Chelsea Heights vs Patterson Lakes

Chelsea Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 46 in Patterson Lakes. In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Patterson Lakes: a median of $1.34 million, against $1.01 million in Chelsea Heights. Chelsea Heights is closer to the city centre: 36.8 km, against 46.7 km. 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 schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (79% vs 60%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Chelsea Heights has cheaper houses ($1,009,250 vs $1,338,000)
  • Patterson Lakes has cheaper units ($675,000 vs $746,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and 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

Chelsea Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (36.8 km vs 46.7 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Patterson Lakes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (40% vs 21%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Chelsea Heights and Patterson Lakes 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 Patterson Lakes
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 Patterson Lakes
Walkability 69 / 74
Chelsea Heights — Walkability: 69/100 Patterson Lakes — Walkability: 74/100
Safety 44 / 40
Chelsea Heights — Safety: 44/100 Patterson Lakes — Safety: 40/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Chelsea Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Patterson Lakes — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 21 / 14
Chelsea Heights — Low flood risk: 21/100 Patterson Lakes — Low flood risk: 14/100

Demographics

Patterson Lakes has more residents (7,793 vs 5,393); Patterson Lakes skews older (46 vs 40).

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Population 5,393 7,793
+45% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.1% +3.0%
Median age 40 46
Median household income $97,084/yr $100,464/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $412/wk $430/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
0-4 6.2% / 4.9%
Chelsea Heights — 0-4: 6.2% Patterson Lakes — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 13.3% / 11.0%
Chelsea Heights — 5-14: 13.3% Patterson Lakes — 5-14: 11.0%
15-19 6.0% / 5.8%
Chelsea Heights — 15-19: 6.0% Patterson Lakes — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 4.9% / 4.9%
Chelsea Heights — 20-24: 4.9% Patterson Lakes — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 9.9% / 9.0%
Chelsea Heights — 25-34: 9.9% Patterson Lakes — 25-34: 9.0%
35-44 15.4% / 11.7%
Chelsea Heights — 35-44: 15.4% Patterson Lakes — 35-44: 11.7%
45-54 13.9% / 16.1%
Chelsea Heights — 45-54: 13.9% Patterson Lakes — 45-54: 16.1%
55-64 11.9% / 15.1%
Chelsea Heights — 55-64: 11.9% Patterson Lakes — 55-64: 15.1%
65-74 10.1% / 12.7%
Chelsea Heights — 65-74: 10.1% Patterson Lakes — 65-74: 12.7%
75-84 6.3% / 6.4%
Chelsea Heights — 75-84: 6.3% Patterson Lakes — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ 2.1% / 2.4%
Chelsea Heights — 85+: 2.1% Patterson Lakes — 85+: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

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%
Patterson Lakes 45.4% couple families
Patterson Lakes — Couple Families: 45.4% Patterson Lakes — Lone Person: 36.2% Patterson Lakes — One Parent Families: 15.8% Patterson Lakes — Group Household: 2.1% Patterson Lakes — Other Families: 0.5%
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%
Patterson Lakes 16.0% renting
Patterson Lakes — Owned Outright: 40.8% Patterson Lakes — Mortgage: 43.3% Patterson Lakes — Renting: 16.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Certificate III & IV 15.1% / 15.7%
Chelsea Heights — Certificate III & IV: 15.1% Patterson Lakes — Certificate III & IV: 15.7%
Bachelor Degree 12.1% / 13.2%
Chelsea Heights — Bachelor Degree: 12.1% Patterson Lakes — Bachelor Degree: 13.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 9.3%
Chelsea Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Patterson Lakes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 3.9%
Chelsea Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Patterson Lakes — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 2.2%
Chelsea Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Patterson Lakes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

