Forest Hill vs Nunawading

Nunawading is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 42 in Forest Hill. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Nunawading, about half of households are couple families.

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

Nunawading

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 14)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Nunawading

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (23.7 km vs 26.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Nunawading

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.1% vs 4.5%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Forest Hill Nunawading
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.

Forest Hill Nunawading
Walkability 92 / 90
Forest Hill — Walkability: 92/100 Nunawading — Walkability: 90/100
Safety 27 / 19
Forest Hill — Safety: 27/100 Nunawading — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Forest Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100 Nunawading — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 79 / 82
Forest Hill — Low flood risk: 79/100 Nunawading — Low flood risk: 82/100

Demographics

Nunawading has higher household incomes ($100,776 vs $86,216); Forest Hill skews older (42 vs 39).

Forest Hill Nunawading
Population 10,780 12,413
+15% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.4% +4.5%
Median age 42 39
Median household income $86,216/yr $100,776/yr
+17% vs other
Median weekly rent $396/wk
+1% vs other
 $391/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill Nunawading
0-4 5.1% / 6.0%
Forest Hill — 0-4: 5.1% Nunawading — 0-4: 6.0%
5-14 11.2% / 11.6%
Forest Hill — 5-14: 11.2% Nunawading — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 5.4% / 5.2%
Forest Hill — 15-19: 5.4% Nunawading — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 5.7% / 5.7%
Forest Hill — 20-24: 5.7% Nunawading — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 11.3% / 14.6%
Forest Hill — 25-34: 11.3% Nunawading — 25-34: 14.6%
35-44 14.1% / 15.7%
Forest Hill — 35-44: 14.1% Nunawading — 35-44: 15.7%
45-54 13.5% / 13.4%
Forest Hill — 45-54: 13.5% Nunawading — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 11.8% / 9.9%
Forest Hill — 55-64: 11.8% Nunawading — 55-64: 9.9%
65-74 9.8% / 8.3%
Forest Hill — 65-74: 9.8% Nunawading — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 7.9% / 6.2%
Forest Hill — 75-84: 7.9% Nunawading — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 4.2% / 3.5%
Forest Hill — 85+: 4.2% Nunawading — 85+: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill 44.0% couple families
Forest Hill — Couple Families: 44.0% Forest Hill — Lone Person: 35.4% Forest Hill — One Parent Families: 14.6% Forest Hill — Group Household: 3.9% Forest Hill — Other Families: 2.0%
Nunawading 45.9% couple families
Nunawading — Couple Families: 45.9% Nunawading — Lone Person: 34.5% Nunawading — One Parent Families: 12.4% Nunawading — Group Household: 5.3% Nunawading — Other Families: 1.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill 26.6% renting
Forest Hill — Owned Outright: 39.5% Forest Hill — Mortgage: 33.9% Forest Hill — Renting: 26.6%
Nunawading 30.1% renting
Nunawading — Owned Outright: 33.5% Nunawading — Mortgage: 36.4% Nunawading — Renting: 30.1%
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.

Forest Hill Nunawading
China 11.2% / 8.7%
Forest Hill — China: 11.2% Nunawading — China: 8.7%
India 3.3% / 4.6%
Forest Hill — India: 3.3% Nunawading — India: 4.6%
Malaysia 3.3% / 2.4%
Forest Hill — Malaysia: 3.3% Nunawading — Malaysia: 2.4%
England 1.9% / 2.3%
Forest Hill — England: 1.9% Nunawading — England: 2.3%
Vietnam 2.4% / 1.7%
Forest Hill — Vietnam: 2.4% Nunawading — Vietnam: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.2%).

Qualifications

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

Forest Hill Nunawading
Bachelor Degree 19.9% / 20.6%
Forest Hill — Bachelor Degree: 19.9% Nunawading — Bachelor Degree: 20.6%
Postgraduate Degree 8.8% / 9.2%
Forest Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 8.8% Nunawading — Postgraduate Degree: 9.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 8.1%
Forest Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Nunawading — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Certificate III & IV 7.6% / 7.8%
Forest Hill — Certificate III & IV: 7.6% Nunawading — Certificate III & IV: 7.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 3.1%
Forest Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Nunawading — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forest Hill 72.0% houses
Forest Hill — Houses: 72.0% Forest Hill — Townhouses: 24.9% Forest Hill — Flats / Apartments: 3.1%
Nunawading 68.7% houses
Nunawading — Houses: 68.7% Nunawading — Townhouses: 27.8% Nunawading — Flats / Apartments: 3.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Forest Hill Nunawading
Median house price $1,225,000 $1,142,500
Median unit price $690,000 $677,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 93 sales
 23 days
from 74 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.

