Malvern East vs Carnegie

In both, most households own their home. In Malvern East, about half of households are couple families. In Carnegie, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Malvern East: a median of $1.95 million, against $1.66 million in Carnegie, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Malvern East tends to suit couples, while Carnegie suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

Malvern East and Carnegie are affluent inner suburbs with similar socio-economic standing, but they differ notably in walkability and affordability. Carnegie has a significantly higher walkability score of 99 compared to Malvern East's 88, making it better suited for those prioritising pedestrian-friendly living. Malvern East commands higher household incomes at $123,916 annually versus Carnegie's $97,656, and median house prices are substantially higher at $2,000,000 against $1,654,444—though Carnegie offers better value in units at $570,000 compared to $482,500. Both suburbs are equally safe from bushfire risk and sit in the top socio-economic decile.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Malvern East

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (17 vs 5)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 5)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (53% vs 32%)
  • But Carnegie has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Malvern East has cheaper units ($479,000 vs $561,000)
  • Carnegie has cheaper houses ($1,655,000 vs $1,947,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Carnegie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (43% vs 32%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Malvern East has a shorter drive in (21 min vs 27 min)
  • Carnegie is more walkable (99/100 vs 88/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Carnegie

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (68% vs 47%)
  • carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 87/100)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 88/100)

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

Investors

Carnegie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.3% vs 4.2%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Malvern East Carnegie
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.

Malvern East Carnegie
Walkability 88 / 99
Malvern East — Walkability: 88/100 Carnegie — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 13 / 39
Malvern East — Safety: 13/100 Carnegie — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Malvern East — Low fire risk: 100/100 Carnegie — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 46 / 51
Malvern East — Low flood risk: 46/100 Carnegie — Low flood risk: 51/100

Demographics

Malvern East has higher household incomes ($123,916 vs $97,656); Malvern East skews older (38 vs 36).

Malvern East Carnegie
Population 22,296
+20% vs other
 17,909
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.7% +3.0%
Median age 38 36
Median household income $123,916/yr
+21% vs other
 $97,656/yr
Median weekly rent $421/wk
+6% vs other
 $395/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Malvern East Carnegie
0-4 4.6% / 4.8%
Malvern East — 0-4: 4.6% Carnegie — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 11.3% / 9.1%
Malvern East — 5-14: 11.3% Carnegie — 5-14: 9.1%
15-19 6.3% / 3.8%
Malvern East — 15-19: 6.3% Carnegie — 15-19: 3.8%
20-24 8.2% / 7.7%
Malvern East — 20-24: 8.2% Carnegie — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 14.7% / 21.8%
Malvern East — 25-34: 14.7% Carnegie — 25-34: 21.8%
35-44 12.6% / 15.9%
Malvern East — 35-44: 12.6% Carnegie — 35-44: 15.9%
45-54 13.8% / 11.6%
Malvern East — 45-54: 13.8% Carnegie — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 11.4% / 9.9%
Malvern East — 55-64: 11.4% Carnegie — 55-64: 9.9%
65-74 8.8% / 7.7%
Malvern East — 65-74: 8.8% Carnegie — 65-74: 7.7%
75-84 5.3% / 5.1%
Malvern East — 75-84: 5.3% Carnegie — 75-84: 5.1%
85+ 3.0% / 2.5%
Malvern East — 85+: 3.0% Carnegie — 85+: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Malvern East 34.8% lone person
Malvern East — Lone Person: 34.8% Malvern East — Couple Families: 45.2% Malvern East — One Parent Families: 10.5% Malvern East — Group Household: 7.8% Malvern East — Other Families: 1.8%
Carnegie 47.1% lone person
Carnegie — Lone Person: 47.1% Carnegie — Couple Families: 33.1% Carnegie — One Parent Families: 9.0% Carnegie — Group Household: 8.6% Carnegie — Other Families: 2.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Malvern East 31.6% renting
Malvern East — Owned Outright: 36.4% Malvern East — Mortgage: 32.0% Malvern East — Renting: 31.6%
Carnegie 43.4% renting
Carnegie — Owned Outright: 26.9% Carnegie — Mortgage: 29.7% Carnegie — Renting: 43.4%
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.

Malvern East Carnegie
India 3.3% / 9.2%
Malvern East — India: 3.3% Carnegie — India: 9.2%
China 5.2% / 6.2%
Malvern East — China: 5.2% Carnegie — China: 6.2%
England 2.5% / 2.3%
Malvern East — England: 2.5% Carnegie — England: 2.3%
Greece 1.8% / 1.6%
Malvern East — Greece: 1.8% Carnegie — Greece: 1.6%
Malaysia 1.3% / 1.6%
Malvern East — Malaysia: 1.3% Carnegie — Malaysia: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.2%).

Qualifications

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

Malvern East Carnegie
Bachelor Degree 26.2% / 26.4%
Malvern East — Bachelor Degree: 26.2% Carnegie — Bachelor Degree: 26.4%
Postgraduate Degree 11.5% / 13.8%
Malvern East — Postgraduate Degree: 11.5% Carnegie — Postgraduate Degree: 13.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 8.0%
Malvern East — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Carnegie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Certificate III & IV 5.1% / 6.7%
Malvern East — Certificate III & IV: 5.1% Carnegie — Certificate III & IV: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 3.4%
Malvern East — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Carnegie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Malvern East 53.2% houses
Malvern East — Houses: 53.2% Malvern East — Flats / Apartments: 23.2% Malvern East — Townhouses: 23.5%
Carnegie 31.9% houses
Carnegie — Houses: 31.9% Carnegie — Flats / Apartments: 39.9% Carnegie — Townhouses: 28.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Malvern East Carnegie
Median house price $1,947,500 $1,655,000
Median unit price $479,000 $561,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 164 sales
 23 days
from 96 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.