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 Patterson Lakes
England 4.7% / 4.9%
Chelsea Heights — England: 4.7% Patterson Lakes — England: 4.9%
China 1.1% / 2.5%
Chelsea Heights — China: 1.1% Patterson Lakes — China: 2.5%
India 2.3% / 1.3%
Chelsea Heights — India: 2.3% Patterson Lakes — India: 1.3%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.7%
Chelsea Heights — New Zealand: 1.5% Patterson Lakes — New Zealand: 1.7%
South Africa 0.7% / 0.9%
Chelsea Heights — South Africa: 0.7% Patterson Lakes — South Africa: 0.9%
Philippines 1.4% / —
Chelsea Heights — Philippines: 1.4% Patterson Lakes — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chelsea Heights 78.9% houses
Chelsea Heights — Houses: 78.9% Chelsea Heights — Townhouses: 13.1% Chelsea Heights — Flats / Apartments: 8.0%
Patterson Lakes 59.9% houses
Patterson Lakes — Houses: 59.9% Patterson Lakes — Townhouses: 24.7% Patterson Lakes — Flats / Apartments: 15.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Median house price $1,009,250 $1,338,000
Median unit price $746,000 $675,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 22 sales
 24 days
from 65 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 Patterson Lakes
2 bed $730K / $635K
Chelsea Heights — 2 bed: $730K (9 sales) Patterson Lakes — 2 bed: $635K (25 sales)

9 vs 25 sales

3 bed $770K / $734K
Chelsea Heights — 3 bed: $770K (5 sales) Patterson Lakes — 3 bed: $734K (13 sales)

5 vs 13 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 Patterson Lakes
3 bed $962K / $1.09M
Chelsea Heights — 3 bed: $962K (51 sales) Patterson Lakes — 3 bed: $1.09M (53 sales)

51 vs 53 sales

4 bed $1.25M / $1.45M
Chelsea Heights — 4 bed: $1.25M (25 sales) Patterson Lakes — 4 bed: $1.45M (51 sales)

25 vs 51 sales

5 bed $1.2M / $1.5M
Chelsea Heights — 5 bed: $1.2M (5 sales) Patterson Lakes — 5 bed: $1.5M (21 sales)

5 vs 21 sales

Zoning mix

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

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Residential 44% 61%
Infrastructure and transport 37% 24%
Commercial 13% 1%
Parks and recreation 4% 9%
Other and special use 0% 5%
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 Patterson Lakes
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 Patterson Lakes
Houses 4.3%
$792/wk on $960K
 3.9%
$1,200/wk on $1.6M
Units — 4.7%
$620/wk on $679K

Ranking within VIC

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
House price Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Income Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 73% 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 29% 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 61% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 48% of VIC

Liveability

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Grade B
same for both
Score 58/100
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
56/100
 Moderate
60/100
Flood High
79/100
 High
86/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

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

Schools in Chelsea Heights

  • Chelsea Heights Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Patterson Lakes

  • Patterson Lakes Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

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

Mobility

Patterson Lakes sits further from the CBD (46.7 km vs 36.8 km).

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Walkability score 69/100 74/100
Distance to Melbourne 36.8 km 46.7 km
+27% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 44 min 42 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 111.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 43.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 3196
 1.1%
postcode 3197
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3196
 29
postcode 3197

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 Patterson Lakes
Car (driver) 64.7% / 64.0%
Chelsea Heights — Car (driver): 64.7% Patterson Lakes — Car (driver): 64.0%
Worked from Home 28.7% / 28.7%
Chelsea Heights — Worked from Home: 28.7% Patterson Lakes — Worked from Home: 28.7%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 3.5%
Chelsea Heights — Car (passenger): 3.7% Patterson Lakes — Car (passenger): 3.5%
Train 1.8% / 1.7%
Chelsea Heights — Train: 1.8% Patterson Lakes — Train: 1.7%
Walked Only 0.5% / 1.0%
Chelsea Heights — Walked Only: 0.5% Patterson Lakes — Walked Only: 1.0%

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

Setting

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Elevation 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.2 km
2.3 km to a named beach
 2.0 km
2.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
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
 39%
3,612 premises

Climate

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Annual rainfall 644 mm —
Summer max (Jan) 26.0°C 24.5°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C 8.3°C

Air quality (annual mean)

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

Federal electorate

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
Division Isaacs Dunkley
Member Mark Dreyfus Jodie Belyea
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Chelsea Heights Patterson Lakes
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

Patterson Lakes

Coastal Outer Parks Premium River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chelsea Heights

Chelsea Heights vs Chelsea Chelsea Heights vs Bonbeach Chelsea Heights vs Aspendale Gardens Chelsea Heights vs Edithvale Chelsea Heights vs Bangholme

Other comparisons with Patterson Lakes

Patterson Lakes vs Carrum Downs Patterson Lakes vs Seaford Patterson Lakes vs Bonbeach Patterson Lakes vs Carrum Patterson Lakes vs Bangholme
Full data on Chelsea Heights Full data on Patterson Lakes
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or