Footscray vs Maidstone

In Footscray, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. In Maidstone, most households own their home. Footscray is closer to the city centre: 7 km, against 10 km. On these figures, Footscray tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone.

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

  • Footscray has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 1)
  • Maidstone is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 32%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Footscray has cheaper land ($551,000 vs $665,000)
  • Maidstone has cheaper units ($395,000 vs $455,900)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Footscray

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (58% vs 44%)

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

Commuting to the city

Footscray

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 5%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (7 km vs 10 km)
  • is more walkable (100/100 vs 91/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Footscray

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (18 vs 5)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (68% vs 53%)
  • is more walkable (100/100 vs 91/100)
  • But Maidstone carries lower crime risk (82/100 vs 95/100)

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

Investors

Maidstone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (7.6% vs 6.0%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Footscray Maidstone
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.

Footscray Maidstone
Walkability 100 / 91
Footscray — Walkability: 100/100 Maidstone — Walkability: 91/100
Safety 5 / 18
Footscray — Safety: 5/100 Maidstone — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Footscray — Low fire risk: 100/100 Maidstone — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 36 / 65
Footscray — Low flood risk: 36/100 Maidstone — Low flood risk: 65/100

Demographics

Footscray has more residents (17,131 vs 9,389).

Footscray Maidstone
Population 17,131
+45% vs other
 9,389
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.8% +4.0%
Median age 34
same for both
Median household income $91,676/yr $99,632/yr
+9% vs other
Median weekly rent $355/wk $381/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Footscray Maidstone
0-4 4.7% / 5.7%
Footscray — 0-4: 4.7% Maidstone — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 5.9% / 10.0%
Footscray — 5-14: 5.9% Maidstone — 5-14: 10.0%
15-19 2.7% / 4.8%
Footscray — 15-19: 2.7% Maidstone — 15-19: 4.8%
20-24 8.3% / 7.0%
Footscray — 20-24: 8.3% Maidstone — 20-24: 7.0%
25-34 30.3% / 23.4%
Footscray — 25-34: 30.3% Maidstone — 25-34: 23.4%
35-44 18.4% / 17.4%
Footscray — 35-44: 18.4% Maidstone — 35-44: 17.4%
45-54 10.3% / 11.5%
Footscray — 45-54: 10.3% Maidstone — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 8.4% / 8.8%
Footscray — 55-64: 8.4% Maidstone — 55-64: 8.8%
65-74 5.7% / 6.1%
Footscray — 65-74: 5.7% Maidstone — 65-74: 6.1%
75-84 3.3% / 3.3%
Footscray — 75-84: 3.3% Maidstone — 75-84: 3.3%
85+ 1.9% / 2.0%
Footscray — 85+: 1.9% Maidstone — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Footscray 50.7% lone person
Footscray — Lone Person: 50.7% Footscray — Couple Families: 21.5% Footscray — One Parent Families: 10.9% Footscray — Group Household: 13.9% Footscray — Other Families: 3.0%
Maidstone 34.6% lone person
Maidstone — Lone Person: 34.6% Maidstone — Couple Families: 36.5% Maidstone — One Parent Families: 15.9% Maidstone — Group Household: 9.8% Maidstone — Other Families: 3.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Footscray 57.5% renting
Footscray — Owned Outright: 14.7% Footscray — Mortgage: 27.7% Footscray — Renting: 57.5%
Maidstone 44.2% renting
Maidstone — Owned Outright: 21.1% Maidstone — Mortgage: 34.7% Maidstone — Renting: 44.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Footscray Maidstone
Bachelor Degree 23.5% / 19.9%
Footscray — Bachelor Degree: 23.5% Maidstone — Bachelor Degree: 19.9%
Postgraduate Degree 11.6% / 8.6%
Footscray — Postgraduate Degree: 11.6% Maidstone — Postgraduate Degree: 8.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 7.5%
Footscray — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Maidstone — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Certificate III & IV 7.3% / 7.7%
Footscray — Certificate III & IV: 7.3% Maidstone — Certificate III & IV: 7.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 2.4%
Footscray — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% Maidstone — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.5%).

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.

Footscray Maidstone
Vietnam 8.5% / 13.4%
Footscray — Vietnam: 8.5% Maidstone — Vietnam: 13.4%
India 4.7% / 4.7%
Footscray — India: 4.7% Maidstone — India: 4.7%
China 2.2% / 2.5%
Footscray — China: 2.2% Maidstone — China: 2.5%
Philippines 1.5% / 2.2%
Footscray — Philippines: 1.5% Maidstone — Philippines: 2.2%
England 2.2% / 1.3%
Footscray — England: 2.2% Maidstone — England: 1.3%
New Zealand 2.0% / 1.5%
Footscray — New Zealand: 2.0% Maidstone — New Zealand: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Footscray 31.5% houses
Footscray — Houses: 31.5% Footscray — Flats / Apartments: 53.2% Footscray — Townhouses: 15.3%
Maidstone 47.4% houses
Maidstone — Houses: 47.4% Maidstone — Flats / Apartments: 14.6% Maidstone — Townhouses: 38.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Footscray Maidstone
Median house price $882,500 $875,500
Median unit price $455,900 $395,000
Median land price $551,000 $665,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 83 sales
 27 days
from 69 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.

