Drumcondra vs North Geelong

North Geelong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 50 in Drumcondra. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Drumcondra, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Drumcondra: a median of $1.6 million, against $690,000 in North Geelong. On these figures, Drumcondra tends to suit couples, while North Geelong suits 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Drumcondra carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 92/100)
  • North Geelong has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

North Geelong

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($690,000 vs $1,600,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 30%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

North Geelong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 24%)

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

Commuting to the city

North Geelong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (70 km vs 72.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Drumcondra carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 92/100)
  • North Geelong has more GPs (2 vs 0)

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

Investors

North Geelong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.7% vs 2.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Drumcondra North Geelong
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.

Drumcondra North Geelong
Walkability 81 / 80
Drumcondra — Walkability: 81/100 North Geelong — Walkability: 80/100
Safety 41 / 8
Drumcondra — Safety: 41/100 North Geelong — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Drumcondra — Low fire risk: 100/100 North Geelong — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 100 / 70
Drumcondra — Low flood risk: 100/100 North Geelong — Low flood risk: 70/100

Demographics

North Geelong has more residents (3,225 vs 571); Drumcondra has higher household incomes ($105,144 vs $77,480).

Drumcondra North Geelong
Population 571 3,225
+465% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.0% +8.7%
Median age 50 40
Median household income $105,144/yr
+26% vs other
 $77,480/yr
Median weekly rent $331/wk
+5% vs other
 $315/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Drumcondra North Geelong
0-4 3.9% / 5.6%
Drumcondra — 0-4: 3.9% North Geelong — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 8.8% / 10.7%
Drumcondra — 5-14: 8.8% North Geelong — 5-14: 10.7%
15-19 5.1% / 4.2%
Drumcondra — 15-19: 5.1% North Geelong — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 5.6% / 5.8%
Drumcondra — 20-24: 5.6% North Geelong — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 8.6% / 16.6%
Drumcondra — 25-34: 8.6% North Geelong — 25-34: 16.6%
35-44 10.5% / 12.2%
Drumcondra — 35-44: 10.5% North Geelong — 35-44: 12.2%
45-54 13.8% / 12.0%
Drumcondra — 45-54: 13.8% North Geelong — 45-54: 12.0%
55-64 15.1% / 8.3%
Drumcondra — 55-64: 15.1% North Geelong — 55-64: 8.3%
65-74 17.5% / 9.3%
Drumcondra — 65-74: 17.5% North Geelong — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 8.4% / 7.5%
Drumcondra — 75-84: 8.4% North Geelong — 75-84: 7.5%
85+ 2.3% / 7.5%
Drumcondra — 85+: 2.3% North Geelong — 85+: 7.5%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Drumcondra 55.7% couple families
Drumcondra — Couple Families: 55.7% Drumcondra — Lone Person: 34.3% Drumcondra — One Parent Families: 7.9% Drumcondra — Group Household: 2.1% Drumcondra — Other Families: 0.0%
North Geelong 34.0% couple families
North Geelong — Couple Families: 34.0% North Geelong — Lone Person: 42.0% North Geelong — One Parent Families: 16.6% North Geelong — Group Household: 6.3% North Geelong — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Drumcondra 24.4% renting
Drumcondra — Owned Outright: 50.7% Drumcondra — Mortgage: 24.9% Drumcondra — Renting: 24.4%
North Geelong 41.7% renting
North Geelong — Owned Outright: 26.4% North Geelong — Mortgage: 31.9% North Geelong — Renting: 41.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Drumcondra North Geelong
Bachelor Degree 20.0% / 10.6%
Drumcondra — Bachelor Degree: 20.0% North Geelong — Bachelor Degree: 10.6%
Certificate III & IV 8.9% / 13.8%
Drumcondra — Certificate III & IV: 8.9% North Geelong — Certificate III & IV: 13.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11.0% / 7.4%
Drumcondra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.0% North Geelong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4%
Postgraduate Degree 8.4% / 4.2%
Drumcondra — Postgraduate Degree: 8.4% North Geelong — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.1% / 2.0%
Drumcondra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.1% North Geelong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

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.

