Kensington vs North Melbourne

North Melbourne is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 35 in Kensington. In both, about half of households are people living alone. In Kensington, about half of households rent. In North Melbourne, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. North Melbourne is closer to the city centre: 3.3 km, against 4.8 km. On these figures, North Melbourne tends to suit renters and young adults.

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

Kensington

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (17% vs 4%)
  • has more parks and reserves (24 vs 10)
  • is already more of a family suburb (38% vs 29%)
  • But North Melbourne has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 4)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

North Melbourne

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (66% vs 50%)
  • has cheaper rent ($381/wk vs $416/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

North Melbourne

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (96% vs 83%)

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

Investors

Kensington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (7.3% vs 6.4%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kensington North Melbourne
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.

Kensington North Melbourne
Walkability 99 / 100
Kensington — Walkability: 99/100 North Melbourne — Walkability: 100/100
Safety 14 / 10
Kensington — Safety: 14/100 North Melbourne — Safety: 10/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kensington — Low fire risk: 100/100 North Melbourne — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 25 / 24
Kensington — Low flood risk: 25/100 North Melbourne — Low flood risk: 24/100

Demographics

North Melbourne has more residents (14,953 vs 10,745); Kensington has higher household incomes ($115,232 vs $89,284).

Kensington North Melbourne
Population 10,745 14,953
+39% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.6% +0.1%
Median age 35 31
Median household income $115,232/yr
+23% vs other
 $89,284/yr
Median weekly rent $416/wk
+8% vs other
 $381/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kensington North Melbourne
0-4 5.9% / 3.7%
Kensington — 0-4: 5.9% North Melbourne — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 8.7% / 7.9%
Kensington — 5-14: 8.7% North Melbourne — 5-14: 7.9%
15-19 3.4% / 4.7%
Kensington — 15-19: 3.4% North Melbourne — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 7.0% / 13.8%
Kensington — 20-24: 7.0% North Melbourne — 20-24: 13.8%
25-34 23.7% / 28.6%
Kensington — 25-34: 23.7% North Melbourne — 25-34: 28.6%
35-44 19.9% / 15.7%
Kensington — 35-44: 19.9% North Melbourne — 35-44: 15.7%
45-54 12.4% / 9.8%
Kensington — 45-54: 12.4% North Melbourne — 45-54: 9.8%
55-64 8.9% / 7.4%
Kensington — 55-64: 8.9% North Melbourne — 55-64: 7.4%
65-74 6.2% / 5.2%
Kensington — 65-74: 6.2% North Melbourne — 65-74: 5.2%
75-84 2.8% / 2.2%
Kensington — 75-84: 2.8% North Melbourne — 75-84: 2.2%
85+ 1.2% / 0.8%
Kensington — 85+: 1.2% North Melbourne — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kensington 47.7% lone person
Kensington — Lone Person: 47.7% Kensington — Couple Families: 27.7% Kensington — Group Household: 12.0% Kensington — One Parent Families: 10.4% Kensington — Other Families: 2.3%
North Melbourne 52.1% lone person
North Melbourne — Lone Person: 52.1% North Melbourne — Couple Families: 18.7% North Melbourne — Group Household: 16.0% North Melbourne — One Parent Families: 10.6% North Melbourne — Other Families: 2.5%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kensington 50.2% renting
Kensington — Owned Outright: 18.5% Kensington — Mortgage: 31.3% Kensington — Renting: 50.2%
North Melbourne 65.8% renting
North Melbourne — Owned Outright: 13.7% North Melbourne — Mortgage: 20.5% North Melbourne — Renting: 65.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Kensington North Melbourne
Bachelor Degree 28.1% / 26.4%
Kensington — Bachelor Degree: 28.1% North Melbourne — Bachelor Degree: 26.4%
Postgraduate Degree 14.5% / 16.7%
Kensington — Postgraduate Degree: 14.5% North Melbourne — Postgraduate Degree: 16.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.7% / 6.2%
Kensington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7% North Melbourne — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Certificate III & IV 5.8% / 4.7%
Kensington — Certificate III & IV: 5.8% North Melbourne — Certificate III & IV: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.2% / 3.3%
Kensington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2% North Melbourne — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.1%).

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.

Kensington North Melbourne
China 2.8% / 7.7%
Kensington — China: 2.8% North Melbourne — China: 7.7%
Vietnam 3.0% / 2.8%
Kensington — Vietnam: 3.0% North Melbourne — Vietnam: 2.8%
England 3.2% / 2.3%
Kensington — England: 3.2% North Melbourne — England: 2.3%
New Zealand 2.5% / 2.1%
Kensington — New Zealand: 2.5% North Melbourne — New Zealand: 2.1%
India 1.6% / 2.6%
Kensington — India: 1.6% North Melbourne — India: 2.6%
Malaysia 1.3% / 2.6%
Kensington — Malaysia: 1.3% North Melbourne — Malaysia: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kensington 29.5% flats / apartments
Kensington — Flats / Apartments: 29.5% Kensington — Townhouses: 53.4% Kensington — Houses: 17.1%
North Melbourne 69.0% flats / apartments
North Melbourne — Flats / Apartments: 69.0% North Melbourne — Townhouses: 26.8% North Melbourne — Houses: 4.2%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Kensington North Melbourne
Median house price $1,190,000 $1,225,000
Median unit price $480,000 $485,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 77 sales
 25 days
from 63 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.

