Emerald vs Macclesfield

Emerald is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 49 in Macclesfield. 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 Macclesfield: a median of $1.69 million, against $930,000 in Emerald, though rent is higher in Emerald. On these figures, Emerald 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

Emerald

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (5 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • But Macclesfield carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 40/100)

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

First-home buyers

Emerald

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($930,000 vs $1,687,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Macclesfield

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 19%)
  • has cheaper rent ($289/wk vs $400/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Emerald

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (54.7 km vs 62.2 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (60 min vs 66 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Emerald has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • Macclesfield carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 40/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

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

Emerald Macclesfield
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.

Emerald Macclesfield
Walkability 0 / 0
Emerald — Walkability: 0/100 Macclesfield — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 60 / 88
Emerald — Safety: 60/100 Macclesfield — Safety: 88/100
Low fire risk 37 / 1
Emerald — Low fire risk: 37/100 Macclesfield — Low fire risk: 1/100
Low flood risk 84 / 100
Emerald — Low flood risk: 84/100 Macclesfield — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Emerald has more residents (5,890 vs 878); Emerald rents higher ($400/wk vs $289/wk).

Emerald Macclesfield
Population 5,890
+85% vs other
 878
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.9% +3.2%
Median age 43 49
Median household income $110,188/yr $117,884/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk
+28% vs other
 $289/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Emerald Macclesfield
0-4 5.1% / 3.8%
Emerald — 0-4: 5.1% Macclesfield — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 13.4% / 11.0%
Emerald — 5-14: 13.4% Macclesfield — 5-14: 11.0%
15-19 6.4% / 6.9%
Emerald — 15-19: 6.4% Macclesfield — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 5.7% / 6.3%
Emerald — 20-24: 5.7% Macclesfield — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 8.9% / 6.7%
Emerald — 25-34: 8.9% Macclesfield — 25-34: 6.7%
35-44 12.7% / 8.4%
Emerald — 35-44: 12.7% Macclesfield — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 15.4% / 18.9%
Emerald — 45-54: 15.4% Macclesfield — 45-54: 18.9%
55-64 13.9% / 18.6%
Emerald — 55-64: 13.9% Macclesfield — 55-64: 18.6%
65-74 11.7% / 13.4%
Emerald — 65-74: 11.7% Macclesfield — 65-74: 13.4%
75-84 5.1% / 5.2%
Emerald — 75-84: 5.1% Macclesfield — 75-84: 5.2%
85+ 1.7% / 1.3%
Emerald — 85+: 1.7% Macclesfield — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Emerald 59.0% couple families
Emerald — Couple Families: 59.0% Emerald — Lone Person: 25.2% Emerald — One Parent Families: 12.7% Emerald — Group Household: 2.3% Emerald — Other Families: 0.9%
Macclesfield 59.0% couple families
Macclesfield — Couple Families: 59.0% Macclesfield — Lone Person: 27.3% Macclesfield — One Parent Families: 8.8% Macclesfield — Group Household: 4.9% Macclesfield — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Emerald 8.5% renting
Emerald — Owned Outright: 39.5% Emerald — Mortgage: 52.0% Emerald — Renting: 8.5%
Macclesfield 5.4% renting
Macclesfield — Owned Outright: 47.8% Macclesfield — Mortgage: 46.8% Macclesfield — Renting: 5.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Emerald Macclesfield
Certificate III & IV 16.6% / 19.9%
Emerald — Certificate III & IV: 16.6% Macclesfield — Certificate III & IV: 19.9%
Bachelor Degree 13.0% / 11.3%
Emerald — Bachelor Degree: 13.0% Macclesfield — Bachelor Degree: 11.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.8% / 8.8%
Emerald — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8% Macclesfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 4.1%
Emerald — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Macclesfield — Postgraduate Degree: 4.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 3.8%
Emerald — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Macclesfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).

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.

