Kallista vs Monbulk
Monbulk is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 47 in Kallista. 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. Houses cost more in Kallista: a median of $1 million, against $831,000 in Monbulk, though rent is higher in Monbulk. On these figures, Monbulk tends to suit families with children 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
Monbulk
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
- But Kallista carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 38/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Monbulk
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($831,000 vs $1,000,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kallista
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (22/100 vs 14/100)
- has a shorter drive in (58 min vs 63 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (53.5 km vs 55.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kallista
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (22/100 vs 14/100)
- carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 38/100)
- But Monbulk has more GPs (4 vs 1)
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
Kallista and Monbulk 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
Monbulk has more residents (3,651 vs 1,418); Kallista has higher household incomes ($104,156 vs $89,544).
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,418 | 3,651 +157% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.3% | +2.1% |
| Median age | 47 | 41 |
| Median household income | $104,156/yr +14% vs other | $89,544/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $347/wk | $369/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
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 (7.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,000,000 | $831,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $600,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 9 days from 11 sales | 18 days from 23 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.
5 vs 10 sales
20 vs 59 sales
15 vs 18 sales
Zoning mix
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 71% | 79% |
| Parks and recreation | 27% | 8% |
| Residential | 0% | 8% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 3% |
| Industrial | 0% | 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
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 416 across Yarra Ranges same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -57% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.3% $670/wk on $802K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 46% of VIC | Higher than 44% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 76% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
| Schools | — | Higher than 57% of VIC |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of VIC | Higher than 77% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 81% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 95% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 75% of VIC same for both | |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 86% of VIC |
Liveability
Kallista is more walkable (22 vs 14); Kallista scores higher overall (61 vs 54).
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 61/100 | 54/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Kallista carries more flood risk (23 vs 11); Monbulk carries more crime risk (38 vs 27).
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 72/100 | Moderate 67/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | Low 38/100 |
| Flood | Low 23/100 | Low 11/100 |
| 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
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 4 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Kallista
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Monbulk
- St Paul's School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Monbulk College Government · Secondary at peers
- Monbulk Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Cire Community School - Monbulk Campus Independent · Combined · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 2 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 4 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 5 |
| Childcare | 2 | 3 |
| GPs | 1 | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 9 | 7 |
Mobility
Monbulk sits further from the CBD (55.8 km vs 53.5 km).
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 22/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 53.5 km | 55.8 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 58 min | 63 min |
| Public transport score | 36/100 Bus | 77/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 6.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 31.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 3 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.1% postcode 3791 | 0.9% postcode 3793 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 28 postcode 3791 | 39 postcode 3793 |
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
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 402 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 263 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 30.2 km | 33.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 29% 666 premises | 34% 1,599 premises |
Climate
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 777 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.3°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 15.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,161/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yarra Ranges same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Casey same for both | |
| Member | Aaron Violi same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kallista | Monbulk | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Kallista
Other comparisons with Monbulk
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.