Ivanhoe vs Balwyn North

In both, most households own their home. In Balwyn North, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Balwyn North: a median of $2.21 million, against $1.85 million in Ivanhoe, and rent is higher there too. Ivanhoe is closer to the city centre: 11.5 km, against 14.1 km. On these figures, Ivanhoe tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Balwyn North 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

Balwyn North

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (4 vs 2)
  • carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 78/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (83% vs 53%)
  • But Ivanhoe has more parks and reserves (18 vs 12)

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

First-home buyers

Ivanhoe

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,846,250 vs $2,210,000)
  • has cheaper units ($731,000 vs $825,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Ivanhoe

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 20%)
  • has cheaper rent ($430/wk vs $554/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Ivanhoe

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (11.5 km vs 14.1 km)
  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 85/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Ivanhoe

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (47% vs 17%)
  • has more GPs (8 vs 6)
  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 85/100)
  • But Balwyn North carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 78/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Ivanhoe is growing faster (9.9% vs 4.4%)
  • Balwyn North returns a higher gross yield on units (4.6% vs 4.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
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.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Walkability 93 / 85
Ivanhoe — Walkability: 93/100 Balwyn North — Walkability: 85/100
Safety 22 / 56
Ivanhoe — Safety: 22/100 Balwyn North — Safety: 56/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ivanhoe — Low fire risk: 100/100 Balwyn North — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 28 / 51
Ivanhoe — Low flood risk: 28/100 Balwyn North — Low flood risk: 51/100

Demographics

Balwyn North has more residents (21,302 vs 13,374); Balwyn North rents higher ($554/wk vs $430/wk).

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Population 13,374 21,302
+59% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.9% +4.4%
Median age 40 42
Median household income $116,064/yr $121,992/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $430/wk $554/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
0-4 4.4% / 3.4%
Ivanhoe — 0-4: 4.4% Balwyn North — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 10.7% / 14.4%
Ivanhoe — 5-14: 10.7% Balwyn North — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 5.5% / 8.9%
Ivanhoe — 15-19: 5.5% Balwyn North — 15-19: 8.9%
20-24 6.4% / 6.9%
Ivanhoe — 20-24: 6.4% Balwyn North — 20-24: 6.9%
25-34 14.4% / 8.6%
Ivanhoe — 25-34: 14.4% Balwyn North — 25-34: 8.6%
35-44 14.2% / 10.8%
Ivanhoe — 35-44: 14.2% Balwyn North — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 13.5% / 15.9%
Ivanhoe — 45-54: 13.5% Balwyn North — 45-54: 15.9%
55-64 13.0% / 13.7%
Ivanhoe — 55-64: 13.0% Balwyn North — 55-64: 13.7%
65-74 10.1% / 9.0%
Ivanhoe — 65-74: 10.1% Balwyn North — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 5.1% / 5.7%
Ivanhoe — 75-84: 5.1% Balwyn North — 75-84: 5.7%
85+ 2.8% / 2.9%
Ivanhoe — 85+: 2.8% Balwyn North — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ivanhoe 42.4% couple families
Ivanhoe — Couple Families: 42.4% Ivanhoe — Lone Person: 39.7% Ivanhoe — One Parent Families: 11.7% Ivanhoe — Group Household: 4.7% Ivanhoe — Other Families: 1.5%
Balwyn North 60.5% couple families
Balwyn North — Couple Families: 60.5% Balwyn North — Lone Person: 21.3% Balwyn North — One Parent Families: 14.8% Balwyn North — Group Household: 2.3% Balwyn North — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ivanhoe 33.3% renting
Ivanhoe — Owned Outright: 35.9% Ivanhoe — Mortgage: 30.7% Ivanhoe — Renting: 33.3%
Balwyn North 20.0% renting
Balwyn North — Owned Outright: 47.0% Balwyn North — Mortgage: 33.1% Balwyn North — Renting: 20.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Bachelor Degree 25.7% / 25.0%
Ivanhoe — Bachelor Degree: 25.7% Balwyn North — Bachelor Degree: 25.0%
Postgraduate Degree 12.3% / 10.5%
Ivanhoe — Postgraduate Degree: 12.3% Balwyn North — Postgraduate Degree: 10.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 7.5%
Ivanhoe — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% Balwyn North — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Certificate III & IV 6.3% / 4.3%
Ivanhoe — Certificate III & IV: 6.3% Balwyn North — Certificate III & IV: 4.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.4% / 3.3%
Ivanhoe — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.4% Balwyn North — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.7%).

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.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
China 4.3% / 14.4%
Ivanhoe — China: 4.3% Balwyn North — China: 14.4%
England 3.0% / 1.9%
Ivanhoe — England: 3.0% Balwyn North — England: 1.9%
Malaysia 1.0% / 3.8%
Ivanhoe — Malaysia: 1.0% Balwyn North — Malaysia: 3.8%
India 1.9% / 2.7%
Ivanhoe — India: 1.9% Balwyn North — India: 2.7%
Italy 1.6% / 1.3%
Ivanhoe — Italy: 1.6% Balwyn North — Italy: 1.3%
Vietnam 0.8% / 1.9%
Ivanhoe — Vietnam: 0.8% Balwyn North — Vietnam: 1.9%
New Zealand 1.4% / —
Ivanhoe — New Zealand: 1.4% Balwyn North — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ivanhoe 52.8% houses
Ivanhoe — Houses: 52.8% Ivanhoe — Townhouses: 22.2% Ivanhoe — Flats / Apartments: 25.0%
Balwyn North 83.0% houses
Balwyn North — Houses: 83.0% Balwyn North — Townhouses: 13.5% Balwyn North — Flats / Apartments: 3.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Median house price $1,846,250 $2,210,000
Median unit price $731,000 $825,500
Median land price — $1,515,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 88 sales
 26 days
from 204 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.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
1 bed $400K / $420K
Ivanhoe — 1 bed: $400K (14 sales) Balwyn North — 1 bed: $420K (5 sales)

