Jacana vs Westmeadows

Jacana is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 39 in Westmeadows. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Westmeadows: a median of $758,000, against $628,000 in Jacana, and rent is higher there too. Jacana is closer to the city centre: 15.9 km, against 20.5 km. On these figures, Jacana tends to suit young adults and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Westmeadows

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 3)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Jacana

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($627,500 vs $758,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Jacana

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 26%)

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

Commuting to the city

Jacana

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (8% vs 3%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (15.9 km vs 20.5 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

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Jacana returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.6% vs 4.1%)
  • Westmeadows is growing faster (11.2% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Jacana Westmeadows
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.

Jacana Westmeadows
Walkability 80 / 75
Jacana — Walkability: 80/100 Westmeadows — Walkability: 75/100
Safety 30 / 36
Jacana — Safety: 30/100 Westmeadows — Safety: 36/100
Low fire risk 100 / 64
Jacana — Low fire risk: 100/100 Westmeadows — Low fire risk: 64/100
Low flood risk 68 / 54
Jacana — Low flood risk: 68/100 Westmeadows — Low flood risk: 54/100

Demographics

Westmeadows has more residents (6,502 vs 2,187); Westmeadows has higher household incomes ($81,328 vs $72,124).

Jacana Westmeadows
Population 2,187 6,502
+197% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.8% +11.2%
Median age 35 39
Median household income $72,124/yr $81,328/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $335/wk $360/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Jacana Westmeadows
0-4 6.1% / 6.2%
Jacana — 0-4: 6.1% Westmeadows — 0-4: 6.2%
5-14 9.0% / 10.8%
Jacana — 5-14: 9.0% Westmeadows — 5-14: 10.8%
15-19 4.1% / 5.1%
Jacana — 15-19: 4.1% Westmeadows — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 7.5% / 5.6%
Jacana — 20-24: 7.5% Westmeadows — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 22.3% / 15.6%
Jacana — 25-34: 22.3% Westmeadows — 25-34: 15.6%
35-44 14.5% / 13.9%
Jacana — 35-44: 14.5% Westmeadows — 35-44: 13.9%
45-54 9.1% / 11.5%
Jacana — 45-54: 9.1% Westmeadows — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 11.7% / 12.3%
Jacana — 55-64: 11.7% Westmeadows — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 8.2% / 10.9%
Jacana — 65-74: 8.2% Westmeadows — 65-74: 10.9%
75-84 5.6% / 6.0%
Jacana — 75-84: 5.6% Westmeadows — 75-84: 6.0%
85+ 2.1% / 2.1%
Jacana — 85+: 2.1% Westmeadows — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Jacana 38.0% couple families
Jacana — Couple Families: 38.0% Jacana — Lone Person: 31.1% Jacana — One Parent Families: 19.5% Jacana — Group Household: 7.5% Jacana — Other Families: 3.9%
Westmeadows 40.0% couple families
Westmeadows — Couple Families: 40.0% Westmeadows — Lone Person: 34.3% Westmeadows — One Parent Families: 21.5% Westmeadows — Group Household: 2.8% Westmeadows — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Jacana 38.4% renting
Jacana — Owned Outright: 30.4% Jacana — Mortgage: 31.2% Jacana — Renting: 38.4%
Westmeadows 26.0% renting
Westmeadows — Owned Outright: 34.5% Westmeadows — Mortgage: 39.4% Westmeadows — Renting: 26.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Jacana Westmeadows
Certificate III & IV 10.6% / 14.4%
Jacana — Certificate III & IV: 10.6% Westmeadows — Certificate III & IV: 14.4%
Bachelor Degree 11.7% / 9.5%
Jacana — Bachelor Degree: 11.7% Westmeadows — Bachelor Degree: 9.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.2% / 8.3%
Jacana — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2% Westmeadows — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Postgraduate Degree 6.4% / 2.5%
Jacana — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4% Westmeadows — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.6%
Jacana — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Westmeadows — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

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

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.

