Coburg North vs Fawkner

Fawkner is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Coburg North. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fawkner, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Coburg North: a median of $1.07 million, against $837,000 in Fawkner, and rent is higher there too. Coburg North is closer to the city centre: 10.2 km, against 24.9 km. On these figures, Fawkner 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

Fawkner

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (7 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (9 vs 4)
  • carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 86/100)
  • But Coburg North has more parks and reserves (26 vs 17)

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

  • Coburg North leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 30%)
  • Fawkner has cheaper houses ($836,750 vs $1,070,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Coburg North

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 26%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

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

  • Coburg North sits closer to the CBD (10.2 km vs 24.9 km)
  • Fawkner is more walkable (92/100 vs 80/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Fawkner

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 2)
  • carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 86/100)
  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

Coburg North

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (9.6% vs 1.6%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.9% vs 5.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Coburg North Fawkner
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.

Coburg North Fawkner
Walkability 80 / 92
Coburg North — Walkability: 80/100 Fawkner — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 14 / 36
Coburg North — Safety: 14/100 Fawkner — Safety: 36/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Coburg North — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fawkner — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 43 / 50
Coburg North — Low flood risk: 43/100 Fawkner — Low flood risk: 50/100

Demographics

Fawkner has more residents (14,274 vs 8,327); Coburg North has higher household incomes ($103,012 vs $74,256).

Coburg North Fawkner
Population 8,327 14,274
+71% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.6% +1.6%
Median age 38 35
Median household income $103,012/yr
+28% vs other
 $74,256/yr
Median weekly rent $401/wk
+6% vs other
 $376/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Coburg North Fawkner
0-4 6.6% / 7.6%
Coburg North — 0-4: 6.6% Fawkner — 0-4: 7.6%
5-14 11.2% / 13.6%
Coburg North — 5-14: 11.2% Fawkner — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 4.6% / 5.2%
Coburg North — 15-19: 4.6% Fawkner — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 5.6% / 6.9%
Coburg North — 20-24: 5.6% Fawkner — 20-24: 6.9%
25-34 16.1% / 16.6%
Coburg North — 25-34: 16.1% Fawkner — 25-34: 16.6%
35-44 17.5% / 15.0%
Coburg North — 35-44: 17.5% Fawkner — 35-44: 15.0%
45-54 14.3% / 10.5%
Coburg North — 45-54: 14.3% Fawkner — 45-54: 10.5%
55-64 9.5% / 8.8%
Coburg North — 55-64: 9.5% Fawkner — 55-64: 8.8%
65-74 5.8% / 6.4%
Coburg North — 65-74: 5.8% Fawkner — 65-74: 6.4%
75-84 4.9% / 5.6%
Coburg North — 75-84: 4.9% Fawkner — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ 4.0% / 3.7%
Coburg North — 85+: 4.0% Fawkner — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Coburg North 42.5% couple families
Coburg North — Couple Families: 42.5% Coburg North — Lone Person: 32.0% Coburg North — One Parent Families: 15.1% Coburg North — Group Household: 8.5% Coburg North — Other Families: 1.8%
Fawkner 46.3% couple families
Fawkner — Couple Families: 46.3% Fawkner — Lone Person: 30.3% Fawkner — One Parent Families: 15.9% Fawkner — Group Household: 5.6% Fawkner — Other Families: 1.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Coburg North 31.5% renting
Coburg North — Owned Outright: 30.7% Coburg North — Mortgage: 37.8% Coburg North — Renting: 31.5%
Fawkner 31.9% renting
Fawkner — Owned Outright: 37.5% Fawkner — Mortgage: 30.6% Fawkner — Renting: 31.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Coburg North Fawkner
Bachelor Degree 18.0% / 12.9%
Coburg North — Bachelor Degree: 18.0% Fawkner — Bachelor Degree: 12.9%
Certificate III & IV 8.0% / 8.3%
Coburg North — Certificate III & IV: 8.0% Fawkner — Certificate III & IV: 8.3%
Postgraduate Degree 9.0% / 6.8%
Coburg North — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0% Fawkner — Postgraduate Degree: 6.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 6.1%
Coburg North — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Fawkner — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 1.6%
Coburg North — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% Fawkner — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

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.

Coburg North Fawkner
Italy 4.9% / 7.4%
Coburg North — Italy: 4.9% Fawkner — Italy: 7.4%
Pakistan — / 7.9%
Coburg North — Pakistan: not among its largest Fawkner — Pakistan: 7.9%
India 1.4% / 4.5%
Coburg North — India: 1.4% Fawkner — India: 4.5%
Lebanon 1.6% / 2.8%
Coburg North — Lebanon: 1.6% Fawkner — Lebanon: 2.8%
Nepal 1.3% / 3.1%
Coburg North — Nepal: 1.3% Fawkner — Nepal: 3.1%
Greece 1.7% / 1.5%
Coburg North — Greece: 1.7% Fawkner — Greece: 1.5%
England 2.5% / —
Coburg North — England: 2.5% Fawkner — England: not among its largest
China 2.1% / —
Coburg North — China: 2.1% Fawkner — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Coburg North 75.7% houses
Coburg North — Houses: 75.7% Coburg North — Townhouses: 19.6% Coburg North — Flats / Apartments: 4.7%
Fawkner 83.6% houses
Fawkner — Houses: 83.6% Fawkner — Townhouses: 15.4% Fawkner — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Coburg North Fawkner
Median house price $1,070,000 $836,750
Median unit price $590,000 $575,000
Median land price $1,625,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 78 sales
 26 days
from 156 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.

