Garfield vs Iona
Garfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 47 in Iona. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Garfield tends to suit 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
Iona
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 52/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 69%)
- But Garfield has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Iona
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Garfield
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (18/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (66 min vs 79 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (79.7 km vs 86.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Garfield is more walkable (18/100 vs 0/100)
- Iona carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Garfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.4% vs 5.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Garfield and Iona drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Garfield has more residents (2,114 vs 240); Garfield rents higher ($330/wk vs $250/wk).
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,114 +89% vs other | 240 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.4% | +5.3% |
| Median age | 39 | 47 |
| Median household income | $87,204/yr | $100,048/yr +15% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk +24% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $750,500 | — |
| Median unit price | $535,000 | — |
| Median land price | $885,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 52 days from 24 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Garfield has more rural and farming land (83% vs 20%).
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 20% |
| Other and special use | 7% | 80% |
| Residential | 6% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 0% |
| 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
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,323 across Cardinia same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +13% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 43% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 57% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 79% of VIC | Higher than 8% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 65% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 50% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 77% of VIC | Higher than 50% of VIC |
Liveability
Garfield is more walkable (18 vs 0).
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 40/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Garfield carries more crime risk (52 vs 16).
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Flood | High 91/100 | High 99/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Garfield
- Garfield Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Iona
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Iona sits further from the CBD (86.7 km vs 79.7 km).
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 18/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 79.7 km | 86.7 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 66 min | 79 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3814 | 0.5% postcode 3815 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 3814 | 47 postcode 3815 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.8%).
Setting
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 27 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 25 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 21.8 km | 19.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 65/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 43% 874 premises | 0% 101 premises |
Climate
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,350 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,880/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cardinia same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | La Trobe same for both | |
| Member | Jason Wood same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Garfield | Iona | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Garfield
Other comparisons with Iona
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.