Gardenvale vs Brighton East

Gardenvale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 45 in Brighton East. In Gardenvale, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Brighton East, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Brighton East: a median of $2.12 million, against $1.81 million in Gardenvale, and rent is higher there too. Gardenvale is closer to the city centre: 11.7 km, against 14.2 km. On these figures, Gardenvale tends to suit renters and people living alone, while Brighton East suits couples.

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

Brighton East

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (13 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (7 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Gardenvale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($465,000 vs $955,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,812,500 vs $2,122,500)
  • But Brighton East leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 40%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Gardenvale

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (47% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($301/wk vs $600/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 24%)

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

Commuting to the city

Gardenvale

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (8% vs 3%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (11.7 km vs 14.2 km)
  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 80/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Brighton East

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 15%)
  • carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 67/100)
  • But Gardenvale has more units and townhouses to downsize into (64% vs 32%)

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

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

Gardenvale Brighton East
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.

Gardenvale Brighton East
Walkability 92 / 80
Gardenvale — Walkability: 92/100 Brighton East — Walkability: 80/100
Safety 33 / 54
Gardenvale — Safety: 33/100 Brighton East — Safety: 54/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Gardenvale — Low fire risk: 100/100 Brighton East — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 44 / 65
Gardenvale — Low flood risk: 44/100 Brighton East — Low flood risk: 65/100

Demographics

Brighton East has more residents (16,757 vs 1,019); Brighton East rents higher ($600/wk vs $301/wk).

Gardenvale Brighton East
Population 1,019 16,757
+1544% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.3% +4.7%
Median age 39 45
Median household income $88,816/yr $132,288/yr
+49% vs other
Median weekly rent $301/wk $600/wk
+99% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gardenvale Brighton East
0-4 6.1% / 4.4%
Gardenvale — 0-4: 6.1% Brighton East — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 10.8% / 14.5%
Gardenvale — 5-14: 10.8% Brighton East — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 5.4% / 7.3%
Gardenvale — 15-19: 5.4% Brighton East — 15-19: 7.3%
20-24 3.5% / 5.0%
Gardenvale — 20-24: 3.5% Brighton East — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 15.7% / 6.8%
Gardenvale — 25-34: 15.7% Brighton East — 25-34: 6.8%
35-44 17.7% / 11.4%
Gardenvale — 35-44: 17.7% Brighton East — 35-44: 11.4%
45-54 14.3% / 15.8%
Gardenvale — 45-54: 14.3% Brighton East — 45-54: 15.8%
55-64 10.7% / 12.7%
Gardenvale — 55-64: 10.7% Brighton East — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 9.3% / 9.6%
Gardenvale — 65-74: 9.3% Brighton East — 65-74: 9.6%
75-84 4.4% / 7.3%
Gardenvale — 75-84: 4.4% Brighton East — 75-84: 7.3%
85+ 1.0% / 5.1%
Gardenvale — 85+: 1.0% Brighton East — 85+: 5.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gardenvale 54.7% lone person
Gardenvale — Lone Person: 54.7% Gardenvale — Couple Families: 32.3% Gardenvale — One Parent Families: 7.7% Gardenvale — Group Household: 3.2% Gardenvale — Other Families: 2.1%
Brighton East 31.6% lone person
Brighton East — Lone Person: 31.6% Brighton East — Couple Families: 52.2% Brighton East — One Parent Families: 13.0% Brighton East — Group Household: 2.5% Brighton East — Other Families: 0.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gardenvale 47.2% renting
Gardenvale — Owned Outright: 27.7% Gardenvale — Mortgage: 25.1% Gardenvale — Renting: 47.2%
Brighton East 20.7% renting
Brighton East — Owned Outright: 43.0% Brighton East — Mortgage: 36.3% Brighton East — Renting: 20.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Gardenvale Brighton East
Bachelor Degree 25.2% / 23.5%
Gardenvale — Bachelor Degree: 25.2% Brighton East — Bachelor Degree: 23.5%
Postgraduate Degree 11.2% / 8.7%
Gardenvale — Postgraduate Degree: 11.2% Brighton East — Postgraduate Degree: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 8.0%
Gardenvale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Brighton East — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Certificate III & IV 7.4% / 5.3%
Gardenvale — Certificate III & IV: 7.4% Brighton East — Certificate III & IV: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.0% / 3.2%
Gardenvale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0% Brighton East — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).

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.

Gardenvale Brighton East
England 4.3% / 4.5%
Gardenvale — England: 4.3% Brighton East — England: 4.5%
China 2.1% / 3.9%
Gardenvale — China: 2.1% Brighton East — China: 3.9%
South Africa 1.6% / 1.8%
Gardenvale — South Africa: 1.6% Brighton East — South Africa: 1.8%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.4%
Gardenvale — New Zealand: 1.6% Brighton East — New Zealand: 1.4%
India 1.0% / 1.2%
Gardenvale — India: 1.0% Brighton East — India: 1.2%
Philippines 1.2% / —
Gardenvale — Philippines: 1.2% Brighton East — Philippines: not among its largest

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gardenvale 36.5% houses
Gardenvale — Houses: 36.5% Gardenvale — Flats / Apartments: 44.0% Gardenvale — Townhouses: 19.5%
Brighton East 67.9% houses
Brighton East — Houses: 67.9% Brighton East — Flats / Apartments: 8.3% Brighton East — Townhouses: 23.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Gardenvale Brighton East
Median house price $1,812,500 $2,122,500
Median unit price $465,000 $955,000
Median land price — $2,500,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 24 days
from 148 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.