Footscray Maidstone
2 bed $485K / $392K
Footscray — 2 bed: $485K (319 sales) Maidstone — 2 bed: $392K (51 sales)

319 vs 51 sales

3 bed $682K / $660K
Footscray — 3 bed: $682K (54 sales) Maidstone — 3 bed: $660K (6 sales)

54 vs 6 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.

Footscray Maidstone
2 bed $819K / $828K
Footscray — 2 bed: $819K (78 sales) Maidstone — 2 bed: $828K (32 sales)

78 vs 32 sales

3 bed $961K / $862K
Footscray — 3 bed: $961K (83 sales) Maidstone — 3 bed: $862K (62 sales)

83 vs 62 sales

4 bed $1.07M / $1.1M
Footscray — 4 bed: $1.07M (26 sales) Maidstone — 4 bed: $1.1M (19 sales)

26 vs 19 sales

Zoning mix

Footscray has more commercially zoned land (22% vs 0%).

Footscray Maidstone
Residential 34% 61%
Commercial 22% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 20% 8%
Other and special use 4% 16%
Parks and recreation 13% 4%
Industrial 7% 10%
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

Footscray Maidstone
New dwellings approved 774
across Maribyrnong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +198%
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.

Footscray Maidstone
Houses 3.8%
$650/wk on $892K
 4.2%
$650/wk on $810K
Units 6.0%
$560/wk on $482K
 7.6%
$550/wk on $375K

Ranking within VIC

Footscray Maidstone
House price Higher than 68% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
Income Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
Schools Higher than 1% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 36% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 54% of VIC Higher than 78% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC

Liveability

Maidstone scores higher overall (70 vs 52); Footscray is more walkable (100 vs 91).

Footscray Maidstone
Grade B A
Score 52/100 70/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Footscray carries more flood risk (64 vs 35); Footscray carries more crime risk (95 vs 82).

Footscray Maidstone
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
95/100
 High
82/100
Flood Moderate
64/100
 Low
35/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 42
within 5 km
 24
within 5 km

Schools

Footscray Maidstone
Inside the suburb 10 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 3 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 0.0 km
 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 2.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.6% 3.1%

Schools in Footscray

  • Footscray City Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Footscray High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Footscray North Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Footscray Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • St John's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • St Monica's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Maidstone

  • MacKillop Specialist School - Flexible Learning Centre Maidstone Catholic · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Footscray Maidstone
Supermarkets 11 0
Cafes & restaurants 117 2
Parks & reserves 28 11
Childcare 16 5
GPs 18 5
Pharmacies 10 1
Hospitals 3 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 3
same for both
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Maidstone sits further from the CBD (10 km vs 7 km).

Footscray Maidstone
Walkability score 100/100 91/100
Distance to Melbourne 7 km 10 km
+43% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 21 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 79/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 853.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 205.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 3011
 1.5%
postcode 3012
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 11
postcode 3011
 18
postcode 3012

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.

Footscray Maidstone
Car (driver) 34.5% / 51.7%
Footscray — Car (driver): 34.5% Maidstone — Car (driver): 51.7%
Worked from Home 42.7% / 35.1%
Footscray — Worked from Home: 42.7% Maidstone — Worked from Home: 35.1%
Train 11.4% / 4.3%
Footscray — Train: 11.4% Maidstone — Train: 4.3%
Car (passenger) 2.2% / 4.1%
Footscray — Car (passenger): 2.2% Maidstone — Car (passenger): 4.1%
Walked Only 3.7% / 1.4%
Footscray — Walked Only: 3.7% Maidstone — Walked Only: 1.4%
Bus 2.9% / 2.0%
Footscray — Bus: 2.9% Maidstone — Bus: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.7%).

Setting

Footscray Maidstone
Elevation 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.0 km 7.3 km

NBN connectivity

Footscray Maidstone
Connectivity score 89/100 84/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 60%
13,147 premises
 35%
4,532 premises

Climate

Footscray Maidstone
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)

Footscray Maidstone
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 18.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Footscray Maidstone
Average residential rate $2,450/yr
same for both
Council Maribyrnong
same for both

Federal electorate

Footscray Maidstone
Division Fraser
same for both
Member Daniel Mulino
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Footscray Maidstone
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Footscray

Affordable Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Multicultural Nightlife Parks Professionals Trams Transport Hub Urban

Maidstone

Gentrifying Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Footscray

Footscray vs Yarraville Footscray vs Ascot Vale Footscray vs Maribyrnong Footscray vs West Footscray Footscray vs Kensington Footscray vs West Melbourne

Other comparisons with Maidstone

Maidstone vs Maribyrnong Maidstone vs Avondale Heights Maidstone vs West Footscray Maidstone vs Braybrook
Full data on Footscray Full data on Maidstone
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or