Longwood East vs Ruffy
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Longwood East, most households are people living alone. In Ruffy, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Longwood East tends to suit people living alone and older residents.
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
Ruffy
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (40% vs 20%)
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Ruffy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 25%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Ruffy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $175/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Longwood East
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (105 min vs 124 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (150.7 km vs 165.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Longwood East has more residents already 65 and over (42% vs 30%)
- Ruffy carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ruffy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (46.4% vs 37.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Longwood East and Ruffy 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
Ruffy has more residents (164 vs 131); Longwood East rents higher ($175/wk vs $150/wk).
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 131 | 164 +25% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +37.9% | +46.4% |
| Median age | 59 same for both | |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr | $74,152/yr +4% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $175/wk +14% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 100% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 75 across Strathbogie same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +167% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 40% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 8% of VIC | Higher than 64% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 39% of VIC | Higher than 16% of VIC |
Liveability
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Longwood East carries more flood risk (58 vs 0); Longwood East carries more crime risk (65 vs 51).
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 63/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 65/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 58/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 4 |
| Waterways | 2 | 10 |
Mobility
Ruffy sits further from the CBD (165.6 km vs 150.7 km).
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 150.7 km | 165.6 km +10% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 105 min | 124 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3666 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 3666 same for both | |
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 (57.9%).
Setting
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 252 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 516 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 18/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 73 premises | 0% 62 premises |
Climate
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 865 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,476/yr same for both | |
| Council | Strathbogie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls | Indi |
| Member | Sam Birrell | Helen Haines |
| Party | The Nationals | Independent |
First Home Owner Grant
| Longwood East | Ruffy | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Longwood East
Other comparisons with Ruffy
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.