Doncaster East vs Box Hill North

Box Hill North is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 41 in Doncaster East. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Doncaster East, most households are couple families. In Box Hill North, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Doncaster East: a median of $1.54 million, against $1.34 million in Box Hill North, and rent is higher there too. Box Hill North is closer to the city centre: 19.6 km, against 23 km. On these figures, Doncaster East 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

Doncaster East

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (50 vs 7)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (5 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (23 vs 11)

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

  • Doncaster East has cheaper units ($633,000 vs $770,000)
  • Box Hill North has cheaper houses ($1,340,000 vs $1,536,750)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Box Hill North

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($425/wk vs $462/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Box Hill North

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (19.6 km vs 23 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Doncaster East

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (12 vs 1)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 15%)

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

Investors

Doncaster East

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (9.0% vs 3.9%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.3% vs 4.7%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Doncaster East Box Hill North
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.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Walkability 75 / 72
Doncaster East — Walkability: 75/100 Box Hill North — Walkability: 72/100
Safety 61 / 62
Doncaster East — Safety: 61/100 Box Hill North — Safety: 62/100
Low fire risk 28 / 100
Doncaster East — Low fire risk: 28/100 Box Hill North — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 62 / 74
Doncaster East — Low flood risk: 62/100 Box Hill North — Low flood risk: 74/100

Demographics

Doncaster East has more residents (30,926 vs 12,337); Doncaster East skews older (41 vs 37).

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Population 30,926
+60% vs other
 12,337
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.0% +3.9%
Median age 41 37
Median household income $93,184/yr $94,640/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $462/wk
+8% vs other
 $425/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
0-4 4.8% / 5.2%
Doncaster East — 0-4: 4.8% Box Hill North — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 13.3% / 11.4%
Doncaster East — 5-14: 13.3% Box Hill North — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 5.3% / 6.1%
Doncaster East — 15-19: 5.3% Box Hill North — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 5.5% / 7.1%
Doncaster East — 20-24: 5.5% Box Hill North — 20-24: 7.1%
25-34 10.9% / 16.1%
Doncaster East — 25-34: 10.9% Box Hill North — 25-34: 16.1%
35-44 14.8% / 14.2%
Doncaster East — 35-44: 14.8% Box Hill North — 35-44: 14.2%
45-54 12.5% / 13.7%
Doncaster East — 45-54: 12.5% Box Hill North — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 12.0% / 11.3%
Doncaster East — 55-64: 12.0% Box Hill North — 55-64: 11.3%
65-74 10.1% / 8.0%
Doncaster East — 65-74: 10.1% Box Hill North — 65-74: 8.0%
75-84 7.7% / 4.7%
Doncaster East — 75-84: 7.7% Box Hill North — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 3.2% / 2.3%
Doncaster East — 85+: 3.2% Box Hill North — 85+: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Doncaster East 55.4% couple families
Doncaster East — Couple Families: 55.4% Doncaster East — Lone Person: 25.9% Doncaster East — One Parent Families: 14.8% Doncaster East — Group Household: 2.3% Doncaster East — Other Families: 1.5%
Box Hill North 45.3% couple families
Box Hill North — Couple Families: 45.3% Box Hill North — Lone Person: 29.5% Box Hill North — One Parent Families: 15.5% Box Hill North — Group Household: 7.3% Box Hill North — Other Families: 2.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Doncaster East 24.2% renting
Doncaster East — Owned Outright: 42.9% Doncaster East — Mortgage: 32.9% Doncaster East — Renting: 24.2%
Box Hill North 34.5% renting
Box Hill North — Owned Outright: 35.0% Box Hill North — Mortgage: 30.5% Box Hill North — Renting: 34.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Bachelor Degree 21.0% / 21.6%
Doncaster East — Bachelor Degree: 21.0% Box Hill North — Bachelor Degree: 21.6%
Postgraduate Degree 9.5% / 10.1%
Doncaster East — Postgraduate Degree: 9.5% Box Hill North — Postgraduate Degree: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 8.4%
Doncaster East — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Box Hill North — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Certificate III & IV 6.6% / 6.7%
Doncaster East — Certificate III & IV: 6.6% Box Hill North — Certificate III & IV: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 3.3%
Doncaster East — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Box Hill North — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3%

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.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
China 14.9% / 17.9%
Doncaster East — China: 14.9% Box Hill North — China: 17.9%
Malaysia 5.5% / 4.4%
Doncaster East — Malaysia: 5.5% Box Hill North — Malaysia: 4.4%
India 2.5% / 3.5%
Doncaster East — India: 2.5% Box Hill North — India: 3.5%
England 1.5% / 1.8%
Doncaster East — England: 1.5% Box Hill North — England: 1.8%
Iran 3.1% / —
Doncaster East — Iran: 3.1% Box Hill North — Iran: not among its largest
Vietnam 1.1% / 1.5%
Doncaster East — Vietnam: 1.1% Box Hill North — Vietnam: 1.5%
Greece 2.0% / —
Doncaster East — Greece: 2.0% Box Hill North — Greece: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Doncaster East 63.1% houses
Doncaster East — Houses: 63.1% Doncaster East — Townhouses: 23.1% Doncaster East — Flats / Apartments: 13.8%
Box Hill North 61.6% houses
Box Hill North — Houses: 61.6% Box Hill North — Townhouses: 29.9% Box Hill North — Flats / Apartments: 8.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Median house price $1,536,750 $1,340,000
Median unit price $633,000 $770,000
Median land price $1,585,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 307 sales
 25 days
from 129 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.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
2 bed $580K / $728K
Doncaster East — 2 bed: $580K (115 sales) Box Hill North — 2 bed: $728K (34 sales)