Coburg North Fawkner
2 bed $875K / $747K
Coburg North — 2 bed: $875K (24 sales) Fawkner — 2 bed: $747K (36 sales)

24 vs 36 sales

3 bed $1.02M / $826K
Coburg North — 3 bed: $1.02M (74 sales) Fawkner — 3 bed: $826K (166 sales)

74 vs 166 sales

4 bed $1.2M / $922K
Coburg North — 4 bed: $1.2M (32 sales) Fawkner — 4 bed: $922K (54 sales)

32 vs 54 sales

Zoning mix

Coburg North has more industrially zoned land (34% vs 3%).

Coburg North Fawkner
Residential 43% 71%
Industrial 34% 3%
Parks and recreation 18% 15%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 8%
Commercial 2% 3%
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

Coburg North Fawkner
New dwellings approved 1,387
across Merri-bek
same for both
Approvals change year on year +68%
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.

Coburg North Fawkner
Houses 3.7%
$695/wk on $969K
 4.0%
$600/wk on $775K
Units 5.9%
$538/wk on $475K
 5.1%
$475/wk on $480K

Ranking within VIC

Coburg North Fawkner
House price Higher than 68% of VIC Higher than 55% of VIC
Income Higher than 75% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 42% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 46% of VIC Higher than 32% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 65% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 49% of VIC Higher than 70% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC

Liveability

Coburg North scores higher overall (64 vs 54); Fawkner is more walkable (92 vs 80).

Coburg North Fawkner
Grade B
same for both
Score 64/100 54/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Coburg North carries more crime risk (86 vs 64).

Coburg North Fawkner
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
86/100
 Moderate
64/100
Flood Moderate
57/100
 Moderate
50/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 11
within 5 km
 22
within 5 km

Schools

Coburg North Fawkner
Inside the suburb 2 7
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1 3
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Melbourne, 6.8 km
 3
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 8.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 2.2%

Schools in Coburg North

  • Mercy College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Australian International Academy of Education - Senior Campus Independent · Combined

Schools in Fawkner

  • Darul Ulum College of Victoria Independent · Combined above peers
  • Moomba Park Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mark's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • St Matthew's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Fawkner Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • John Fawkner Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Coburg North Fawkner
Supermarkets 5 4
Cafes & restaurants 22 8
Parks & reserves 26 17
Childcare 4 9
GPs 2 5
Pharmacies 2 3
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 2 3
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 10 1

Mobility

Fawkner sits further from the CBD (24.9 km vs 10.2 km).

Coburg North Fawkner
Walkability score 80/100 92/100
Distance to Melbourne 10.2 km 24.9 km
+144% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 30 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 91/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 196.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 159.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 3058
 0.7%
postcode 3060
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 26
postcode 3058
 22
postcode 3060

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.

Coburg North Fawkner
Car (driver) 42.9% / 59.3%
Coburg North — Car (driver): 42.9% Fawkner — Car (driver): 59.3%
Worked from Home 43.3% / 26.0%
Coburg North — Worked from Home: 43.3% Fawkner — Worked from Home: 26.0%
Train 4.5% / 7.2%
Coburg North — Train: 4.5% Fawkner — Train: 7.2%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 4.0%
Coburg North — Car (passenger): 2.7% Fawkner — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Bicycle 2.8% / 0.8%
Coburg North — Bicycle: 2.8% Fawkner — Bicycle: 0.8%
Walked Only 1.2% / 1.5%
Coburg North — Walked Only: 1.2% Fawkner — Walked Only: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.3%).

Setting

Coburg North Fawkner
Elevation 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 84 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 13.1 km 15.5 km

NBN connectivity

Coburg North Fawkner
Connectivity score 91/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 58%
4,812 premises
 55%
6,111 premises

Climate

Coburg North Fawkner
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)

Coburg North Fawkner
PM2.5 3.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Coburg North Fawkner
Average residential rate $1,914/yr
same for both
Council Merri-bek
same for both

Federal electorate

Coburg North Fawkner
Division Cooper Wills
Member Ged Kearney Peter Khalil
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Coburg North Fawkner
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Coburg North

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Professionals River Trams Transport Hub

Fawkner

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Coburg North

Coburg North vs Reservoir Coburg North vs Preston Coburg North vs Coburg Coburg North vs Pascoe Vale Coburg North vs Hadfield

Other comparisons with Fawkner

Fawkner vs Reservoir Fawkner vs Glenroy Fawkner vs Thomastown Fawkner vs Broadmeadows Fawkner vs Hadfield Fawkner vs Campbellfield
Full data on Coburg North Full data on Fawkner
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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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