Lower Plenty vs Eltham

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Plenty, about half of households are couple families. In Eltham, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lower Plenty: a median of $1.55 million, against $1.23 million in Eltham, though rent is higher in Eltham. On these figures, Lower Plenty tends to suit people living alone, while Eltham suits couples and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Eltham

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (51 vs 10)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (13 vs 4)
  • But Lower Plenty carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 58/100)

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

First-home buyers

Eltham

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,230,000 vs $1,550,000)
  • has cheaper land ($867,500 vs $1,085,000)
  • But Lower Plenty has cheaper units ($645,000 vs $776,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lower Plenty

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Eltham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 27/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Lower Plenty has more units and townhouses to downsize into (25% vs 14%)
  • Eltham has more GPs (4 vs 0)

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

Investors

Eltham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.5% vs 2.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lower Plenty Eltham
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.

Lower Plenty Eltham
Walkability 27 / 81
Lower Plenty — Walkability: 27/100 Eltham — Walkability: 81/100
Safety 59 / 42
Lower Plenty — Safety: 59/100 Eltham — Safety: 42/100
Low fire risk 100 / 14
Lower Plenty — Low fire risk: 100/100 Eltham — Low fire risk: 14/100
Low flood risk 23 / 37
Lower Plenty — Low flood risk: 23/100 Eltham — Low flood risk: 37/100

Demographics

Eltham has more residents (18,847 vs 3,962); Eltham has higher household incomes ($124,332 vs $112,320).

Lower Plenty Eltham
Population 3,962 18,847
+376% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.8% +2.9%
Median age 45 43
Median household income $112,320/yr $124,332/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $440/wk
+10% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lower Plenty Eltham
0-4 4.8% / 5.3%
Lower Plenty — 0-4: 4.8% Eltham — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 11.8% / 13.4%
Lower Plenty — 5-14: 11.8% Eltham — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 5.9% / 7.0%
Lower Plenty — 15-19: 5.9% Eltham — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 5.0% / 5.4%
Lower Plenty — 20-24: 5.0% Eltham — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 9.5% / 8.0%
Lower Plenty — 25-34: 9.5% Eltham — 25-34: 8.0%
35-44 12.2% / 12.5%
Lower Plenty — 35-44: 12.2% Eltham — 35-44: 12.5%
45-54 14.7% / 15.7%
Lower Plenty — 45-54: 14.7% Eltham — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 12.9% / 14.1%
Lower Plenty — 55-64: 12.9% Eltham — 55-64: 14.1%
65-74 11.8% / 11.8%
Lower Plenty — 65-74: 11.8% Eltham — 65-74: 11.8%
75-84 7.6% / 5.3%
Lower Plenty — 75-84: 7.6% Eltham — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 3.8% / 1.5%
Lower Plenty — 85+: 3.8% Eltham — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lower Plenty 47.6% couple families
Lower Plenty — Couple Families: 47.6% Lower Plenty — Lone Person: 36.6% Lower Plenty — One Parent Families: 12.8% Lower Plenty — Group Household: 1.9% Lower Plenty — Other Families: 1.2%
Eltham 59.1% couple families
Eltham — Couple Families: 59.1% Eltham — Lone Person: 24.4% Eltham — One Parent Families: 14.4% Eltham — Group Household: 1.3% Eltham — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lower Plenty 15.1% renting
Lower Plenty — Owned Outright: 45.0% Lower Plenty — Mortgage: 39.9% Lower Plenty — Renting: 15.1%
Eltham 12.2% renting
Eltham — Owned Outright: 43.1% Eltham — Mortgage: 44.8% Eltham — Renting: 12.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lower Plenty Eltham
Bachelor Degree 19.0% / 18.9%
Lower Plenty — Bachelor Degree: 19.0% Eltham — Bachelor Degree: 18.9%
Certificate III & IV 10.5% / 10.7%
Lower Plenty — Certificate III & IV: 10.5% Eltham — Certificate III & IV: 10.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.0% / 9.0%
Lower Plenty — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0% Eltham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Postgraduate Degree 6.4% / 7.6%
Lower Plenty — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4% Eltham — Postgraduate Degree: 7.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / 3.9%
Lower Plenty — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Eltham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

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.

Lower Plenty Eltham
England 3.4% / 4.6%
Lower Plenty — England: 3.4% Eltham — England: 4.6%
China 2.4% / 1.2%
Lower Plenty — China: 2.4% Eltham — China: 1.2%
New Zealand 0.8% / 1.2%
Lower Plenty — New Zealand: 0.8% Eltham — New Zealand: 1.2%
Italy 1.1% / 0.7%
Lower Plenty — Italy: 1.1% Eltham — Italy: 0.7%
Iran 0.7% / 0.5%
Lower Plenty — Iran: 0.7% Eltham — Iran: 0.5%
South Africa — / 0.7%
Lower Plenty — South Africa: not among its largest Eltham — South Africa: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lower Plenty 75.4% houses
Lower Plenty — Houses: 75.4% Lower Plenty — Townhouses: 21.0% Lower Plenty — Flats / Apartments: 3.6%
Eltham 85.9% houses
Eltham — Houses: 85.9% Eltham — Townhouses: 5.7% Eltham — Flats / Apartments: 8.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lower Plenty Eltham
Median house price $1,550,000 $1,230,000
Median unit price $645,000 $776,500
Median land price $1,085,000 $867,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 42 sales
 23 days
from 205 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.

