Kew vs Canterbury

Kew is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Canterbury. In both, most households own their home. In Canterbury, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Canterbury: a median of $3.2 million, against $2.45 million in Kew, and rent is higher there too. Kew is closer to the city centre: 8.4 km, against 10.9 km. On these figures, Kew tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Canterbury 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

Canterbury

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (5 vs 3)
  • carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 69/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (64% vs 50%)
  • But Kew has more parks and reserves (28 vs 9)

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

First-home buyers

Kew

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($665,000 vs $964,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($2,450,000 vs $3,200,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Kew

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($476/wk vs $515/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Kew

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (18 min vs 24 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (8.4 km vs 10.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Kew

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (50% vs 36%)
  • But Canterbury carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 69/100)

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

Investors

Kew

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.5% vs 3.8%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kew Canterbury
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.

Kew Canterbury
Walkability 93 / 87
Kew — Walkability: 93/100 Canterbury — Walkability: 87/100
Safety 31 / 57
Kew — Safety: 31/100 Canterbury — Safety: 57/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kew — Low fire risk: 100/100 Canterbury — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 43 / 75
Kew — Low flood risk: 43/100 Canterbury — Low flood risk: 75/100

Demographics

Kew has more residents (24,499 vs 7,800); Canterbury has higher household incomes ($149,604 vs $129,844).

Kew Canterbury
Population 24,499
+68% vs other
 7,800
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.4% -3.2%
Median age 41 46
Median household income $129,844/yr $149,604/yr
+15% vs other
Median weekly rent $476/wk $515/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kew Canterbury
0-4 3.9% / 3.2%
Kew — 0-4: 3.9% Canterbury — 0-4: 3.2%
5-14 11.3% / 12.6%
Kew — 5-14: 11.3% Canterbury — 5-14: 12.6%
15-19 7.0% / 8.1%
Kew — 15-19: 7.0% Canterbury — 15-19: 8.1%
20-24 7.2% / 6.8%
Kew — 20-24: 7.2% Canterbury — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 12.9% / 7.7%
Kew — 25-34: 12.9% Canterbury — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 11.5% / 10.2%
Kew — 35-44: 11.5% Canterbury — 35-44: 10.2%
45-54 14.0% / 14.1%
Kew — 45-54: 14.0% Canterbury — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 12.9% / 13.9%
Kew — 55-64: 12.9% Canterbury — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 10.1% / 11.9%
Kew — 65-74: 10.1% Canterbury — 65-74: 11.9%
75-84 6.1% / 7.4%
Kew — 75-84: 6.1% Canterbury — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 3.2% / 4.1%
Kew — 85+: 3.2% Canterbury — 85+: 4.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kew 43.6% couple families
Kew — Couple Families: 43.6% Kew — Lone Person: 34.9% Kew — One Parent Families: 12.7% Kew — Group Household: 7.0% Kew — Other Families: 1.8%
Canterbury 53.7% couple families
Canterbury — Couple Families: 53.7% Canterbury — Lone Person: 29.5% Canterbury — One Parent Families: 13.3% Canterbury — Group Household: 2.4% Canterbury — 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.

Kew 29.4% renting
Kew — Owned Outright: 40.7% Kew — Mortgage: 29.9% Kew — Renting: 29.4%
Canterbury 19.7% renting
Canterbury — Owned Outright: 49.2% Canterbury — Mortgage: 31.1% Canterbury — Renting: 19.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Kew Canterbury
China 6.6% / 10.4%
Kew — China: 6.6% Canterbury — China: 10.4%
England 2.9% / 3.3%
Kew — England: 2.9% Canterbury — England: 3.3%
Malaysia 2.2% / 1.7%
Kew — Malaysia: 2.2% Canterbury — Malaysia: 1.7%
India 1.8% / 1.7%
Kew — India: 1.8% Canterbury — India: 1.7%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.4%
Kew — New Zealand: 1.4% Canterbury — New Zealand: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.4%).

Qualifications

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

Kew Canterbury
Bachelor Degree 27.3% / 27.0%
Kew — Bachelor Degree: 27.3% Canterbury — Bachelor Degree: 27.0%
Postgraduate Degree 13.1% / 13.4%
Kew — Postgraduate Degree: 13.1% Canterbury — Postgraduate Degree: 13.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 6.9%
Kew — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% Canterbury — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Certificate III & IV 4.4% / 3.7%
Kew — Certificate III & IV: 4.4% Canterbury — Certificate III & IV: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 3.9%
Kew — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% Canterbury — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kew 50.5% houses
Kew — Houses: 50.5% Kew — Townhouses: 23.6% Kew — Flats / Apartments: 26.0%
Canterbury 64.5% houses
Canterbury — Houses: 64.5% Canterbury — Townhouses: 23.3% Canterbury — Flats / Apartments: 12.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Kew Canterbury
Median house price $2,450,000 $3,200,000
Median unit price $665,000 $964,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 43 sales
 26 days
from 62 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.