Jacana Westmeadows
Nepal 6.1% / —
Jacana — Nepal: 6.1% Westmeadows — Nepal: not among its largest
India 4.8% / 1.3%
Jacana — India: 4.8% Westmeadows — India: 1.3%
Pakistan 4.7% / 0.9%
Jacana — Pakistan: 4.7% Westmeadows — Pakistan: 0.9%
Italy — / 3.1%
Jacana — Italy: not among its largest Westmeadows — Italy: 3.1%
Vietnam 2.7% / —
Jacana — Vietnam: 2.7% Westmeadows — Vietnam: not among its largest
Lebanon 1.6% / 1.1%
Jacana — Lebanon: 1.6% Westmeadows — Lebanon: 1.1%
Sri Lanka 1.2% / 1.2%
Jacana — Sri Lanka: 1.2% Westmeadows — Sri Lanka: 1.2%
England — / 1.9%
Jacana — England: not among its largest Westmeadows — England: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Jacana 82.3% houses
Jacana — Houses: 82.3% Jacana — Townhouses: 10.0% Jacana — Flats / Apartments: 7.7%
Westmeadows 76.9% houses
Westmeadows — Houses: 76.9% Westmeadows — Townhouses: 22.3% Westmeadows — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Jacana Westmeadows
Median house price $627,500 $758,000
Median unit price $596,000 $603,000
Median land price — $635,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 9 sales
 22 days
from 45 sales

Zoning mix

Jacana Westmeadows
Residential 61% 46%
Parks and recreation 24% 29%
Infrastructure and transport 15% 8%
Commercial 0% 10%
Industrial 0% 7%
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

Jacana Westmeadows
New dwellings approved 3,063
across Hume
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

Jacana Westmeadows
Houses 4.6%
$520/wk on $585K
 4.1%
$590/wk on $755K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Jacana Westmeadows
House price Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 48% of VIC
Income Higher than 37% of VIC —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 41% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 28% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 71% of VIC

Liveability

Jacana scores higher overall (55 vs 46).

Jacana Westmeadows
Grade B C
Score 55/100 46/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Westmeadows carries more bushfire risk (36 vs 0); Westmeadows carries more flood risk (46 vs 32).

Jacana Westmeadows
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
36/100
Crime High
70/100
 Moderate
64/100
Flood Low
32/100
 Moderate
46/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Moderate
50/100
 High
70/100
Industrial facilities nearby 13
within 5 km
 12
within 5 km

Schools

Jacana Westmeadows
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Jacana

  • Jacana School for Autism Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Westmeadows

  • Westmeadows Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Jacana Westmeadows
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1 7
Parks & reserves 3 16
Childcare 1 4
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 1 0
Fuel stations 1 2
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Westmeadows sits further from the CBD (20.5 km vs 15.9 km).

Jacana Westmeadows
Walkability score 80/100 75/100
Distance to Melbourne 15.9 km 20.5 km
+29% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 27 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 52.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 135.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 3047
 0.7%
postcode 3049
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 26
postcode 3047
 29
postcode 3049

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.

Jacana Westmeadows
Car (driver) 64.8% / 68.7%
Jacana — Car (driver): 64.8% Westmeadows — Car (driver): 68.7%
Worked from Home 17.5% / 23.1%
Jacana — Worked from Home: 17.5% Westmeadows — Worked from Home: 23.1%
Train 8.4% / 2.8%
Jacana — Train: 8.4% Westmeadows — Train: 2.8%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 3.6%
Jacana — Car (passenger): 4.5% Westmeadows — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Bus 2.9% / 0.7%
Jacana — Bus: 2.9% Westmeadows — Bus: 0.7%
Walked Only 1.5% / 0.8%
Jacana — Walked Only: 1.5% Westmeadows — Walked Only: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.7%).

Setting

Jacana Westmeadows
Elevation 115 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 90 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.0 km 18.4 km

NBN connectivity

Jacana Westmeadows
Connectivity score 90/100 88/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 53%
975 premises
 53%
2,771 premises

Climate

Jacana Westmeadows
Annual rainfall 534 mm 518 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C 6.0°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Jacana Westmeadows
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 18.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Jacana Westmeadows
Average residential rate $1,715/yr
same for both
Council Hume
same for both

Federal electorate

Jacana Westmeadows
Division Calwell
same for both
Member Basem Abdo
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Jacana Westmeadows
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Jacana

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks River

Westmeadows

Middle-Ring Parks River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Jacana

Jacana vs Glenroy Jacana vs Broadmeadows Jacana vs Gladstone Park Jacana vs Gowanbrae

Other comparisons with Westmeadows

Westmeadows vs Greenvale Westmeadows vs Meadow Heights Westmeadows vs Broadmeadows Westmeadows vs Gladstone Park Westmeadows vs Tullamarine Westmeadows vs Attwood
Full data on Jacana Full data on Westmeadows
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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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