115 vs 34 sales

3 bed $925K / $935K
Doncaster East — 3 bed: $925K (56 sales) Box Hill North — 3 bed: $935K (21 sales)

56 vs 21 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.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
2 bed $975K / $1.27M
Doncaster East — 2 bed: $975K (14 sales) Box Hill North — 2 bed: $1.27M (10 sales)

14 vs 10 sales

3 bed $1.46M / $1.25M
Doncaster East — 3 bed: $1.46M (138 sales) Box Hill North — 3 bed: $1.25M (79 sales)

138 vs 79 sales

4 bed $1.55M / $1.45M
Doncaster East — 4 bed: $1.55M (214 sales) Box Hill North — 4 bed: $1.45M (61 sales)

214 vs 61 sales

5 bed $1.71M / $1.83M
Doncaster East — 5 bed: $1.71M (85 sales) Box Hill North — 5 bed: $1.83M (28 sales)

85 vs 28 sales

Zoning mix

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Residential 81% 78%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 7%
Parks and recreation 7% 8%
Commercial 2% 5%
Industrial 0% 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

Doncaster East Box Hill North
New dwellings approved 486
across Manningham
 879
across Whitehorse
Approvals change year on year -2% +17%

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.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Houses 3.3%
$880/wk on $1.4M
 3.3%
$778/wk on $1.23M
Units 5.3%
$668/wk on $660K
 4.7%
$650/wk on $727K

Ranking within VIC

Doncaster East Box Hill North
House price Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Income Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC
Schools Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 5% of VIC Higher than 13% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 27% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC

Liveability

Box Hill North scores higher overall (78 vs 71).

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Grade A
same for both
Score 71/100 78/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Doncaster East carries more bushfire risk (72 vs 0); Doncaster East carries more flood risk (38 vs 26).

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Bushfire High
72/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
39/100
 Low
38/100
Flood Low
38/100
 Low
26/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Inside the suburb 6 3
Rated above peers 5 1
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0 2
Universities within 10 km 1
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 9.1 km
 2
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 5.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.4% 3.8%

Schools in Doncaster East

  • Beverley Hills Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Donburn Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Doncaster Gardens Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • East Doncaster Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Milgate Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Ss Peter & Paul's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Box Hill North

  • Kerrimuir Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Box Hill North Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Berengarra School Independent · Secondary · Special school below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Supermarkets 9 0
Cafes & restaurants 60 5
Parks & reserves 50 7
Childcare 23 11
GPs 12 1
Pharmacies 7 2
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 7 2
Fuel stations 6 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 7 2

Mobility

Doncaster East sits further from the CBD (23 km vs 19.6 km).

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Walkability score 75/100 72/100
Distance to Melbourne 23 km
+15% vs other
 19.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 27 min 26 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 832.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 265.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 3109
 2.3%
postcode 3129
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3109
 23
postcode 3129

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.

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Car (driver) 53.1% / 47.8%
Doncaster East — Car (driver): 53.1% Box Hill North — Car (driver): 47.8%
Worked from Home 36.8% / 36.8%
Doncaster East — Worked from Home: 36.8% Box Hill North — Worked from Home: 36.8%
Car (passenger) 3.6% / 4.9%
Doncaster East — Car (passenger): 3.6% Box Hill North — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Bus 4.0% / 2.7%
Doncaster East — Bus: 4.0% Box Hill North — Bus: 2.7%
Train 1.1% / 4.1%
Doncaster East — Train: 1.1% Box Hill North — Train: 4.1%
Walked Only 1.3% / 2.9%
Doncaster East — Walked Only: 1.3% Box Hill North — Walked Only: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (53.1%).

Setting

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Elevation 122 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 75 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 19.3 km 15.3 km

NBN connectivity

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Connectivity score 77/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
13,872 premises
 1%
5,594 premises

Climate

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Doncaster East Box Hill North
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Average residential rate $2,000/yr $1,516/yr
Council Manningham Whitehorse

Federal electorate

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Division Menzies
same for both
Member Gabriel Ng
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Doncaster East Box Hill North
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Doncaster East

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses

Box Hill North

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Doncaster East

Doncaster East vs Doncaster Doncaster East vs Templestowe Doncaster East vs Donvale Doncaster East vs Blackburn North Doncaster East vs Warrandyte

Other comparisons with Box Hill North

Box Hill North vs Doncaster Box Hill North vs Blackburn Box Hill North vs Box Hill Box Hill North vs Blackburn North Box Hill North vs Mont Albert North Box Hill North vs Mont Albert
Full data on Doncaster East Full data on Box Hill North
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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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