14 vs 5 sales

2 bed $706K / $694K
Ivanhoe — 2 bed: $706K (60 sales) Balwyn North — 2 bed: $694K (20 sales)

60 vs 20 sales

3 bed $940K / $1.28M
Ivanhoe — 3 bed: $940K (19 sales) Balwyn North — 3 bed: $1.28M (11 sales)

19 vs 11 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.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
2 bed $1.21M / $1.55M
Ivanhoe — 2 bed: $1.21M (11 sales) Balwyn North — 2 bed: $1.55M (11 sales)

11 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1.62M / $1.95M
Ivanhoe — 3 bed: $1.62M (65 sales) Balwyn North — 3 bed: $1.95M (106 sales)

65 vs 106 sales

4 bed $2.08M / $2.27M
Ivanhoe — 4 bed: $2.08M (49 sales) Balwyn North — 4 bed: $2.27M (122 sales)

49 vs 122 sales

5 bed $2.5M / $2.93M
Ivanhoe — 5 bed: $2.5M (15 sales) Balwyn North — 5 bed: $2.93M (49 sales)

15 vs 49 sales

Zoning mix

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Residential 66% 76%
Parks and recreation 21% 14%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 10%
Commercial 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

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
New dwellings approved 722
across Banyule
 711
across Boroondara
Approvals change year on year -75% -40%

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.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Houses 2.7%
$890/wk on $1.73M
 2.6%
$1,070/wk on $2.1M
Units 4.1%
$600/wk on $760K
 4.6%
$655/wk on $742K

Ranking within VIC

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
House price Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Income Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Schools Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 9% of VIC Higher than 4% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 6% of VIC Higher than 5% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC

Liveability

Balwyn North scores higher overall (87 vs 75); Ivanhoe is more walkable (93 vs 85).

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Grade A A+
Score 75/100 87/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Ivanhoe carries more crime risk (78 vs 44); Ivanhoe carries more flood risk (72 vs 49).

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
78/100
 Moderate
44/100
Flood High
72/100
 Moderate
49/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Inside the suburb 5 7
Rated above peers 2 4
Rated at peers 3 1
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 6.4 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 5.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.0% 5.5%

Schools in Ivanhoe

  • Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Ivanhoe Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Ivanhoe Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mary Immaculate School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • St Bernadette's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Balwyn North

  • Balwyn High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Belle Vue Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Boroondara Park Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Greythorn Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Balwyn North Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Bede's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Supermarkets 2 6
Cafes & restaurants 20 22
Parks & reserves 18 12
Childcare 13
same for both
GPs 8 6
Pharmacies 4 6
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 3
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 3 7

Mobility

Balwyn North sits further from the CBD (14.1 km vs 11.5 km).

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Walkability score 93/100 85/100
Distance to Melbourne 11.5 km 14.1 km
+23% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 22 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 256.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 411.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.6%
postcode 3079
 3.2%
postcode 3104
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 21
postcode 3079
 26
postcode 3104

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.

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Car (driver) 40.8% / 48.3%
Ivanhoe — Car (driver): 40.8% Balwyn North — Car (driver): 48.3%
Worked from Home 46.5% / 42.1%
Ivanhoe — Worked from Home: 46.5% Balwyn North — Worked from Home: 42.1%
Car (passenger) 2.4% / 4.0%
Ivanhoe — Car (passenger): 2.4% Balwyn North — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Train 4.3% / 0.9%
Ivanhoe — Train: 4.3% Balwyn North — Train: 0.9%
Walked Only 3.8% / 1.0%
Ivanhoe — Walked Only: 3.8% Balwyn North — Walked Only: 1.0%
Bus 1.0% / 2.2%
Ivanhoe — Bus: 1.0% Balwyn North — Bus: 2.2%
Tram / Light Rail — / 1.1%
Ivanhoe — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest Balwyn North — Tram / Light Rail: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (48.3%).

Setting

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Elevation 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 58 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.0 km 12.7 km

NBN connectivity

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Connectivity score 80/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 20%
7,330 premises
 8%
8,729 premises

Climate

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
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)

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.82 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Average residential rate $1,787/yr $2,253/yr
Council Banyule Boroondara

Federal electorate

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Division Jagajaga Kooyong
Member Kate Thwaites Monique Ryan
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Ivanhoe Balwyn North
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ivanhoe

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Village Feel

Balwyn North

Luxury Middle-Ring Multicultural Professionals Trams

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe vs Preston Ivanhoe vs Thornbury Ivanhoe vs Heidelberg Ivanhoe vs Heidelberg Heights Ivanhoe vs Kew East Ivanhoe vs Alphington

Other comparisons with Balwyn North

Balwyn North vs Doncaster Balwyn North vs Kew Balwyn North vs Balwyn Balwyn North vs Bulleen Balwyn North vs Kew East Balwyn North vs Mont Albert North
Full data on Ivanhoe Full data on Balwyn North
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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