Lower Plenty Eltham
2 bed $606K / $678K
Lower Plenty — 2 bed: $606K (27 sales) Eltham — 2 bed: $678K (28 sales)

27 vs 28 sales

3 bed $850K / $855K
Lower Plenty — 3 bed: $850K (11 sales) Eltham — 3 bed: $855K (36 sales)

11 vs 36 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.

Lower Plenty Eltham
3 bed $1.15M / $1.06M
Lower Plenty — 3 bed: $1.15M (23 sales) Eltham — 3 bed: $1.06M (108 sales)

23 vs 108 sales

4 bed $2.05M / $1.3M
Lower Plenty — 4 bed: $2.05M (32 sales) Eltham — 4 bed: $1.3M (158 sales)

32 vs 158 sales

5 bed $2.25M / $1.54M
Lower Plenty — 5 bed: $2.25M (7 sales) Eltham — 5 bed: $1.54M (40 sales)

7 vs 40 sales

Zoning mix

Lower Plenty Eltham
Residential 44% 59%
Environmental 22% 15%
Parks and recreation 17% 16%
Other and special use 14% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 6%
Commercial 0% 2%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

Lower Plenty Eltham
New dwellings approved 722
across Banyule
 98
across Nillumbik
Approvals change year on year -75% +8%

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.

Lower Plenty Eltham
Houses 2.2%
$620/wk on $1.45M
 3.5%
$785/wk on $1.15M
Units — 4.0%
$580/wk on $745K

Ranking within VIC

Lower Plenty Eltham
House price Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Income Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 48% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 22% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 2% of VIC Higher than 39% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 11% of VIC

Liveability

Eltham is more walkable (81 vs 27); Lower Plenty scores higher overall (68 vs 55).

Lower Plenty Eltham
Grade A B
Score 68/100 55/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Eltham carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 0); Eltham carries more crime risk (58 vs 41).

Lower Plenty Eltham
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
86/100
Crime Moderate
41/100
 Moderate
58/100
Flood High
77/100
 Moderate
63/100
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

Lower Plenty Eltham
Inside the suburb 1 5
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 6.7 km
 2
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 9.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.9% 2.6%

Schools in Lower Plenty

  • Lower Plenty Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Eltham

  • Our Lady Help of Christians School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Catholic Ladies' College Ltd Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Eltham East Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Eltham High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Eltham Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Lower Plenty Eltham
Supermarkets 2 4
Cafes & restaurants 2 30
Parks & reserves 10 51
Childcare 4 13
GPs 0 4
Pharmacies 1 4
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 4
Fuel stations 0 6
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 2 24

Mobility

Lower Plenty Eltham
Walkability score 27/100 81/100
Distance to Melbourne 24.2 km 25.3 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 34 min 36 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 91/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 72.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 270.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.0%
postcode 3093
 1.8%
postcode 3095
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 3093
 34
postcode 3095

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.

Lower Plenty Eltham
Car (driver) 55.8% / 50.6%
Lower Plenty — Car (driver): 55.8% Eltham — Car (driver): 50.6%
Worked from Home 38.2% / 42.2%
Lower Plenty — Worked from Home: 38.2% Eltham — Worked from Home: 42.2%
Car (passenger) 2.5% / 3.1%
Lower Plenty — Car (passenger): 2.5% Eltham — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Train 1.8% / 2.3%
Lower Plenty — Train: 1.8% Eltham — Train: 2.3%
Walked Only 0.7% / 1.1%
Lower Plenty — Walked Only: 0.7% Eltham — Walked Only: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.8%).

Setting

Lower Plenty Eltham
Elevation 53 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 94 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 18.7 km 23.1 km

NBN connectivity

Lower Plenty Eltham
Connectivity score 76/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 17%
1,739 premises
 9%
7,841 premises

Climate

Lower Plenty Eltham
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)

Lower Plenty Eltham
PM2.5 3.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Lower Plenty Eltham
Average residential rate $1,787/yr $2,696/yr
Council Banyule Nillumbik

Federal electorate

Lower Plenty Eltham
Division Jagajaga
same for both
Member Kate Thwaites
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lower Plenty Eltham
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lower Plenty

Middle-Ring Premium Townhouses

Eltham

Easy Commute Large Blocks Outer Parks Professionals Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lower Plenty

Lower Plenty vs Templestowe Lower Plenty vs Templestowe Lower Lower Plenty vs Montmorency Lower Plenty vs Viewbank Lower Plenty vs Yallambie

Other comparisons with Eltham

Eltham vs Templestowe Eltham vs Diamond Creek Eltham vs Montmorency Eltham vs Eltham North Eltham vs Warrandyte Eltham vs Briar Hill
Full data on Lower Plenty Full data on Eltham
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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