Clayton vs Mulgrave

Clayton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 28 against 40 in Mulgrave. In Clayton, most households rent. In Mulgrave, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Clayton: a median of $1.36 million, against $1.1 million in Mulgrave, though rent is higher in Mulgrave. Clayton is closer to the city centre: 22.1 km, against 27.2 km. On these figures, Clayton tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Mulgrave suits couples and 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

Mulgrave

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (4 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (83% vs 35%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 36%)
  • But Clayton has more parks and reserves (21 vs 10)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Clayton has cheaper units ($550,000 vs $788,800)
  • Mulgrave has cheaper houses ($1,103,500 vs $1,365,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Clayton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (63% vs 23%)

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

Commuting to the city

Clayton

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (10% vs 2%)
  • is more walkable (97/100 vs 62/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (22.1 km vs 27.2 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Clayton

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (64% vs 17%)
  • has more GPs (10 vs 4)
  • is more walkable (97/100 vs 62/100)
  • But Mulgrave has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 10%)

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

Investors

Clayton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.3% vs 4.2%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Clayton Mulgrave
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.

Clayton Mulgrave
Walkability 97 / 62
Clayton — Walkability: 97/100 Mulgrave — Walkability: 62/100
Safety 15 / 24
Clayton — Safety: 15/100 Mulgrave — Safety: 24/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Clayton — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mulgrave — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 66 / 65
Clayton — Low flood risk: 66/100 Mulgrave — Low flood risk: 65/100

Demographics

Mulgrave skews older (40 vs 28); Mulgrave has higher household incomes ($99,476 vs $77,688).

Clayton Mulgrave
Population 18,988 19,889
+5% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.9% +2.7%
Median age 28 40
Median household income $77,688/yr $99,476/yr
+28% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $430/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Clayton Mulgrave
0-4 3.7% / 5.5%
Clayton — 0-4: 3.7% Mulgrave — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 4.6% / 12.2%
Clayton — 5-14: 4.6% Mulgrave — 5-14: 12.2%
15-19 6.3% / 5.3%
Clayton — 15-19: 6.3% Mulgrave — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 22.0% / 5.7%
Clayton — 20-24: 22.0% Mulgrave — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 30.6% / 13.6%
Clayton — 25-34: 30.6% Mulgrave — 25-34: 13.6%
35-44 11.0% / 14.6%
Clayton — 35-44: 11.0% Mulgrave — 35-44: 14.6%
45-54 6.3% / 13.1%
Clayton — 45-54: 6.3% Mulgrave — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 5.4% / 10.4%
Clayton — 55-64: 5.4% Mulgrave — 55-64: 10.4%
65-74 4.1% / 9.9%
Clayton — 65-74: 4.1% Mulgrave — 65-74: 9.9%
75-84 3.5% / 7.1%
Clayton — 75-84: 3.5% Mulgrave — 75-84: 7.1%
85+ 2.5% / 2.6%
Clayton — 85+: 2.5% Mulgrave — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Clayton 25.3% couple families
Clayton — Couple Families: 25.3% Clayton — Lone Person: 33.5% Clayton — Group Household: 26.5% Clayton — One Parent Families: 10.2% Clayton — Other Families: 4.6%
Mulgrave 54.5% couple families
Mulgrave — Couple Families: 54.5% Mulgrave — Lone Person: 23.5% Mulgrave — Group Household: 4.6% Mulgrave — One Parent Families: 15.3% Mulgrave — Other Families: 2.1%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Clayton 63.0% renting
Clayton — Owned Outright: 19.4% Clayton — Mortgage: 17.6% Clayton — Renting: 63.0%
Mulgrave 23.0% renting
Mulgrave — Owned Outright: 39.1% Mulgrave — Mortgage: 37.9% Mulgrave — Renting: 23.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Clayton Mulgrave
Bachelor Degree 21.6% / 17.3%
Clayton — Bachelor Degree: 21.6% Mulgrave — Bachelor Degree: 17.3%
Postgraduate Degree 15.8% / 7.4%
Clayton — Postgraduate Degree: 15.8% Mulgrave — Postgraduate Degree: 7.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 8.2%
Clayton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Mulgrave — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Certificate III & IV 5.4% / 9.3%
Clayton — Certificate III & IV: 5.4% Mulgrave — Certificate III & IV: 9.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 2.2%
Clayton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Mulgrave — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

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.

Clayton Mulgrave
India 16.4% / 5.2%
Clayton — India: 16.4% Mulgrave — India: 5.2%
China 14.7% / 6.2%
Clayton — China: 14.7% Mulgrave — China: 6.2%
Sri Lanka 3.6% / 5.0%
Clayton — Sri Lanka: 3.6% Mulgrave — Sri Lanka: 5.0%
Malaysia 3.4% / 3.1%
Clayton — Malaysia: 3.4% Mulgrave — Malaysia: 3.1%
Greece 2.7% / 2.7%
Clayton — Greece: 2.7% Mulgrave — Greece: 2.7%
Vietnam 2.2% / 3.0%
Clayton — Vietnam: 2.2% Mulgrave — Vietnam: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Clayton 35.4% houses
Clayton — Houses: 35.4% Clayton — Townhouses: 42.5% Clayton — Flats / Apartments: 22.0%
Mulgrave 83.0% houses
Mulgrave — Houses: 83.0% Mulgrave — Townhouses: 16.4% Mulgrave — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Clayton Mulgrave
Median house price $1,365,000 $1,103,500
Median unit price $550,000 $788,800
Median land price $1,541,000 $1,492,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 56 sales
 25 days
from 276 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.

