Keysborough vs Waterways

Keysborough is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 41 in Waterways. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Waterways: a median of $1.66 million, against $1 million in Keysborough, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Keysborough tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Waterways 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

Keysborough

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (19 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (11 vs 0)
  • But Waterways carries lower crime risk (33/100 vs 64/100)

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

First-home buyers

Keysborough

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,000,000 vs $1,655,500)
  • has cheaper land ($1,185,500 vs $1,577,500)
  • But Waterways leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 25%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Keysborough

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($421/wk vs $623/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Keysborough

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (66/100 vs 32/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (38 min vs 44 min)
  • But Waterways sits closer to the CBD (34.8 km vs 38.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Keysborough

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (66/100 vs 32/100)
  • But Waterways carries lower crime risk (33/100 vs 64/100)

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

Investors

Keysborough

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (16.4% vs -1.6%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.4% vs 2.9%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Keysborough Waterways
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.

Keysborough Waterways
Walkability 66 / 32
Keysborough — Walkability: 66/100 Waterways — Walkability: 32/100
Safety 36 / 67
Keysborough — Safety: 36/100 Waterways — Safety: 67/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Keysborough — Low fire risk: 100/100 Waterways — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 47 / 8
Keysborough — Low flood risk: 47/100 Waterways — Low flood risk: 8/100

Demographics

Keysborough has more residents (30,018 vs 2,422); Waterways has higher household incomes ($156,676 vs $103,532).

Keysborough Waterways
Population 30,018
+92% vs other
 2,422
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.4% -1.6%
Median age 36 41
Median household income $103,532/yr $156,676/yr
+51% vs other
Median weekly rent $421/wk $623/wk
+48% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Keysborough Waterways
0-4 6.2% / 4.3%
Keysborough — 0-4: 6.2% Waterways — 0-4: 4.3%
5-14 13.4% / 15.2%
Keysborough — 5-14: 13.4% Waterways — 5-14: 15.2%
15-19 6.3% / 8.4%
Keysborough — 15-19: 6.3% Waterways — 15-19: 8.4%
20-24 6.6% / 8.1%
Keysborough — 20-24: 6.6% Waterways — 20-24: 8.1%
25-34 14.2% / 7.7%
Keysborough — 25-34: 14.2% Waterways — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 15.7% / 12.5%
Keysborough — 35-44: 15.7% Waterways — 35-44: 12.5%
45-54 12.8% / 20.7%
Keysborough — 45-54: 12.8% Waterways — 45-54: 20.7%
55-64 10.6% / 11.8%
Keysborough — 55-64: 10.6% Waterways — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 8.4% / 8.1%
Keysborough — 65-74: 8.4% Waterways — 65-74: 8.1%
75-84 4.3% / 2.7%
Keysborough — 75-84: 4.3% Waterways — 75-84: 2.7%
85+ 1.5% / 0.4%
Keysborough — 85+: 1.5% Waterways — 85+: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Keysborough 61.8% couple families
Keysborough — Couple Families: 61.8% Keysborough — One Parent Families: 17.5% Keysborough — Lone Person: 16.0% Keysborough — Group Household: 2.9% Keysborough — Other Families: 1.7%
Waterways 77.8% couple families
Waterways — Couple Families: 77.8% Waterways — One Parent Families: 12.3% Waterways — Lone Person: 8.1% Waterways — Group Household: 0.7% Waterways — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Keysborough 19.2% renting
Keysborough — Owned Outright: 32.7% Keysborough — Mortgage: 48.1% Keysborough — Renting: 19.2%
Waterways 11.1% renting
Waterways — Owned Outright: 30.1% Waterways — Mortgage: 58.8% Waterways — Renting: 11.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Keysborough Waterways
Bachelor Degree 14.4% / 20.2%
Keysborough — Bachelor Degree: 14.4% Waterways — Bachelor Degree: 20.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 8.1%
Keysborough — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% Waterways — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Certificate III & IV 8.3% / 6.9%
Keysborough — Certificate III & IV: 8.3% Waterways — Certificate III & IV: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.0% / 7.1%
Keysborough — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0% Waterways — Postgraduate Degree: 7.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 2.8%
Keysborough — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Waterways — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

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.

Keysborough Waterways
Vietnam 8.6% / 4.8%
Keysborough — Vietnam: 8.6% Waterways — Vietnam: 4.8%
India 6.6% / 5.6%
Keysborough — India: 6.6% Waterways — India: 5.6%
China 5.1% / 6.4%
Keysborough — China: 5.1% Waterways — China: 6.4%
Sri Lanka 3.8% / 2.1%
Keysborough — Sri Lanka: 3.8% Waterways — Sri Lanka: 2.1%
England 1.1% / 3.3%
Keysborough — England: 1.1% Waterways — England: 3.3%
South Africa — / 2.6%
Keysborough — South Africa: not among its largest Waterways — South Africa: 2.6%
Philippines 1.6% / 0.8%
Keysborough — Philippines: 1.6% Waterways — Philippines: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Keysborough 89.5% houses
Keysborough — Houses: 89.5% Keysborough — Townhouses: 9.4% Keysborough — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Waterways 87.9% houses
Waterways — Houses: 87.9% Waterways — Townhouses: 12.1% Waterways — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Keysborough Waterways
Median house price $1,000,000 $1,655,500
Median unit price $664,000 —
Median land price $1,185,500 $1,577,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 276 sales
 30 days
from 16 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.

