — Group Household: 14.6% Burnley — One Parent Families: 7.5% Burnley — Other Families: 2.4%
Hawthorn 51.5% lone person
Hawthorn — Lone Person: 51.5% Hawthorn — Couple Families: 28.3% Hawthorn — Group Household: 10.6% Hawthorn — One Parent Families: 7.3% Hawthorn — 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.

Burnley 48.4% renting
Burnley — Owned Outright: 22.3% Burnley — Mortgage: 29.3% Burnley — Renting: 48.4%
Hawthorn 46.8% renting
Hawthorn — Owned Outright: 27.5% Hawthorn — Mortgage: 25.6% Hawthorn — Renting: 46.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Burnley Hawthorn
Bachelor Degree 34.4% / 30.2%
Burnley — Bachelor Degree: 34.4% Hawthorn — Bachelor Degree: 30.2%
Postgraduate Degree 10.8% / 14.9%
Burnley — Postgraduate Degree: 10.8% Hawthorn — Postgraduate Degree: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.2% / 7.5%
Burnley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.2% Hawthorn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Certificate III & IV 6.5% / 4.7%
Burnley — Certificate III & IV: 6.5% Hawthorn — Certificate III & IV: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.3% / 4.2%
Burnley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.3% Hawthorn — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (34.4%).

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.

Burnley Hawthorn
England 4.7% / 3.1%
Burnley — England: 4.7% Hawthorn — England: 3.1%
India 0.9% / 3.5%
Burnley — India: 0.9% Hawthorn — India: 3.5%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.7%
Burnley — New Zealand: 1.6% Hawthorn — New Zealand: 1.7%
China — / 3.1%
Burnley — China: not among its largest Hawthorn — China: 3.1%
Malaysia 1.1% / 1.6%
Burnley — Malaysia: 1.1% Hawthorn — Malaysia: 1.6%
Vietnam 1.0% / 1.3%
Burnley — Vietnam: 1.0% Hawthorn — Vietnam: 1.3%
Greece 1.1% / —
Burnley — Greece: 1.1% Hawthorn — Greece: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Burnley 30.1% flats / apartments
Burnley — Flats / Apartments: 30.1% Burnley — Townhouses: 50.0% Burnley — Houses: 19.9%
Hawthorn 59.6% flats / apartments
Hawthorn — Flats / Apartments: 59.6% Hawthorn — Townhouses: 16.1% Hawthorn — Houses: 24.3%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Burnley Hawthorn
Median house price $1,350,000 $2,019,000
Median unit price $527,000 $558,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 25 days
from 75 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.

Burnley Hawthorn
2 bed $1.11M / $1.35M
Burnley — 2 bed: $1.11M (9 sales) Hawthorn — 2 bed: $1.35M (21 sales)

9 vs 21 sales

3 bed $1.63M / $1.9M
Burnley — 3 bed: $1.63M (8 sales) Hawthorn — 3 bed: $1.9M (38 sales)

8 vs 38 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.

Burnley Hawthorn
1 bed $348K / $395K
Burnley — 1 bed: $348K (10 sales) Hawthorn — 1 bed: $395K (183 sales)

10 vs 183 sales

2 bed $548K / $633K
Burnley — 2 bed: $548K (16 sales) Hawthorn — 2 bed: $633K (275 sales)

16 vs 275 sales

Zoning mix

Burnley Hawthorn
Residential 9% 68%
Parks and recreation 51% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 33% 11%
Commercial 6% 8%
Other and special use 0% 4%
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

Burnley Hawthorn
New dwellings approved 1,675
across Yarra
 711
across Boroondara
Approvals change year on year +646% -40%

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.

Burnley Hawthorn
Houses — 3.1%
$1,250/wk on $2.1M
Units — 5.0%
$550/wk on $571K

Ranking within VIC

Burnley Hawthorn
House price — Higher than 99% of VIC
Income Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Schools Higher than 16% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 1% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 17% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 62% of VIC

Liveability

Hawthorn is more walkable (97 vs 65); Hawthorn scores higher overall (71 vs 50).

Burnley Hawthorn
Grade B A
Score 50/100 71/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Burnley carries more flood risk (88 vs 60); Burnley carries more crime risk (96 vs 77).

Burnley Hawthorn
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
96/100
 High
77/100
Flood High
88/100
 Moderate
60/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 11
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Burnley Hawthorn
Inside the suburb 3 11
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 1.4 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.5% 6.7%

Schools in Burnley

  • SEDA College (Victoria) - FFV Burnley Independent · Secondary
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - FFV Burnley 2 Independent · Secondary
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Netball Burnley Independent · Secondary

Schools in Hawthorn

  • Erasmus Primary School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Scotch College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Glenferrie Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Bialik College Independent · Combined below peers
  • Hawthorn West Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Burnley Hawthorn
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 1 82
Parks & reserves 14 29
Childcare 0 13
GPs 0 12
Pharmacies 0 7
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 7
Fuel stations 0 6
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Burnley sits further from the CBD (13 km vs 9.9 km).

Burnley Hawthorn
Walkability score 65/100 97/100
Distance to Melbourne 13 km
+24% vs other
 9.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 19 min 18 min
Public transport score 98/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 97/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 54.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 468.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.0%
postcode 3121
 2.5%
postcode 3122
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 7
postcode 3121
 9
postcode 3122

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.

Burnley Hawthorn
Worked from Home 50.0% / 50.5%
Burnley — Worked from Home: 50.0% Hawthorn — Worked from Home: 50.5%
Car (driver) 32.1% / 31.6%
Burnley — Car (driver): 32.1% Hawthorn — Car (driver): 31.6%
Train 8.3% / 6.3%
Burnley — Train: 8.3% Hawthorn — Train: 6.3%
Walked Only 2.6% / 5.4%
Burnley — Walked Only: 2.6% Hawthorn — Walked Only: 5.4%
Bicycle 3.8% / 1.5%
Burnley — Bicycle: 3.8% Hawthorn — Bicycle: 1.5%
Tram / Light Rail 2.1% / 2.6%
Burnley — Tram / Light Rail: 2.1% Hawthorn — Tram / Light Rail: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.5%).

Setting

Burnley Hawthorn
Elevation 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 38 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.5 km 6.8 km

NBN connectivity

Burnley Hawthorn
Connectivity score 88/100 82/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
586 premises
 27%
15,213 premises

Climate

Burnley Hawthorn
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)

Burnley Hawthorn
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³ 7.3 µg/m³
PM10 — 17.8 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.82 pphm

Council rates

Burnley Hawthorn
Average residential rate $1,937/yr $2,253/yr
Council Yarra Boroondara

Federal electorate

Burnley Hawthorn
Division Melbourne Kooyong
Member Sarah Witty Monique Ryan
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Burnley Hawthorn
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Burnley

Apartments Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals River Townhouses Trains Trams Transport Hub

Hawthorn

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Burnley

Burnley vs Richmond Burnley vs South Yarra Burnley vs Toorak

Other comparisons with Hawthorn

Hawthorn vs Richmond Hawthorn vs Kew Hawthorn vs Hawthorn East Hawthorn vs Toorak Hawthorn vs Malvern Hawthorn vs Abbotsford
Full data on Burnley Full data on Hawthorn
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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