Cora Lynn vs Iona
Cora Lynn is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Iona. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cora Lynn, about half of households are couple families. In Iona, most households are couple families. On these figures, Cora Lynn tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Iona 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
Iona
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 42/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 57%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Cora Lynn
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (68 min vs 79 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (79.3 km vs 86.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Iona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 42/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Iona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.3% vs -9.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cora Lynn and Iona 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
Iona has higher household incomes ($100,048 vs $89,648); Iona skews older (47 vs 43).
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 220 | 240 +9% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.5% | +5.3% |
| Median age | 43 | 47 |
| Median household income | $89,648/yr | $100,048/yr +12% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
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 (3.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Iona has more rural and farming land (20% vs 0%).
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Other and special use | 96% | 80% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 20% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 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
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,323 across Cardinia same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +13% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 59% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of VIC | Higher than 8% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 50% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 57% of VIC | Higher than 50% of VIC |
Liveability
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Cora Lynn carries more crime risk (42 vs 16).
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Flood | High 99/100 same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Iona sits further from the CBD (86.7 km vs 79.3 km).
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 79.3 km | 86.7 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 68 min | 79 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3814 | 0.5% postcode 3815 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 3814 | 47 postcode 3815 |
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 (60.4%).
Setting
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 18 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 25 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 14.9 km | 19.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 101 premises |
Climate
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,350 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,880/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cardinia same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | La Trobe same for both | |
| Member | Jason Wood same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cora Lynn | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cora Lynn
Other comparisons with Iona
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.