Forest Hill Nunawading
2 bed $630K / $642K
Forest Hill — 2 bed: $630K (26 sales) Nunawading — 2 bed: $642K (46 sales)

26 vs 46 sales

3 bed $950K / $920K
Forest Hill — 3 bed: $950K (9 sales) Nunawading — 3 bed: $920K (21 sales)

9 vs 21 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.

Forest Hill Nunawading
2 bed $995K / $980K
Forest Hill — 2 bed: $995K (8 sales) Nunawading — 2 bed: $980K (11 sales)

8 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1.12M / $1.08M
Forest Hill — 3 bed: $1.12M (77 sales) Nunawading — 3 bed: $1.08M (75 sales)

77 vs 75 sales

4 bed $1.34M / $1.4M
Forest Hill — 4 bed: $1.34M (71 sales) Nunawading — 4 bed: $1.4M (34 sales)

71 vs 34 sales

5 bed $1.43M / $1.68M
Forest Hill — 5 bed: $1.43M (19 sales) Nunawading — 5 bed: $1.68M (13 sales)

19 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Forest Hill Nunawading
Residential 78% 67%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 11%
Industrial 0% 10%
Parks and recreation 8% 6%
Commercial 6%
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

Forest Hill Nunawading
New dwellings approved 879
across Whitehorse
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
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.

Forest Hill Nunawading
Houses 3.5%
$750/wk on $1.1M
 3.2%
$680/wk on $1.1M
Units 4.5%
$560/wk on $645K
 5.1%
$580/wk on $586K

Ranking within VIC

Forest Hill Nunawading
House price Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC
Income Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 92% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 14% of VIC Higher than 28% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 97% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 33% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC

Liveability

Nunawading scores higher overall (82 vs 76).

Forest Hill Nunawading
Grade A A+
Score 76/100 82/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Forest Hill Nunawading
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
73/100
 High
81/100
Flood Low
21/100
 Low
18/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Forest Hill Nunawading
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 5.4 km
 1
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 6.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.1% 3.0%

Schools in Forest Hill

  • Parkmore Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Nunawading

  • Nunawading Christian College - Primary Independent · Primary above peers
  • Nunawading Christian College - Secondary Independent · Secondary above peers
  • Mount Pleasant Road Nunawading Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Forest Hill Nunawading
Supermarkets 5 2
Cafes & restaurants 11 15
Parks & reserves 14 18
Childcare 10 8
GPs 4
same for both
Pharmacies 5 1
Banks & Bank@Post 6 1
Fuel stations 4 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Forest Hill sits further from the CBD (26.1 km vs 23.7 km).

Forest Hill Nunawading
Walkability score 92/100 90/100
Distance to Melbourne 26.1 km
+9% vs other
 23.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 30 min 29 min
Public transport score 79/100
Tram · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 209.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 314.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.5%
postcode 3131
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 3131
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.

Forest Hill Nunawading
Car (driver) 52.1% / 47.8%
Forest Hill — Car (driver): 52.1% Nunawading — Car (driver): 47.8%
Worked from Home 38.0% / 40.4%
Forest Hill — Worked from Home: 38.0% Nunawading — Worked from Home: 40.4%
Train 3.3% / 5.4%
Forest Hill — Train: 3.3% Nunawading — Train: 5.4%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 3.6%
Forest Hill — Car (passenger): 3.5% Nunawading — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 1.7% / 1.3%
Forest Hill — Walked Only: 1.7% Nunawading — Walked Only: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.1%).

Setting

Forest Hill Nunawading
Elevation 119 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 136 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.3 km 18.6 km

NBN connectivity

Forest Hill Nunawading
Connectivity score 75/100 79/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
5,062 premises
 15%
6,170 premises

Climate

Forest Hill Nunawading
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)

Forest Hill Nunawading
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Forest Hill Nunawading
Average residential rate $1,516/yr
same for both
Council Whitehorse
same for both

Federal electorate

Forest Hill Nunawading
Division Deakin
same for both
Member Matt Gregg
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forest Hill Nunawading
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forest Hill

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses

Nunawading

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forest Hill

Forest Hill vs Blackburn Forest Hill vs Vermont South Forest Hill vs Vermont Forest Hill vs Blackburn South Forest Hill vs Burwood East

Other comparisons with Nunawading

Nunawading vs Mitcham Nunawading vs Blackburn Nunawading vs Donvale Nunawading vs Vermont Nunawading vs Blackburn North
Full data on Forest Hill Full data on Nunawading
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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