Devenish vs St James
Devenish is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 60 in St James. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Devenish, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Devenish tends to suit 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
Devenish
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 81/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 42%)
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
Devenish
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (240.4 km vs 258.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (164 min vs 173 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Devenish
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Devenish
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.6% vs -6.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Devenish and St James 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
Devenish has more residents (208 vs 123); St James skews older (60 vs 54).
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 208 +41% vs other | 123 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.6% | -6.8% |
| Median age | 54 | 60 |
| Median household income | $50,648/yr | $50,232/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $245/wk +4% vs other | $236/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $400,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% same for both | |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 1% |
| 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
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 235 across Benalla | 332 across Moira |
| Approvals change year on year | +65% | -70% |
Ranking within VIC
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 10% of VIC same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 79% of VIC | Higher than 3% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 65% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 20% of VIC |
Liveability
Devenish is more walkable (20 vs 0).
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
St James carries more flood risk (75 vs 0); St James carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 0).
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | High 81/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | High 75/100 |
| 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
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Devenish
- Devenish Primary School Government · Primary
Schools in St James
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
St James sits further from the CBD (258.7 km vs 240.4 km).
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 240.4 km | 258.7 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 164 min | 173 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3726 | 0.7% postcode 3727 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 65 postcode 3726 | 67 postcode 3727 |
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 (91.7%).
Setting
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 148 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 132 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 103 premises | 0% 65 premises |
Climate
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 484 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,119/yr | $1,908/yr |
| Council | Benalla | Moira |
Federal electorate
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi | Nicholls |
| Member | Helen Haines | Sam Birrell |
| Party | Independent | The Nationals |
First Home Owner Grant
| Devenish | St James | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Devenish
Other comparisons with St James
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.