Chelsea Heights vs Edithvale

In both, most households own their home. In Chelsea Heights, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Edithvale: a median of $1.3 million, against $1.01 million in Chelsea Heights. On these figures, Chelsea Heights 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

Chelsea Heights

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 3)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (79% vs 50%)
  • But Edithvale carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 56/100)

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

First-home buyers

Chelsea Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,009,250 vs $1,300,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Edithvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 13%)

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

Edithvale

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (50% vs 21%)
  • carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 56/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Chelsea Heights returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 3.6%)
  • Edithvale is growing faster (8.1% vs 1.1%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
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.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Walkability 69 / 73
Chelsea Heights — Walkability: 69/100 Edithvale — Walkability: 73/100
Safety 44 / 65
Chelsea Heights — Safety: 44/100 Edithvale — Safety: 65/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Chelsea Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Edithvale — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 21 / 26
Chelsea Heights — Low flood risk: 21/100 Edithvale — Low flood risk: 26/100

Demographics

Edithvale has higher household incomes ($109,252 vs $97,084).

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Population 5,393 6,276
+16% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.1% +8.1%
Median age 40
same for both
Median household income $97,084/yr $109,252/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $412/wk $429/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
0-4 6.2% / 6.3%
Chelsea Heights — 0-4: 6.2% Edithvale — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 13.3% / 12.7%
Chelsea Heights — 5-14: 13.3% Edithvale — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 6.0% / 5.2%
Chelsea Heights — 15-19: 6.0% Edithvale — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 4.9% / 4.7%
Chelsea Heights — 20-24: 4.9% Edithvale — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 9.9% / 13.1%
Chelsea Heights — 25-34: 9.9% Edithvale — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 15.4% / 15.8%
Chelsea Heights — 35-44: 15.4% Edithvale — 35-44: 15.8%
45-54 13.9% / 14.8%
Chelsea Heights — 45-54: 13.9% Edithvale — 45-54: 14.8%
55-64 11.9% / 12.5%
Chelsea Heights — 55-64: 11.9% Edithvale — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 10.1% / 7.6%
Chelsea Heights — 65-74: 10.1% Edithvale — 65-74: 7.6%
75-84 6.3% / 5.4%
Chelsea Heights — 75-84: 6.3% Edithvale — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 2.1% / 2.0%
Chelsea Heights — 85+: 2.1% Edithvale — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Chelsea Heights 51.3% couple families
Chelsea Heights — Couple Families: 51.3% Chelsea Heights — Lone Person: 30.4% Chelsea Heights — One Parent Families: 15.3% Chelsea Heights — Group Household: 2.1% Chelsea Heights — Other Families: 0.9%
Edithvale 42.7% couple families
Edithvale — Couple Families: 42.7% Edithvale — Lone Person: 35.8% Edithvale — One Parent Families: 16.9% Edithvale — Group Household: 3.5% Edithvale — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Chelsea Heights 13.2% renting
Chelsea Heights — Owned Outright: 40.4% Chelsea Heights — Mortgage: 46.4% Chelsea Heights — Renting: 13.2%
Edithvale 25.4% renting
Edithvale — Owned Outright: 33.2% Edithvale — Mortgage: 41.4% Edithvale — Renting: 25.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Bachelor Degree 12.1% / 18.1%
Chelsea Heights — Bachelor Degree: 12.1% Edithvale — Bachelor Degree: 18.1%
Certificate III & IV 15.1% / 12.9%
Chelsea Heights — Certificate III & IV: 15.1% Edithvale — Certificate III & IV: 12.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 9.9%
Chelsea Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Edithvale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 5.1%
Chelsea Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Edithvale — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 2.8%
Chelsea Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Edithvale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

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.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
England 4.7% / 4.4%
Chelsea Heights — England: 4.7% Edithvale — England: 4.4%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.6%
Chelsea Heights — New Zealand: 1.5% Edithvale — New Zealand: 1.6%
India 2.3% / 0.7%
Chelsea Heights — India: 2.3% Edithvale — India: 0.7%
China 1.1% / 1.0%
Chelsea Heights — China: 1.1% Edithvale — China: 1.0%
South Africa 0.7% / 0.9%
Chelsea Heights — South Africa: 0.7% Edithvale — South Africa: 0.9%
Philippines 1.4% / —
Chelsea Heights — Philippines: 1.4% Edithvale — Philippines: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.7%
Chelsea Heights — Scotland: not among its largest Edithvale — Scotland: 0.7%