Clayton Mulgrave
2 bed $532K / $690K
Clayton — 2 bed: $532K (126 sales) Mulgrave — 2 bed: $690K (13 sales)

126 vs 13 sales

3 bed $820K / $823K
Clayton — 3 bed: $820K (48 sales) Mulgrave — 3 bed: $823K (20 sales)

48 vs 20 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.

Clayton Mulgrave
2 bed $1.2M / $750K
Clayton — 2 bed: $1.2M (8 sales) Mulgrave — 2 bed: $750K (7 sales)

8 vs 7 sales

3 bed $1.28M / $1.01M
Clayton — 3 bed: $1.28M (63 sales) Mulgrave — 3 bed: $1.01M (210 sales)

63 vs 210 sales

4 bed $1.43M / $1.2M
Clayton — 4 bed: $1.43M (17 sales) Mulgrave — 4 bed: $1.2M (146 sales)

17 vs 146 sales

5 bed $1.21M / $1.36M
Clayton — 5 bed: $1.21M (7 sales) Mulgrave — 5 bed: $1.36M (35 sales)

7 vs 35 sales

Zoning mix

Clayton has more commercially zoned land (48% vs 2%).

Clayton Mulgrave
Residential 4% 57%
Commercial 48% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 24% 14%
Other and special use 11% 17%
Industrial 12% 3%
Parks and recreation 1% 5%
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

Clayton Mulgrave
New dwellings approved 1,233
across Monash
same for both
Approvals change year on year -4%
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.

Clayton Mulgrave
Houses 3.9%
$700/wk on $945K
 3.7%
$730/wk on $1.01M
Units 5.3%
$550/wk on $544K
 4.2%
$570/wk on $702K

Ranking within VIC

Clayton Mulgrave
House price Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 73% of VIC
Income Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
Schools Higher than 22% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 7% of VIC Higher than 31% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 59% of VIC Higher than 50% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 16% of VIC

Liveability

Clayton is more walkable (97 vs 62); Mulgrave scores higher overall (74 vs 55).

Clayton Mulgrave
Grade B A
Score 55/100 74/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Clayton Mulgrave
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
85/100
 High
76/100
Flood Low
34/100
 Low
35/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 21
within 5 km
 17
within 5 km

Schools

Clayton Mulgrave
Inside the suburb 5
same for both
Rated above peers 0 4
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Monash Clayton, 0.0 km
 1
Monash Clayton, 4.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 17.3% 3.3%

Schools in Clayton

  • Clayton North Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Peter's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • John Monash Science School Government · Secondary
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - AFL - Clayton Independent · Secondary
  • Monash Children's Hospital School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Mulgrave

  • Mazenod College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Mulgrave Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St John Vianney's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Wellington Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Albany Rise Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Clayton Mulgrave
Supermarkets 11 4
Cafes & restaurants 81 18
Parks & reserves 21 10
Childcare 14 13
GPs 10 4
Pharmacies 5
same for both
Hospitals 4 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 5
Fuel stations 5 3
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 2 5

Mobility

Mulgrave sits further from the CBD (27.2 km vs 22.1 km).

Clayton Mulgrave
Walkability score 97/100 62/100
Distance to Melbourne 22.1 km 27.2 km
+23% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 29 min 33 min
Public transport score 84/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 590.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 439.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.0%
postcode 3168
 3.7%
postcode 3170
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 14
postcode 3168
 35
postcode 3170

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.

Clayton Mulgrave
Car (driver) 49.9% / 60.3%
Clayton — Car (driver): 49.9% Mulgrave — Car (driver): 60.3%
Worked from Home 23.9% / 31.0%
Clayton — Worked from Home: 23.9% Mulgrave — Worked from Home: 31.0%
Train 9.4% / 2.4%
Clayton — Train: 9.4% Mulgrave — Train: 2.4%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / 3.6%
Clayton — Car (passenger): 4.3% Mulgrave — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 6.8% / 0.9%
Clayton — Walked Only: 6.8% Mulgrave — Walked Only: 0.9%
Bus 4.7% / 1.5%
Clayton — Bus: 4.7% Mulgrave — Bus: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.3%).

Setting

Clayton Mulgrave
Elevation 88 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 92 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.1 km 12.1 km

NBN connectivity

Clayton Mulgrave
Connectivity score 87/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 49%
10,841 premises
 15%
8,782 premises

Climate

Clayton Mulgrave
Annual rainfall 644 mm 781 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.0°C —
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Clayton Mulgrave
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

Clayton Mulgrave
Average residential rate $1,697/yr
same for both
Council Monash
same for both

Federal electorate

Clayton Mulgrave
Division Hotham
same for both
Member Clare O'Neil
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Clayton Mulgrave
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Clayton

Cafe Culture Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Students Townhouses Transport Hub

Mulgrave

Multicultural Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Clayton

Clayton vs Mount Waverley Clayton vs Springvale Clayton vs Clayton South Clayton vs Oakleigh South Clayton vs Clarinda Clayton vs Oakleigh East

Other comparisons with Mulgrave

Mulgrave vs Glen Waverley Mulgrave vs Rowville Mulgrave vs Dandenong North Mulgrave vs Springvale Mulgrave vs Wheelers Hill Mulgrave vs Noble Park North
Full data on Clayton Full data on Mulgrave
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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