Emerald Macclesfield
England 6.8% / 6.8%
Emerald — England: 6.8% Macclesfield — England: 6.8%
Netherlands 1.0% / 1.4%
Emerald — Netherlands: 1.0% Macclesfield — Netherlands: 1.4%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.0%
Emerald — New Zealand: 1.2% Macclesfield — New Zealand: 1.0%
Scotland 0.7% / 1.3%
Emerald — Scotland: 0.7% Macclesfield — Scotland: 1.3%
Germany 0.6% / 0.5%
Emerald — Germany: 0.6% Macclesfield — Germany: 0.5%
Sri Lanka — / 0.5%
Emerald — Sri Lanka: not among its largest Macclesfield — Sri Lanka: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Emerald 98.2% houses
Emerald — Houses: 98.2% Emerald — Flats / Apartments: 0.7% Emerald — Townhouses: 1.1%
Macclesfield 99.0% houses
Macclesfield — Houses: 99.0% Macclesfield — Flats / Apartments: 1.0% Macclesfield — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Emerald Macclesfield
Median house price $930,000 $1,687,500
Median unit price $920,000 —
Median land price $522,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 39 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Macclesfield has more rural and farming land (89% vs 13%); Emerald has more land zoned for conservation (19% vs 4%).

Emerald Macclesfield
Rural and farming 13% 89%
Infrastructure and transport 56% 1%
Environmental 19% 4%
Residential 9% 0%
Parks and recreation 3% 6%
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

Emerald Macclesfield
New dwellings approved 1,323
across Cardinia
 416
across Yarra Ranges
Approvals change year on year +13% -57%

Ranking within VIC

Emerald Macclesfield
House price Higher than 61% of VIC —
Income Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Schools Higher than 65% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 7% of VIC Higher than 46% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 69% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC

Liveability

Emerald Macclesfield
Grade B
same for both
Score 56/100 55/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Emerald carries more flood risk (16 vs 0); Emerald carries more crime risk (40 vs 12).

Emerald Macclesfield
Bushfire Moderate
63/100
 High
99/100
Crime Moderate
40/100
 Low
12/100
Flood Low
16/100
 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

Emerald Macclesfield
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 2 0

Schools in Emerald

  • Dandenong Ranges Steiner School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Emerald Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Emerald Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Macclesfield

  • Macclesfield Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Emerald Macclesfield
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 7 0
Parks & reserves 14 0
Childcare 5 1
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 11 3

Mobility

Macclesfield sits further from the CBD (62.2 km vs 54.7 km).

Emerald Macclesfield
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 54.7 km 62.2 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 60 min 66 min
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 3782
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3782
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.

Emerald Macclesfield
Car (driver) 65.4% / 65.2%
Emerald — Car (driver): 65.4% Macclesfield — Car (driver): 65.2%
Worked from Home 27.7% / 31.6%
Emerald — Worked from Home: 27.7% Macclesfield — Worked from Home: 31.6%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 2.0%
Emerald — Car (passenger): 4.4% Macclesfield — Car (passenger): 2.0%
Walked Only 1.5% / 1.3%
Emerald — Walked Only: 1.5% Macclesfield — Walked Only: 1.3%
Train 0.7% / —
Emerald — Train: 0.7% Macclesfield — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.4%).

Setting

Emerald Macclesfield
Elevation 231 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 163 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 30.1 km 37.9 km

NBN connectivity

Emerald Macclesfield
Connectivity score 57/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 23%
2,364 premises
 0%
334 premises

Climate

Emerald Macclesfield
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)

Emerald Macclesfield
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Emerald Macclesfield
Average residential rate $1,880/yr $2,161/yr
Council Cardinia Yarra Ranges

Federal electorate

Emerald Macclesfield
Division La Trobe Casey
Member Jason Wood Aaron Violi
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Emerald Macclesfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Emerald

Acreage Outer

Macclesfield

Acreage Outer Premium

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Emerald

Emerald vs Cockatoo Emerald vs Monbulk Emerald vs Beaconsfield Upper Emerald vs Belgrave South Emerald vs Kallista Emerald vs Menzies Creek

Other comparisons with Macclesfield

Macclesfield vs Cockatoo Macclesfield vs Monbulk Macclesfield vs Silvan Macclesfield vs Avonsleigh Macclesfield vs Yellingbo Macclesfield vs Nangana
Full data on Emerald Full data on Macclesfield
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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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