Drumcondra North Geelong
England 3.7% / 1.9%
Drumcondra — England: 3.7% North Geelong — England: 1.9%
India 0.7% / 3.8%
Drumcondra — India: 0.7% North Geelong — India: 3.8%
Italy 0.9% / 1.8%
Drumcondra — Italy: 0.9% North Geelong — Italy: 1.8%
Philippines 1.1% / 1.0%
Drumcondra — Philippines: 1.1% North Geelong — Philippines: 1.0%
Netherlands 1.2% / 0.8%
Drumcondra — Netherlands: 1.2% North Geelong — Netherlands: 0.8%
Scotland 1.8% / —
Drumcondra — Scotland: 1.8% North Geelong — Scotland: not among its largest
Germany 0.7% / 1.0%
Drumcondra — Germany: 0.7% North Geelong — Germany: 1.0%
New Zealand — / 1.0%
Drumcondra — New Zealand: not among its largest North Geelong — New Zealand: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Drumcondra 88.8% houses
Drumcondra — Houses: 88.8% Drumcondra — Townhouses: 6.7% Drumcondra — Flats / Apartments: 4.5%
North Geelong 81.6% houses
North Geelong — Houses: 81.6% North Geelong — Townhouses: 17.9% North Geelong — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Drumcondra North Geelong
Median house price $1,600,000 $690,000
Median unit price — $429,000
Median land price — $825,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 4 sales
 42 days
from 12 sales

Zoning mix

North Geelong has more industrially zoned land (41% vs 0%).

Drumcondra North Geelong
Residential 83% 19%
Industrial 0% 41%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 19%
Commercial 2% 10%
Parks and recreation 8% 7%
Other and special use 0% 5%
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

Drumcondra North Geelong
New dwellings approved 3,468
across Greater Geelong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +56%
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.

Drumcondra North Geelong
Houses — 3.9%
$528/wk on $700K
Units — 6.5%
$420/wk on $335K

Ranking within VIC

Drumcondra North Geelong
House price — Higher than 38% of VIC
Income Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 45% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 57% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 85% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 63% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 96% of VIC

Liveability

Drumcondra scores higher overall (84 vs 50).

Drumcondra North Geelong
Grade A+ B
Score 84/100 50/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

North Geelong carries more flood risk (30 vs 0); North Geelong carries more crime risk (92 vs 59).

Drumcondra North Geelong
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
59/100
 High
92/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
30/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
42/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 17
within 5 km
 12
within 5 km

Schools

Drumcondra North Geelong
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 2.3 km
 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 4.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.0% 1.8%

Schools in Drumcondra

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in North Geelong

  • SEDA College (Victoria) - BVNV Geelong Independent · Secondary
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Multi Geelong Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Drumcondra North Geelong
Cafes & restaurants 0 8
Parks & reserves 1 4
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 2
Fuel stations 0 3
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Drumcondra sits further from the CBD (72.1 km vs 70 km).

Drumcondra North Geelong
Walkability score 81/100 80/100
Distance to Melbourne 72.1 km
+3% vs other
 70 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 61 min 58 min
Public transport score 45/100 89/100
Rail
Peak arrivals per hour 10.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 96.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 3215
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 26
postcode 3215
same for both

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.

Drumcondra North Geelong
Car (driver) 55.3% / 64.9%
Drumcondra — Car (driver): 55.3% North Geelong — Car (driver): 64.9%
Worked from Home 34.5% / 22.3%
Drumcondra — Worked from Home: 34.5% North Geelong — Worked from Home: 22.3%
Car (passenger) 3.0% / 5.1%
Drumcondra — Car (passenger): 3.0% North Geelong — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Walked Only 3.4% / 2.3%
Drumcondra — Walked Only: 3.4% North Geelong — Walked Only: 2.3%
Bicycle 1.5% / 1.9%
Drumcondra — Bicycle: 1.5% North Geelong — Bicycle: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.9%).

Setting

Drumcondra North Geelong
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 251 m
2.2 km to a named beach
 903 m
3.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Drumcondra North Geelong
Connectivity score 80/100 85/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 61%
283 premises
 65%
2,409 premises

Climate

Drumcondra North Geelong
Annual rainfall 454 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Drumcondra North Geelong
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Drumcondra North Geelong
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Drumcondra North Geelong
Division Corio
same for both
Member Richard Marles
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Drumcondra

Coastal Parks Premium Professionals Retirees

North Geelong

Coastal Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Drumcondra

Drumcondra vs Geelong West Drumcondra vs Geelong Drumcondra vs Rippleside

Other comparisons with North Geelong

North Geelong vs Norlane North Geelong vs Geelong West North Geelong vs Hamlyn Heights North Geelong vs Geelong North Geelong vs Bell Park North Geelong vs Rippleside
Full data on Drumcondra Full data on North Geelong
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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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