Fitzroy vs Collingwood

In both, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Fitzroy, about half of households are people living alone. In Collingwood, most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Fitzroy: a median of $780,000, against $600,000 in Collingwood, and rent is higher there too. Fitzroy is closer to the city centre: 2.8 km, against 3.4 km. On these figures, Collingwood 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

They split

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

  • Fitzroy has more parks and reserves (14 vs 10)
  • Collingwood has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 3)

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

First-home buyers

Collingwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($599,500 vs $780,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,248,500 vs $1,525,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

Collingwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more GPs (7 vs 4)

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

Investors

Collingwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (7.8% vs -0.1%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.9% vs 5.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Fitzroy Collingwood
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.

Fitzroy Collingwood
Walkability 96 / 97
Fitzroy — Walkability: 96/100 Collingwood — Walkability: 97/100
Safety 4 / 4
Fitzroy — Safety: 4/100 Collingwood — Safety: 4/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Fitzroy — Low fire risk: 100/100 Collingwood — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 63 / 56
Fitzroy — Low flood risk: 63/100 Collingwood — Low flood risk: 56/100

Demographics

Fitzroy skews older (35 vs 33).

Fitzroy Collingwood
Population 10,431
+12% vs other
 9,179
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.1% +7.8%
Median age 35 33
Median household income $114,088/yr
+3% vs other
 $110,760/yr
Median weekly rent $451/wk
+6% vs other
 $425/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fitzroy Collingwood
0-4 4.3% / 4.1%
Fitzroy — 0-4: 4.3% Collingwood — 0-4: 4.1%
5-14 5.9% / 5.7%
Fitzroy — 5-14: 5.9% Collingwood — 5-14: 5.7%
15-19 2.6% / 2.3%
Fitzroy — 15-19: 2.6% Collingwood — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 6.8% / 6.9%
Fitzroy — 20-24: 6.8% Collingwood — 20-24: 6.9%
25-34 29.5% / 36.5%
Fitzroy — 25-34: 29.5% Collingwood — 25-34: 36.5%
35-44 17.6% / 19.1%
Fitzroy — 35-44: 17.6% Collingwood — 35-44: 19.1%
45-54 11.5% / 11.2%
Fitzroy — 45-54: 11.5% Collingwood — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 10.6% / 7.2%
Fitzroy — 55-64: 10.6% Collingwood — 55-64: 7.2%
65-74 6.7% / 4.3%
Fitzroy — 65-74: 6.7% Collingwood — 65-74: 4.3%
75-84 3.1% / 2.1%
Fitzroy — 75-84: 3.1% Collingwood — 75-84: 2.1%
85+ 1.3% / 0.7%
Fitzroy — 85+: 1.3% Collingwood — 85+: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fitzroy 53.1% lone person
Fitzroy — Lone Person: 53.1% Fitzroy — Group Household: 16.9% Fitzroy — Couple Families: 16.6% Fitzroy — One Parent Families: 11.1% Fitzroy — Other Families: 2.3%
Collingwood 60.0% lone person
Collingwood — Lone Person: 60.0% Collingwood — Group Household: 15.2% Collingwood — Couple Families: 12.7% Collingwood — One Parent Families: 9.9% Collingwood — Other Families: 2.1%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fitzroy 60.7% renting
Fitzroy — Owned Outright: 18.6% Fitzroy — Mortgage: 20.8% Fitzroy — Renting: 60.7%
Collingwood 65.9% renting
Collingwood — Owned Outright: 11.0% Collingwood — Mortgage: 23.1% Collingwood — Renting: 65.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Fitzroy Collingwood
England 4.5% / 4.3%
Fitzroy — England: 4.5% Collingwood — England: 4.3%
New Zealand 3.0% / 3.6%
Fitzroy — New Zealand: 3.0% Collingwood — New Zealand: 3.6%
Vietnam 3.3% / 3.1%
Fitzroy — Vietnam: 3.3% Collingwood — Vietnam: 3.1%
China 2.1% / 1.8%
Fitzroy — China: 2.1% Collingwood — China: 1.8%
Malaysia 0.9% / 1.1%
Fitzroy — Malaysia: 0.9% Collingwood — Malaysia: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.5%).

Qualifications

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

Fitzroy Collingwood
Bachelor Degree 29.4% / 30.8%
Fitzroy — Bachelor Degree: 29.4% Collingwood — Bachelor Degree: 30.8%
Postgraduate Degree 15.2% / 14.4%
Fitzroy — Postgraduate Degree: 15.2% Collingwood — Postgraduate Degree: 14.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.3% / 7.0%
Fitzroy — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3% Collingwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Certificate III & IV 4.9% / 6.3%
Fitzroy — Certificate III & IV: 4.9% Collingwood — Certificate III & IV: 6.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.9% / 3.6%
Fitzroy — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9% Collingwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fitzroy 60.3% flats / apartments
Fitzroy — Flats / Apartments: 60.3% Fitzroy — Townhouses: 36.5% Fitzroy — Houses: 3.2%
Collingwood 68.6% flats / apartments
Collingwood — Flats / Apartments: 68.6% Collingwood — Townhouses: 25.6% Collingwood — Houses: 5.8%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Fitzroy Collingwood
Median house price $1,525,000 $1,248,500
Median unit price $780,000 $599,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 67 sales
 26 days
from 38 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.

