Cottles Bridge vs St Andrews
St Andrews is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 52 in Cottles Bridge. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Cottles Bridge: a median of $1.46 million, against $1.07 million in St Andrews, though rent is higher in St Andrews. Cottles Bridge is closer to the city centre: 39.3 km, against 47.1 km. On these figures, St Andrews 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
St Andrews
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
St Andrews
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,075,000 vs $1,462,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Cottles Bridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $340/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cottles Bridge
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (39.3 km vs 47.1 km)
- has a shorter drive in (53 min vs 60 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cottles Bridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 19%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cottles Bridge and St Andrews 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
St Andrews has more residents (1,186 vs 609); St Andrews rents higher ($340/wk vs $260/wk).
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 609 | 1,186 +95% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.3% | -3.3% |
| Median age | 52 | 46 |
| Median household income | $112,840/yr | $115,232/yr +2% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk | $340/wk +31% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (18.4%).
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 (6.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,462,500 | $1,075,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 44 days from 4 sales | 21 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 96% | 93% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 98 across Nillumbik same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +8% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 86% of VIC | Higher than 87% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 40% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 83% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of VIC | Higher than 62% of VIC |
Liveability
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 56/100 | 55/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Cottles Bridge carries more flood risk (23 vs 0).
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 98/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Flood | Low 23/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Cottles Bridge
- Learning Co-Operative School Independent · Primary
Schools in St Andrews
- St Andrews Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 15 |
Mobility
St Andrews sits further from the CBD (47.1 km vs 39.3 km).
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 39.3 km | 47.1 km +20% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 53 min | 60 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 3099 | 1.2% postcode 3761 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 3099 | 60 postcode 3761 |
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 (64.2%).
Setting
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 139 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 164 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.9 km | 41.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 219 premises | 0% 401 premises |
Climate
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,215 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 3.9 µg/m³ | — |
| PM10 | — | 15.5 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,696/yr same for both | |
| Council | Nillumbik same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen same for both | |
| Member | Rob Mitchell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cottles Bridge | St Andrews | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cottles Bridge
Other comparisons with St Andrews
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.