Gardenvale Brighton East
2 bed $585K / $850K
Gardenvale — 2 bed: $585K (20 sales) Brighton East — 2 bed: $850K (23 sales)

20 vs 23 sales

3 bed $1.2M / $1.2M
Gardenvale — 3 bed: $1.2M (5 sales) Brighton East — 3 bed: $1.2M (16 sales)

5 vs 16 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.

Gardenvale Brighton East
2 bed $1.51M / $1.43M
Gardenvale — 2 bed: $1.51M (5 sales) Brighton East — 2 bed: $1.43M (13 sales)

5 vs 13 sales

3 bed $1.69M / $1.72M
Gardenvale — 3 bed: $1.69M (7 sales) Brighton East — 3 bed: $1.72M (73 sales)

7 vs 73 sales

4 bed $2.2M / $2.3M
Gardenvale — 4 bed: $2.2M (7 sales) Brighton East — 4 bed: $2.3M (92 sales)

7 vs 92 sales

Zoning mix

Gardenvale Brighton East
Residential 78% 76%
Parks and recreation 1% 13%
Commercial 11% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 9%
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

Gardenvale Brighton East
New dwellings approved 617
across Glen Eira
 473
across Bayside (Vic.)
Approvals change year on year -69% -47%

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.

Gardenvale Brighton East
Houses — 3.1%
$1,100/wk on $1.84M
Units — 3.6%
$555/wk on $808K

Ranking within VIC

Gardenvale Brighton East
House price Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Income Higher than 59% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 1% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 8% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 18% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 2% of VIC

Liveability

Gardenvale is more walkable (92 vs 80); Gardenvale scores higher overall (78 vs 70).

Gardenvale Brighton East
Grade A
same for both
Score 78/100 70/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Gardenvale carries more flood risk (56 vs 35); Gardenvale carries more crime risk (67 vs 46).

Gardenvale Brighton East
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
67/100
 Moderate
46/100
Flood Moderate
56/100
 Low
35/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Gardenvale Brighton East
Inside the suburb 0 7
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 4
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Monash Caulfield, 3.4 km
 2
Monash Caulfield, 4.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.6% 3.9%

Schools in Gardenvale

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Brighton East

  • Brighton Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Gardenvale Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Finbar's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • St Leonard's College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Haileybury College - Brighton Boys Independent · Combined
  • Haileybury College - Brighton Girls Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Gardenvale Brighton East
Cafes & restaurants 0 6
Parks & reserves 1 9
Childcare 0 13
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 3
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 1 2
EV chargers 0 2

Mobility

Brighton East sits further from the CBD (14.2 km vs 11.7 km).

Gardenvale Brighton East
Walkability score 92/100 80/100
Distance to Melbourne 11.7 km 14.2 km
+21% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 24 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 80/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 54.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 181.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.6%
postcode 3185
 2.9%
postcode 3187
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 13
postcode 3185
 24
postcode 3187

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.

Gardenvale Brighton East
Worked from Home 46.6% / 50.1%
Gardenvale — Worked from Home: 46.6% Brighton East — Worked from Home: 50.1%
Car (driver) 38.1% / 42.1%
Gardenvale — Car (driver): 38.1% Brighton East — Car (driver): 42.1%
Train 7.7% / 2.3%
Gardenvale — Train: 7.7% Brighton East — Train: 2.3%
Car (passenger) 1.8% / 2.7%
Gardenvale — Car (passenger): 1.8% Brighton East — Car (passenger): 2.7%
Walked Only 2.8% / 1.5%
Gardenvale — Walked Only: 2.8% Brighton East — Walked Only: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.1%).

Setting

Gardenvale Brighton East
Elevation 17 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 31 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.1 km
2.4 km to a named beach
 2.6 km
2.6 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Gardenvale Brighton East
Connectivity score 76/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 2%
636 premises
 5%
7,493 premises

Climate

Gardenvale Brighton East
Annual rainfall 644 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Gardenvale Brighton East
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Gardenvale Brighton East
Average residential rate $1,577/yr $2,086/yr
Council Glen Eira Bayside (Vic.)

Federal electorate

Gardenvale Brighton East
Division Goldstein
same for both
Member Tim Wilson
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gardenvale Brighton East
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gardenvale

Affordable Apartments Coastal Middle-Ring Professionals Urban

Brighton East

Coastal Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gardenvale

Gardenvale vs Brighton Gardenvale vs Caulfield South Gardenvale vs Elsternwick

Other comparisons with Brighton East

Brighton East vs Brighton Brighton East vs Bentleigh Brighton East vs Hampton Brighton East vs Caulfield South Brighton East vs Ormond Brighton East vs McKinnon
Full data on Gardenvale Full data on Brighton East
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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