Malvern East Carnegie
1 bed $336K / $364K
Malvern East — 1 bed: $336K (68 sales) Carnegie — 1 bed: $364K (92 sales)

68 vs 92 sales

2 bed $606K / $603K
Malvern East — 2 bed: $606K (110 sales) Carnegie — 2 bed: $603K (234 sales)

110 vs 234 sales

3 bed $859K / $932K
Malvern East — 3 bed: $859K (11 sales) Carnegie — 3 bed: $932K (50 sales)

11 vs 50 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.

Malvern East Carnegie
2 bed $1.34M / $1.23M
Malvern East — 2 bed: $1.34M (21 sales) Carnegie — 2 bed: $1.23M (24 sales)

21 vs 24 sales

3 bed $1.73M / $1.6M
Malvern East — 3 bed: $1.73M (91 sales) Carnegie — 3 bed: $1.6M (69 sales)

91 vs 69 sales

4 bed $2.35M / $1.95M
Malvern East — 4 bed: $2.35M (78 sales) Carnegie — 4 bed: $1.95M (41 sales)

78 vs 41 sales

5 bed $2.79M / $2.31M
Malvern East — 5 bed: $2.79M (26 sales) Carnegie — 5 bed: $2.31M (8 sales)

26 vs 8 sales

Zoning mix

Malvern East Carnegie
Residential 70% 85%
Parks and recreation 12% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 12% 6%
Commercial 6% 4%
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

Malvern East Carnegie
New dwellings approved 818
across Stonnington
 617
across Glen Eira
Approvals change year on year +67% -69%

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.

Malvern East Carnegie
Houses 3.1%
$1,035/wk on $1.76M
 3.2%
$900/wk on $1.45M
Units 4.2%
$435/wk on $542K
 5.3%
$582/wk on $575K

Ranking within VIC

Malvern East Carnegie
House price Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Income Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 70% of VIC
Schools Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 8% of VIC Higher than 5% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 15% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 15% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC

Liveability

Carnegie scores higher overall (86 vs 74); Carnegie is more walkable (99 vs 88).

Malvern East Carnegie
Grade A A+
Score 74/100 86/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Malvern East carries more crime risk (87 vs 61).

Malvern East Carnegie
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
87/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
49/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Malvern East Carnegie
Inside the suburb 6 4
Rated above peers 2 3
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Monash Caulfield, 2.1 km
 3
Monash Caulfield, 1.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.7% 4.4%

Schools in Malvern East

  • Malvern Valley Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Lloyd Street Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Malvern Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • De La Salle College - Holy Eucharist Campus Catholic · Combined
  • The Currajong School Independent · Combined · Special school

Schools in Carnegie

  • Carnegie Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Glen Huntly Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Anthony's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Noble Park English Language School-Stonnington Glen Eira Campus Government · Primary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Malvern East Carnegie
Supermarkets 4 8
Cafes & restaurants 61 49
Parks & reserves 17 5
Childcare 14 5
GPs 5
same for both
Pharmacies 4
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 10 1
Fuel stations 5 0
EV chargers 3 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Malvern East Carnegie
Walkability score 88/100 99/100
Distance to Melbourne 14.4 km 15.2 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 27 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 80/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 410.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 259.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.6%
postcode 3145
 1.7%
postcode 3163
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 17
postcode 3145
 13
postcode 3163

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.

Malvern East Carnegie
Worked from Home 47.0% / 45.6%
Malvern East — Worked from Home: 47.0% Carnegie — Worked from Home: 45.6%
Car (driver) 40.3% / 39.3%
Malvern East — Car (driver): 40.3% Carnegie — Car (driver): 39.3%
Train 5.6% / 8.1%
Malvern East — Train: 5.6% Carnegie — Train: 8.1%
Car (passenger) 2.5% / 2.3%
Malvern East — Car (passenger): 2.5% Carnegie — Car (passenger): 2.3%
Walked Only 2.4% / 2.2%
Malvern East — Walked Only: 2.4% Carnegie — Walked Only: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (47.0%).

Setting

Malvern East Carnegie
Elevation 44 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 46 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.2 km 6.1 km

NBN connectivity

Malvern East Carnegie
Connectivity score 77/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
11,575 premises
 12%
9,997 premises

Climate

Malvern East Carnegie
Annual rainfall 644 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Malvern East Carnegie
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Malvern East Carnegie
Average residential rate $1,647/yr $1,577/yr
Council Stonnington Glen Eira

Federal electorate

Malvern East Carnegie
Division Chisholm Hotham
Member Carina Garland Clare O'Neil
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Malvern East Carnegie
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Malvern East

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

Carnegie

Apartments Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Malvern East

Malvern East vs Glen Iris Malvern East vs Caulfield North Malvern East vs Murrumbeena Malvern East vs Malvern Malvern East vs Chadstone Malvern East vs Oakleigh

Other comparisons with Carnegie

Carnegie vs Bentleigh East Carnegie vs Murrumbeena Carnegie vs Ormond Carnegie vs Glen Huntly Carnegie vs Caulfield East
Full data on Malvern East Full data on Carnegie
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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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