Footscray vs Yarraville

Footscray is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 37 in Yarraville. In Footscray, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. In Yarraville, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Yarraville: a median of $1.2 million, against $882,000 in Footscray, and rent is higher there too. Footscray is closer to the city centre: 7 km, against 9.9 km. On these figures, Footscray tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Yarraville suits families with children.

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 5)
  • Yarraville has more separate houses rather than flats (72% vs 32%)

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

First-home buyers

Footscray

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($551,000 vs $1,070,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($882,500 vs $1,200,000)
  • has cheaper units ($455,900 vs $546,000)

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

Renters

Footscray

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (58% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper rent ($355/wk vs $462/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Footscray

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 6%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (7 km vs 9.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Footscray

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (18 vs 3)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (68% vs 28%)
  • But Yarraville carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 95/100)

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

Investors

Footscray

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.0% vs 5.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Footscray and Yarraville 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 Yarraville
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 Yarraville
Walkability 100 / 96
Footscray — Walkability: 100/100 Yarraville — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 5 / 29
Footscray — Safety: 5/100 Yarraville — Safety: 29/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Footscray — Low fire risk: 100/100 Yarraville — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 36 / 49
Footscray — Low flood risk: 36/100 Yarraville — Low flood risk: 49/100

Demographics

Yarraville has higher household incomes ($129,220 vs $91,676); Yarraville rents higher ($462/wk vs $355/wk).

Footscray Yarraville
Population 17,131
+9% vs other
 15,636
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.8% +4.5%
Median age 34 37
Median household income $91,676/yr $129,220/yr
+41% vs other
Median weekly rent $355/wk $462/wk
+30% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Footscray Yarraville
0-4 4.7% / 6.7%
Footscray — 0-4: 4.7% Yarraville — 0-4: 6.7%
5-14 5.9% / 12.4%
Footscray — 5-14: 5.9% Yarraville — 5-14: 12.4%
15-19 2.7% / 4.4%
Footscray — 15-19: 2.7% Yarraville — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 8.3% / 4.6%
Footscray — 20-24: 8.3% Yarraville — 20-24: 4.6%
25-34 30.3% / 17.0%
Footscray — 25-34: 30.3% Yarraville — 25-34: 17.0%
35-44 18.4% / 18.6%
Footscray — 35-44: 18.4% Yarraville — 35-44: 18.6%
45-54 10.3% / 15.3%
Footscray — 45-54: 10.3% Yarraville — 45-54: 15.3%
55-64 8.4% / 10.3%
Footscray — 55-64: 8.4% Yarraville — 55-64: 10.3%
65-74 5.7% / 5.6%
Footscray — 65-74: 5.7% Yarraville — 65-74: 5.6%
75-84 3.3% / 3.3%
Footscray — 75-84: 3.3% Yarraville — 75-84: 3.3%
85+ 1.9% / 1.9%
Footscray — 85+: 1.9% Yarraville — 85+: 1.9%

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%
Yarraville 34.4% lone person
Yarraville — Lone Person: 34.4% Yarraville — Couple Families: 44.9% Yarraville — One Parent Families: 11.6% Yarraville — Group Household: 7.1% Yarraville — Other Families: 1.9%
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%
Yarraville 33.8% renting
Yarraville — Owned Outright: 27.1% Yarraville — Mortgage: 39.1% Yarraville — Renting: 33.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Footscray Yarraville
Bachelor Degree 23.5% / 23.4%
Footscray — Bachelor Degree: 23.5% Yarraville — Bachelor Degree: 23.4%
Postgraduate Degree 11.6% / 9.3%
Footscray — Postgraduate Degree: 11.6% Yarraville — Postgraduate Degree: 9.3%
Certificate III & IV 7.3% / 8.2%
Footscray — Certificate III & IV: 7.3% Yarraville — Certificate III & IV: 8.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 7.3%
Footscray — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Yarraville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 3.7%
Footscray — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% Yarraville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7%

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 Yarraville
Vietnam 8.5% / 2.1%
Footscray — Vietnam: 8.5% Yarraville — Vietnam: 2.1%
England 2.2% / 3.7%
Footscray — England: 2.2% Yarraville — England: 3.7%
India 4.7% / 0.8%
Footscray — India: 4.7% Yarraville — India: 0.8%
New Zealand 2.0% / 2.3%
Footscray — New Zealand: 2.0% Yarraville — New Zealand: 2.3%
China 2.2% / —
Footscray — China: 2.2% Yarraville — China: not among its largest
Greece — / 1.8%
Footscray — Greece: not among its largest Yarraville — Greece: 1.8%
Italy — / 1.1%
Footscray — Italy: not among its largest Yarraville — Italy: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.5%).

