Glen Forbes vs Ryanston
Ryanston is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 56 in Glen Forbes. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and 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
Ryanston
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 47/100)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 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
Glen Forbes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($308/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Glen Forbes
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (88 min vs 101 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (109.4 km vs 121.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Ryanston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ryanston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (19.6% vs 11.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Glen Forbes and Ryanston 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
Ryanston has more residents (324 vs 118); Ryanston rents higher ($350/wk vs $308/wk).
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 118 | 324 +175% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.3% | +19.6% |
| Median age | 56 | 50 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr | $80,756/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $308/wk | $350/wk +14% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.1%).
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 (5.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,087,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Ryanston has more rural and farming land (89% vs 76%); Ryanston has more land zoned for conservation (11% vs 0%).
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 76% | 89% |
| Parks and recreation | 17% | 0% |
| Environmental | 0% | 11% |
| Other and special use | 6% | 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
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 393 across Bass Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 49% of VIC | Higher than 48% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 59% of VIC | Higher than 2% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of VIC | Higher than 38% of VIC |
Liveability
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Glen Forbes carries more bushfire risk (40 vs 0); Glen Forbes carries more crime risk (47 vs 19).
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 40/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Flood | Low 34/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Glen Forbes
- Spensley Street Primary School-Glen Forbes Camp Government · Primary
Schools in Ryanston
- Village High School Independent · Secondary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 14 |
Mobility
Ryanston sits further from the CBD (121.5 km vs 109.4 km).
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 109.4 km | 121.5 km +11% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 88 min | 101 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3990 | 0.5% postcode 3992 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — | 57 postcode 3992 |
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 (66.4%).
Setting
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 33 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 132 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.0 km | 10.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 65 premises | 0% 158 premises |
Climate
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 906 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,727/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bass Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Glen Forbes | Ryanston | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Glen Forbes
Other comparisons with Ryanston
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.