Keysborough Waterways
3 bed $900K / $1.04M
Keysborough — 3 bed: $900K (202 sales) Waterways — 3 bed: $1.04M (12 sales)

202 vs 12 sales

4 bed $1.14M / $1.61M
Keysborough — 4 bed: $1.14M (159 sales) Waterways — 4 bed: $1.61M (24 sales)

159 vs 24 sales

5 bed $1.44M / $1.84M
Keysborough — 5 bed: $1.44M (56 sales) Waterways — 5 bed: $1.84M (12 sales)

56 vs 12 sales

Zoning mix

Keysborough has more rural and farming land (26% vs 0%); Keysborough has more industrially zoned land (12% vs 0%).

Keysborough Waterways
Infrastructure and transport 17% 50%
Residential 37% 48%
Rural and farming 26% 0%
Industrial 12% 0%
Parks and recreation 5% 2%
Commercial 3% 0%
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

Keysborough Waterways
New dwellings approved 594
across Greater Dandenong
 465
across Kingston (Vic.)
Approvals change year on year -34% -36%

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.

Keysborough Waterways
Houses 4.4%
$750/wk on $885K
 2.9%
$938/wk on $1.68M
Units 4.6%
$600/wk on $679K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Keysborough Waterways
House price Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Income — Higher than 99% of VIC
Schools Higher than 76% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 65% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 9% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 38% of VIC —

Liveability

Keysborough is more walkable (66 vs 32); Waterways scores higher overall (68 vs 63).

Keysborough Waterways
Grade B A
Score 63/100 68/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Keysborough carries more crime risk (64 vs 33); Waterways carries more flood risk (92 vs 53).

Keysborough Waterways
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
64/100
 Low
33/100
Flood Moderate
53/100
 High
92/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 27
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

Keysborough Waterways
Inside the suburb 11 0
Rated above peers 4 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Keysborough

  • Haileybury College - Keysborough Boys Independent · Combined above peers
  • Keysborough Gardens Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Lighthouse Christian College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Mt Hira College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Chandler Park Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Resurrection School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Waterways

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Keysborough Waterways
Supermarkets 8 0
Cafes & restaurants 10 1
Parks & reserves 16 1
Childcare 19 0
GPs 6 0
Pharmacies 5 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 0
Fuel stations 5 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 4 8

Mobility

Keysborough sits further from the CBD (38.1 km vs 34.8 km).

Keysborough Waterways
Walkability score 66/100 32/100
Distance to Melbourne 38.1 km
+9% vs other
 34.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 38 min 44 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 60/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 312.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 14.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.8%
postcode 3173
 1.7%
postcode 3195
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 3173
 31
postcode 3195

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.

Keysborough Waterways
Car (driver) 68.2% / 58.7%
Keysborough — Car (driver): 68.2% Waterways — Car (driver): 58.7%
Worked from Home 21.6% / 34.4%
Keysborough — Worked from Home: 21.6% Waterways — Worked from Home: 34.4%
Car (passenger) 6.2% / 3.8%
Keysborough — Car (passenger): 6.2% Waterways — Car (passenger): 3.8%
Train 2.3% / 2.5%
Keysborough — Train: 2.3% Waterways — Train: 2.5%
Bus 0.9% / 0.3%
Keysborough — Bus: 0.9% Waterways — Bus: 0.3%
Bicycle 0.2% / 0.4%
Keysborough — Bicycle: 0.2% Waterways — Bicycle: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.2%).

Setting

Keysborough Waterways
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.4 km 3.0 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Keysborough Waterways
Connectivity score 96/100 100/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 89%
10,097 premises
 100%
754 premises

Climate

Keysborough Waterways
Annual rainfall 781 mm 644 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 26.0°C
Winter min (Jul) — 6.9°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Keysborough Waterways
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.98 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Keysborough Waterways
Average residential rate $2,123/yr $1,940/yr
Council Greater Dandenong Kingston (Vic.)

Federal electorate

Keysborough Waterways
Division Isaacs
same for both
Member Mark Dreyfus
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Keysborough Waterways
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Keysborough

Large Blocks Multicultural Outer River

Waterways

Large Blocks Multicultural Outer Premium Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Keysborough

Keysborough vs Noble Park Keysborough vs Dandenong Keysborough vs Springvale South Keysborough vs Dingley Village Keysborough vs Aspendale Gardens Keysborough vs Bangholme

Other comparisons with Waterways

Waterways vs Aspendale Gardens Waterways vs Bangholme
Full data on Keysborough Full data on Waterways
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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