Cape Bridgewater vs Portland West
Portland West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 58 in Cape Bridgewater. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cape Bridgewater, about half of households are people living alone. In Portland West, most households are couple families. On these figures, Cape Bridgewater tends to suit people living alone, while Portland West suits 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
Portland West
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (6 vs 1)
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 48%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Portland West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 22%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Portland West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (360.6 km vs 370.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Portland West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.8% vs 0.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cape Bridgewater and Portland West 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
Portland West has more residents (619 vs 151); Cape Bridgewater skews older (58 vs 49).
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 151 | 619 +310% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.7% | +8.8% |
| Median age | 58 | 49 |
| Median household income | $100,724/yr | $100,412/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $283/wk | $300/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (6.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $950,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Portland West has more rural and farming land (40% vs 27%); Cape Bridgewater has more land zoned for conservation (44% vs 33%).
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 44% | 33% |
| Rural and farming | 27% | 40% |
| Parks and recreation | 29% | 26% |
| 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
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 60 across Glenelg same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 73% of VIC same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 6% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of VIC | Higher than 41% of VIC |
Liveability
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 30/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Portland West carries more flood risk (19 vs 0).
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 90/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 44/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Coastal erosion | High 88/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 6 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Cape Bridgewater sits further from the CBD (370.1 km vs 360.6 km).
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 370.1 km +3% vs other | 360.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 278 min | 275 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3305 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3305 same for both | |
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 (79.2%).
Setting
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 76 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 61 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.6 km 3.0 km to a named beach | 2.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 25/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 88 premises | 0% 263 premises |
Climate
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 860 mm | 661 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.2°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C | — |
Council rates
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,852/yr same for both | |
| Council | Glenelg same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cape Bridgewater | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cape Bridgewater
Other comparisons with Portland West
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.