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%
Yarraville 71.7% houses
Yarraville — Houses: 71.7% Yarraville — Flats / Apartments: 12.1% Yarraville — Townhouses: 16.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Footscray Yarraville
Median house price $882,500 $1,200,000
Median unit price $455,900 $546,000
Median land price $551,000 $1,070,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 83 sales
 25 days
from 180 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 Yarraville
2 bed $819K / $1.02M
Footscray — 2 bed: $819K (78 sales) Yarraville — 2 bed: $1.02M (81 sales)

78 vs 81 sales

3 bed $961K / $1.24M
Footscray — 3 bed: $961K (83 sales) Yarraville — 3 bed: $1.24M (176 sales)

83 vs 176 sales

4 bed $1.07M / $1.53M
Footscray — 4 bed: $1.07M (26 sales) Yarraville — 4 bed: $1.53M (54 sales)

26 vs 54 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 Yarraville
1 bed $346K / $418K
Footscray — 1 bed: $346K (174 sales) Yarraville — 1 bed: $418K (30 sales)

174 vs 30 sales

2 bed $485K / $576K
Footscray — 2 bed: $485K (319 sales) Yarraville — 2 bed: $576K (58 sales)

319 vs 58 sales

3 bed $682K / $732K
Footscray — 3 bed: $682K (54 sales) Yarraville — 3 bed: $732K (9 sales)

54 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Footscray has more commercially zoned land (22% vs 5%).

Footscray Yarraville
Residential 34% 56%
Commercial 22% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 20% 11%
Industrial 7% 15%
Parks and recreation 13% 12%
Other and special use 4% 1%
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 Yarraville
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 Yarraville
Houses 3.8%
$650/wk on $892K
 3.9%
$850/wk on $1.12M
Units 6.0%
$560/wk on $482K
 5.1%
$510/wk on $525K

Ranking within VIC

Footscray Yarraville
House price Higher than 68% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Income Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 8% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 36% of VIC Higher than 54% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 54% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC

Liveability

Yarraville scores higher overall (65 vs 52).

Footscray Yarraville
Grade B
same for both
Score 52/100 65/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Footscray carries more crime risk (95 vs 71); Footscray carries more flood risk (64 vs 51).

Footscray Yarraville
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
95/100
 High
71/100
Flood Moderate
64/100
 Moderate
51/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 42
within 5 km
 45
within 5 km

Schools

Footscray Yarraville
Inside the suburb 10 5
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 3 2
Rated below peers 3 2
Universities within 10 km 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 0.0 km
 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 2.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.6% 2.3%

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 Yarraville

  • Kingsville Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Wembley Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Augustine's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Yarraville West Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Yarraville Special Developmental School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Footscray Yarraville
Supermarkets 11 4
Cafes & restaurants 117 27
Parks & reserves 28 20
Childcare 16 9
GPs 18 3
Pharmacies 10 4
Hospitals 3 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3
same for both
Fuel stations 3 4
Waterways 2 6

Mobility

Yarraville sits further from the CBD (9.9 km vs 7 km).

Footscray Yarraville
Walkability score 100/100 96/100
Distance to Melbourne 7 km 9.9 km
+41% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 16 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 93/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 853.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 260.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 3011
 2.1%
postcode 3013
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 11
postcode 3011
 22
postcode 3013

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 Yarraville
Worked from Home 42.7% / 50.4%
Footscray — Worked from Home: 42.7% Yarraville — Worked from Home: 50.4%
Car (driver) 34.5% / 36.6%
Footscray — Car (driver): 34.5% Yarraville — Car (driver): 36.6%
Train 11.4% / 6.5%
Footscray — Train: 11.4% Yarraville — Train: 6.5%
Walked Only 3.7% / 2.4%
Footscray — Walked Only: 3.7% Yarraville — Walked Only: 2.4%
Car (passenger) 2.2% / 1.9%
Footscray — Car (passenger): 2.2% Yarraville — Car (passenger): 1.9%
Bus 2.9% / 0.4%
Footscray — Bus: 2.9% Yarraville — Bus: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.4%).

Setting

Footscray Yarraville
Elevation 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.0 km 3.3 km
4.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Footscray Yarraville
Connectivity score 89/100 93/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 60%
13,147 premises
 76%
7,912 premises

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Footscray Yarraville
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

Yarraville

Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals River Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Footscray

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

Other comparisons with Yarraville

Yarraville vs Port Melbourne Yarraville vs Altona North Yarraville vs West Footscray Yarraville vs West Melbourne Yarraville vs Seddon Yarraville vs Kingsville
Full data on Footscray Full data on Yarraville
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.

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