Kew Canterbury
2 bed $665K / $855K
Kew — 2 bed: $665K (69 sales) Canterbury — 2 bed: $855K (21 sales)

69 vs 21 sales

3 bed $925K / $1.47M
Kew — 3 bed: $925K (13 sales) Canterbury — 3 bed: $1.47M (6 sales)

13 vs 6 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.

Kew Canterbury
3 bed $1.8M / $2.57M
Kew — 3 bed: $1.8M (22 sales) Canterbury — 3 bed: $2.57M (24 sales)

22 vs 24 sales

4 bed $2.88M / $3.2M
Kew — 4 bed: $2.88M (21 sales) Canterbury — 4 bed: $3.2M (51 sales)

21 vs 51 sales

5 bed $2.9M / $4.03M
Kew — 5 bed: $2.9M (9 sales) Canterbury — 5 bed: $4.03M (32 sales)

9 vs 32 sales

Zoning mix

Kew Canterbury
Residential 68% 87%
Parks and recreation 18% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 12% 5%
Commercial 2% 3%
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

Kew Canterbury
New dwellings approved 711
across Boroondara
same for both
Approvals change year on year -40%
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.

Kew Canterbury
Houses 2.7%
$1,275/wk on $2.49M
 2.3%
$1,400/wk on $3.2M
Units 5.5%
$682/wk on $650K
 3.8%
$645/wk on $875K

Ranking within VIC

Kew Canterbury
House price Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
Income Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Schools Higher than 53% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 2% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 100% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 86% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 6% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 6% of VIC

Liveability

Canterbury scores higher overall (93 vs 74).

Kew Canterbury
Grade A A+
Score 74/100 93/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Kew carries more flood risk (57 vs 25); Kew carries more crime risk (69 vs 43).

Kew Canterbury
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
69/100
 Moderate
43/100
Flood Moderate
57/100
 Low
25/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Kew Canterbury
Inside the suburb 13 7
Rated above peers 3 5
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 3 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 2.4 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 3.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.9% 5.4%

Schools in Kew

  • Genazzano FCJ College Catholic · Combined above peers
  • Methodist Ladies' College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Trinity Grammar School Kew Independent · Combined above peers
  • Carey Baptist Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Kew Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Ruyton Girls' School Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Canterbury

  • Camberwell Girls Grammar School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Camberwell Grammar School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Canterbury Girls Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Canterbury Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar Independent · Combined above peers
  • Camberwell Girls Grammar School - Junior Campus Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Kew Canterbury
Supermarkets 4 1
Cafes & restaurants 22 9
Parks & reserves 28 9
Childcare 24 10
GPs 4 1
Pharmacies 2 1
Hospitals 3 1
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 2
Fuel stations 4 0
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

Canterbury sits further from the CBD (10.9 km vs 8.4 km).

Kew Canterbury
Walkability score 93/100 87/100
Distance to Melbourne 8.4 km 10.9 km
+30% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 24 min
Public transport score 81/100
Tram · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 702.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 79.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.7%
postcode 3101
 3.8%
postcode 3126
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 18
postcode 3101
 20
postcode 3126

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.

Kew Canterbury
Worked from Home 46.4% / 49.6%
Kew — Worked from Home: 46.4% Canterbury — Worked from Home: 49.6%
Car (driver) 41.5% / 40.0%
Kew — Car (driver): 41.5% Canterbury — Car (driver): 40.0%
Walked Only 3.4% / 2.4%
Kew — Walked Only: 3.4% Canterbury — Walked Only: 2.4%
Train 1.1% / 4.0%
Kew — Train: 1.1% Canterbury — Train: 4.0%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 2.3%
Kew — Car (passenger): 2.7% Canterbury — Car (passenger): 2.3%
Tram / Light Rail 2.1% / 0.6%
Kew — Tram / Light Rail: 2.1% Canterbury — Tram / Light Rail: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.6%).

Setting

Kew Canterbury
Elevation 73 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.4 km 10.2 km

NBN connectivity

Kew Canterbury
Connectivity score 79/100 76/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 18%
12,405 premises
 5%
3,618 premises

Climate

Kew Canterbury
Annual rainfall 534 mm 777 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C 26.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C 6.3°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Kew Canterbury
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³ 4.3 µg/m³
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ —
NO₂ 0.82 pphm —

Council rates

Kew Canterbury
Average residential rate $2,253/yr
same for both
Council Boroondara
same for both

Federal electorate

Kew Canterbury
Division Kooyong
same for both
Member Monique Ryan
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kew Canterbury
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kew

Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

Canterbury

Easy Commute Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kew

Kew vs Richmond Kew vs Hawthorn Kew vs Balwyn North Kew vs Hawthorn East Kew vs Balwyn Kew vs Abbotsford

Other comparisons with Canterbury

Canterbury vs Camberwell Canterbury vs Hawthorn East Canterbury vs Surrey Hills Canterbury vs Balwyn Canterbury vs Deepdene
Full data on Kew Full data on Canterbury
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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