Kardella South vs Ruby

Kardella South is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 48 in Ruby. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kardella South, about half of households are couple families. In Ruby, most households are couple families. On these figures, Kardella South tends to suit people living alone, while Ruby 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

Ruby

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 44/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 63%)

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

First-home buyers

Ruby

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 23%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Kardella South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (127.7 km vs 130.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Ruby

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 44/100)

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

Investors

Kardella South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.0% vs -0.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kardella South Ruby
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.

Kardella South Ruby
Walkability 0 / 0
Kardella South — Walkability: 0/100 Ruby — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 56 / 82
Kardella South — Safety: 56/100 Ruby — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kardella South — Low fire risk: 100/100 Ruby — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 100 / 86
Kardella South — Low flood risk: 100/100 Ruby — Low flood risk: 86/100

Demographics

Ruby has more residents (187 vs 135); Ruby has higher household incomes ($111,228 vs $97,500).

Kardella South Ruby
Population 135 187
+39% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +25.0% -0.5%
Median age 45 48
Median household income $97,500/yr $111,228/yr
+14% vs other
Median weekly rent $325/wk
+2% vs other
 $320/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kardella South Ruby
0-4 2.2% / 1.6%
Kardella South — 0-4: 2.2% Ruby — 0-4: 1.6%
5-14 11.1% / 16.0%
Kardella South — 5-14: 11.1% Ruby — 5-14: 16.0%
15-19 11.9% / 8.0%
Kardella South — 15-19: 11.9% Ruby — 15-19: 8.0%
20-24 2.2% / 2.7%
Kardella South — 20-24: 2.2% Ruby — 20-24: 2.7%
25-34 4.4% / 5.3%
Kardella South — 25-34: 4.4% Ruby — 25-34: 5.3%
35-44 12.6% / 10.7%
Kardella South — 35-44: 12.6% Ruby — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 23.0% / 20.3%
Kardella South — 45-54: 23.0% Ruby — 45-54: 20.3%
55-64 17.0% / 15.0%
Kardella South — 55-64: 17.0% Ruby — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 8.1% / 11.8%
Kardella South — 65-74: 8.1% Ruby — 65-74: 11.8%
75-84 5.9% / 5.9%
Kardella South — 75-84: 5.9% Ruby — 75-84: 5.9%
85+ 2.2% / 3.2%
Kardella South — 85+: 2.2% Ruby — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kardella South 51.9% couple families
Kardella South — Couple Families: 51.9% Kardella South — Lone Person: 37.0% Kardella South — One Parent Families: 11.1%
Ruby 62.5% couple families
Ruby — Couple Families: 62.5% Ruby — Lone Person: 12.5% Ruby — One Parent Families: 25.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kardella South 0.0% renting
Kardella South — Owned Outright: 41.0% Kardella South — Mortgage: 59.0% Kardella South — Renting: 0.0%
Ruby 8.3% renting
Ruby — Owned Outright: 58.3% Ruby — Mortgage: 33.3% Ruby — Renting: 8.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kardella South 107.1% houses
Kardella South — Houses: 107.1%
Ruby 100.0% houses
Ruby — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Kardella South Ruby
Certificate III & IV 22.2% / 14.4%
Kardella South — Certificate III & IV: 22.2% Ruby — Certificate III & IV: 14.4%
Bachelor Degree 11.9% / 10.2%
Kardella South — Bachelor Degree: 11.9% Ruby — Bachelor Degree: 10.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 9.1%
Kardella South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Ruby — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 1.6%
Kardella South — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Ruby — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 2.1%
Kardella South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Ruby — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

Zoning mix

Kardella South Ruby
Rural and farming 98% 95%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 3%
Parks and recreation 1% 2%
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

Kardella South Ruby
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Kardella South Ruby
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 43% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 16% of VIC Higher than 36% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 56% of VIC

Liveability

Kardella South Ruby
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Ruby carries more flood risk (14 vs 0); Kardella South carries more crime risk (44 vs 18).

Kardella South Ruby
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
44/100
 Low
18/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
14/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Kardella South Ruby
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Kardella South Ruby
Waterways 2
same for both

Mobility

Ruby sits further from the CBD (130.6 km vs 127.7 km).

Kardella South Ruby
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 127.7 km 130.6 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 101 min 103 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 3950
 0.4%
postcode 3953
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 43
postcode 3950
 44
postcode 3953

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.

Kardella South Ruby
Car (driver) 82.8% / 67.1%
Kardella South — Car (driver): 82.8% Ruby — Car (driver): 67.1%
Worked from Home 12.5% / 28.0%
Kardella South — Worked from Home: 12.5% Ruby — Worked from Home: 28.0%
Walked Only — / 4.9%
Kardella South — Walked Only: not among its largest Ruby — Walked Only: 4.9%
Car (passenger) 4.7% / —
Kardella South — Car (passenger): 4.7% Ruby — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.8%).

Setting

Kardella South Ruby
Elevation 163 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 193 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 21.4 km 24.6 km

NBN connectivity

Kardella South Ruby
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
55 premises
 0%
78 premises

Climate

Kardella South Ruby
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

Kardella South Ruby
Average residential rate $2,282/yr
same for both
Council South Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Kardella South Ruby
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kardella South Ruby
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kardella South

Rural

Ruby

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kardella South

Kardella South vs Leongatha Kardella South vs Korumburra Kardella South vs Kardella Kardella South vs Korumburra South

Other comparisons with Ruby

Ruby vs Leongatha Ruby vs Kardella Ruby vs Leongatha North Ruby vs Fairbank
Full data on Kardella South Full data on Ruby
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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