Kensington North Melbourne
1 bed $376K / $368K
Kensington — 1 bed: $376K (44 sales) North Melbourne — 1 bed: $368K (116 sales)

44 vs 116 sales

2 bed $511K / $570K
Kensington — 2 bed: $511K (100 sales) North Melbourne — 2 bed: $570K (139 sales)

100 vs 139 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.

Kensington North Melbourne
2 bed $990K / $1M
Kensington — 2 bed: $990K (62 sales) North Melbourne — 2 bed: $1M (45 sales)

62 vs 45 sales

3 bed $1.28M / $1.33M
Kensington — 3 bed: $1.28M (60 sales) North Melbourne — 3 bed: $1.33M (37 sales)

60 vs 37 sales

4 bed $1.37M / $1.89M
Kensington — 4 bed: $1.37M (21 sales) North Melbourne — 4 bed: $1.89M (13 sales)

21 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Kensington North Melbourne
Residential 59% 48%
Commercial 12% 17%
Other and special use 0% 15%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 14%
Parks and recreation 14% 4%
Industrial 7% 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

Kensington North Melbourne
New dwellings approved 4,715
across Melbourne
same for both
Approvals change year on year +195%
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.

Kensington North Melbourne
Houses 3.8%
$750/wk on $1.01M
 3.8%
$850/wk on $1.18M
Units 7.3%
$670/wk on $480K
 6.4%
$650/wk on $530K

Ranking within VIC

Kensington North Melbourne
House price Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Income — Higher than 59% of VIC
Schools Higher than 20% of VIC Higher than 36% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC
same for both
Affordability — Higher than 14% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 51% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC

Liveability

Kensington North Melbourne
Grade B
same for both
Score 57/100 58/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Kensington North Melbourne
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
86/100
 High
90/100
Flood High
75/100
 High
76/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 35
within 5 km
 33
within 5 km

Schools

Kensington North Melbourne
Inside the suburb 4 9
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1 3
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Melbourne, 2.3 km
 3
The University of Melbourne, 1.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.6% 8.3%

Schools in Kensington

  • Holy Rosary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Kensington Community High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Kensington Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Melbourne City Talented Player Program - Kensington Independent · Secondary

Schools in North Melbourne

  • Saints College - North Melbourne Campus Catholic · Secondary · Special school above peers
  • North Melbourne Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Aloysius College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • St Michael's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Mount Alexander 7-12 College-River Nile Campus Government · Secondary
  • North Melbourne Primary School - Molesworth Street Campus Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Kensington North Melbourne
Supermarkets 5 6
Cafes & restaurants 29 56
Parks & reserves 24 10
Childcare 6 10
GPs 4 5
Pharmacies 1 5
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 1 5
Waterways 1
same for both

Mobility

Kensington North Melbourne
Walkability score 99/100 100/100
Distance to Melbourne 4.8 km
+31% vs other
 3.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 12 min 9 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 117.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 415.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 3031
 1.7%
postcode 3051
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 11
postcode 3031
 4
postcode 3051

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.

Kensington North Melbourne
Worked from Home 54.0% / 46.1%
Kensington — Worked from Home: 54.0% North Melbourne — Worked from Home: 46.1%
Car (driver) 26.5% / 21.8%
Kensington — Car (driver): 26.5% North Melbourne — Car (driver): 21.8%
Walked Only 3.7% / 14.3%
Kensington — Walked Only: 3.7% North Melbourne — Walked Only: 14.3%
Train 7.7% / 4.3%
Kensington — Train: 7.7% North Melbourne — Train: 4.3%
Bicycle 4.5% / 4.2%
Kensington — Bicycle: 4.5% North Melbourne — Bicycle: 4.2%
Tram / Light Rail 0.7% / 6.8%
Kensington — Tram / Light Rail: 0.7% North Melbourne — Tram / Light Rail: 6.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.0%).

Setting

Kensington North Melbourne
Elevation 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.1 km 4.9 km

NBN connectivity

Kensington North Melbourne
Connectivity score 82/100 81/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb Fibre to the building
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 30%
6,258 premises
 34%
10,965 premises

Climate

Kensington North Melbourne
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)

Kensington North Melbourne
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Kensington North Melbourne
Average residential rate $2,345/yr
same for both
Council Melbourne
same for both

Federal electorate

Kensington North Melbourne
Division Maribyrnong Melbourne
Member Jo Briskey Sarah Witty
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Kensington

Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

North Melbourne

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kensington

Kensington vs Footscray Kensington vs West Melbourne Kensington vs Flemington

Other comparisons with North Melbourne

North Melbourne vs Melbourne North Melbourne vs West Melbourne North Melbourne vs Parkville North Melbourne vs Flemington
Full data on Kensington Full data on North Melbourne
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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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