Fitzroy Collingwood
2 bed $1.29M / $1.14M
Fitzroy — 2 bed: $1.29M (51 sales) Collingwood — 2 bed: $1.14M (28 sales)

51 vs 28 sales

3 bed $1.83M / $1.45M
Fitzroy — 3 bed: $1.83M (46 sales) Collingwood — 3 bed: $1.45M (26 sales)

46 vs 26 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.

Fitzroy Collingwood
1 bed $520K / $450K
Fitzroy — 1 bed: $520K (59 sales) Collingwood — 1 bed: $450K (104 sales)

59 vs 104 sales

2 bed $867K / $670K
Fitzroy — 2 bed: $867K (87 sales) Collingwood — 2 bed: $670K (142 sales)

87 vs 142 sales

3 bed $1.85M / $1.59M
Fitzroy — 3 bed: $1.85M (8 sales) Collingwood — 3 bed: $1.59M (16 sales)

8 vs 16 sales

Zoning mix

Collingwood has more commercially zoned land (42% vs 26%).

Fitzroy Collingwood
Residential 63% 47%
Commercial 26% 42%
Infrastructure and transport 10%
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

Fitzroy Collingwood
New dwellings approved 1,675
across Yarra
same for both
Approvals change year on year +646%
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.

Fitzroy Collingwood
Houses 4.4%
$1,300/wk on $1.55M
 4.1%
$997/wk on $1.26M
Units 5.1%
$745/wk on $765K
 5.9%
$682/wk on $605K

Ranking within VIC

Fitzroy Collingwood
House price Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Income Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Schools Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 51% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 99% of VIC
same for both
Affordability Higher than 20% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 65% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC

Liveability

Fitzroy scores higher overall (73 vs 65).

Fitzroy Collingwood
Grade A B
Score 73/100 65/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fitzroy Collingwood
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
96/100
same for both
Flood Low
37/100
 Moderate
44/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 20
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Fitzroy Collingwood
Inside the suburb 3 5
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 0.0 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 0.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.1% 2.5%

Schools in Fitzroy

  • Academy of Mary Immaculate Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Fitzroy Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Sacred Heart School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Collingwood

  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Collingwood College Government · Combined below peers
  • Collingwood College-Collingwood Alternative School Government · Combined
  • Victorian School Of Languages Government · Combined
  • Collingwood English Language School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Fitzroy Collingwood
Supermarkets 14 5
Cafes & restaurants 139 77
Parks & reserves 14 10
Childcare 8 6
GPs 4 7
Pharmacies 5
same for both
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 4
Fuel stations 2
same for both

Mobility

Fitzroy Collingwood
Walkability score 96/100 97/100
Distance to Melbourne 2.8 km 3.4 km
+21% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 9 min 10 min
Public transport score 81/100
Tram · Bus
 80/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 379.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 357.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.4%
postcode 3065
 2.1%
postcode 3066
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 7
postcode 3065
 5
postcode 3066

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.

Fitzroy Collingwood
Worked from Home 55.1% / 54.5%
Fitzroy — Worked from Home: 55.1% Collingwood — Worked from Home: 54.5%
Car (driver) 19.3% / 21.5%
Fitzroy — Car (driver): 19.3% Collingwood — Car (driver): 21.5%
Walked Only 12.1% / 10.1%
Fitzroy — Walked Only: 12.1% Collingwood — Walked Only: 10.1%
Tram / Light Rail 5.2% / 4.7%
Fitzroy — Tram / Light Rail: 5.2% Collingwood — Tram / Light Rail: 4.7%
Bicycle 4.9% / 4.4%
Fitzroy — Bicycle: 4.9% Collingwood — Bicycle: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.1%).

Setting

Fitzroy Collingwood
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.9 km 6.2 km

NBN connectivity

Fitzroy Collingwood
Connectivity score 78/100 81/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 19%
7,755 premises
 31%
7,186 premises

Climate

Fitzroy Collingwood
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Fitzroy Collingwood
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Fitzroy Collingwood
Average residential rate $1,937/yr
same for both
Council Yarra
same for both

Federal electorate

Fitzroy Collingwood
Division Melbourne
same for both
Member Sarah Witty
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fitzroy Collingwood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fitzroy

Apartments Arts Cafe Culture Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Collingwood

Apartments Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fitzroy

Fitzroy vs Carlton Fitzroy vs Fitzroy North Fitzroy vs Clifton Hill Fitzroy vs Carlton North Fitzroy vs East Melbourne

Other comparisons with Collingwood

Collingwood vs Richmond Collingwood vs Fitzroy North Collingwood vs Abbotsford Collingwood vs Clifton Hill Collingwood vs East Melbourne
Full data on Fitzroy Full data on Collingwood
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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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