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chelsea Heights 78.9% houses
Chelsea Heights — Houses: 78.9% Chelsea Heights — Flats / Apartments: 8.0% Chelsea Heights — Townhouses: 13.1%
Edithvale 50.5% houses
Edithvale — Houses: 50.5% Edithvale — Flats / Apartments: 31.9% Edithvale — Townhouses: 17.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Median house price $1,009,250 $1,300,000
Median unit price $746,000 $737,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 22 sales
 23 days
from 50 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.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
2 bed $730K / $660K
Chelsea Heights — 2 bed: $730K (9 sales) Edithvale — 2 bed: $660K (45 sales)

9 vs 45 sales

3 bed $770K / $922K
Chelsea Heights — 3 bed: $770K (5 sales) Edithvale — 3 bed: $922K (25 sales)

5 vs 25 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.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
2 bed $775K / $971K
Chelsea Heights — 2 bed: $775K (5 sales) Edithvale — 2 bed: $971K (12 sales)

5 vs 12 sales

3 bed $962K / $1.26M
Chelsea Heights — 3 bed: $962K (51 sales) Edithvale — 3 bed: $1.26M (51 sales)

51 vs 51 sales

4 bed $1.25M / $1.44M
Chelsea Heights — 4 bed: $1.25M (25 sales) Edithvale — 4 bed: $1.44M (28 sales)

25 vs 28 sales

Zoning mix

Chelsea Heights has more commercially zoned land (13% vs 1%).

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Residential 44% 74%
Infrastructure and transport 37% 10%
Commercial 13% 1%
Parks and recreation 4% 9%
Other and special use 0% 6%
Industrial 2% 0%
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

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
New dwellings approved 465
across Kingston (Vic.)
same for both
Approvals change year on year -36%
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.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Houses 4.3%
$792/wk on $960K
 3.6%
$800/wk on $1.15M
Units — 4.3%
$595/wk on $722K

Ranking within VIC

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
House price Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Income Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 27% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 80% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 20% of VIC

Liveability

Edithvale scores higher overall (72 vs 58).

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Grade B A
Score 58/100 72/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Chelsea Heights carries more crime risk (56 vs 35).

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
56/100
 Low
35/100
Flood High
79/100
 High
74/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
29/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Chelsea Heights

  • Chelsea Heights Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Edithvale

  • Edithvale Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 4 6
Parks & reserves 8 3
Childcare 2 3
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 2 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Beaches 0 1

Mobility

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Walkability score 69/100 73/100
Distance to Melbourne 36.8 km 36.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 44 min 43 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 93/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 111.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 82.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 3196
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3196
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.

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Car (driver) 64.7% / 54.0%
Chelsea Heights — Car (driver): 64.7% Edithvale — Car (driver): 54.0%
Worked from Home 28.7% / 38.3%
Chelsea Heights — Worked from Home: 28.7% Edithvale — Worked from Home: 38.3%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 2.5%
Chelsea Heights — Car (passenger): 3.7% Edithvale — Car (passenger): 2.5%
Train 1.8% / 3.5%
Chelsea Heights — Train: 1.8% Edithvale — Train: 3.5%
Walked Only 0.5% / 1.1%
Chelsea Heights — Walked Only: 0.5% Edithvale — Walked Only: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.7%).

Setting

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Elevation 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.2 km
2.3 km to a named beach
 759 m
753 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Connectivity score 90/100 87/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the curb
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 50%
2,428 premises
 40%
3,262 premises

Climate

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Annual rainfall 644 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.98 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Average residential rate $1,940/yr
same for both
Council Kingston (Vic.)
same for both

Federal electorate

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Division Isaacs
same for both
Member Mark Dreyfus
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Chelsea Heights Edithvale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Chelsea Heights

Coastal Outer Parks Quiet

Edithvale

Apartments Beach Coastal Easy Commute Outer Parks Premium Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chelsea Heights

Chelsea Heights vs Chelsea Chelsea Heights vs Patterson Lakes Chelsea Heights vs Bonbeach Chelsea Heights vs Aspendale Gardens Chelsea Heights vs Bangholme

Other comparisons with Edithvale

Edithvale vs Chelsea Edithvale vs Aspendale Edithvale vs Aspendale Gardens
Full data on Chelsea Heights Full data on Edithvale
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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