Malvern vs Glen Iris

Glen Iris is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 44 in Malvern. In both, most households own their home. In Glen Iris, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Malvern: a median of $2.8 million, against $2.27 million in Glen Iris. Malvern is closer to the city centre: 12 km, against 13.6 km. On these figures, Malvern tends to suit people living alone, while Glen Iris suits 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

Glen Iris

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (21 vs 7)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (5 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (18 vs 8)

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

First-home buyers

Glen Iris

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($2,270,000 vs $2,800,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Malvern

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 82/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Malvern

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 16%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 82/100)
  • But Glen Iris carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 74/100)

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

Investors

Malvern

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.4% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Malvern and Glen Iris 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 Glen Iris
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 Glen Iris
Walkability 99 / 82
Malvern — Walkability: 99/100 Glen Iris — Walkability: 82/100
Safety 26 / 46
Malvern — Safety: 26/100 Glen Iris — Safety: 46/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Malvern — Low fire risk: 100/100 Glen Iris — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 69 / 54
Malvern — Low flood risk: 69/100 Glen Iris — Low flood risk: 54/100

Demographics

Glen Iris has more residents (26,131 vs 9,929); Malvern skews older (44 vs 40).

Malvern Glen Iris
Population 9,929 26,131
+163% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.4% +3.4%
Median age 44 40
Median household income $135,512/yr
+4% vs other
 $129,532/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Malvern Glen Iris
0-4 4.0% / 4.7%
Malvern — 0-4: 4.0% Glen Iris — 0-4: 4.7%
5-14 11.0% / 12.5%
Malvern — 5-14: 11.0% Glen Iris — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 6.3% / 6.8%
Malvern — 15-19: 6.3% Glen Iris — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 6.0% / 7.1%
Malvern — 20-24: 6.0% Glen Iris — 20-24: 7.1%
25-34 12.1% / 12.3%
Malvern — 25-34: 12.1% Glen Iris — 25-34: 12.3%
35-44 11.6% / 13.0%
Malvern — 35-44: 11.6% Glen Iris — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 13.9% / 14.9%
Malvern — 45-54: 13.9% Glen Iris — 45-54: 14.9%
55-64 12.1% / 12.3%
Malvern — 55-64: 12.1% Glen Iris — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 10.6% / 8.9%
Malvern — 65-74: 10.6% Glen Iris — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 8.6% / 5.4%
Malvern — 75-84: 8.6% Glen Iris — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 3.9% / 2.1%
Malvern — 85+: 3.9% Glen Iris — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Malvern 39.7% couple families
Malvern — Couple Families: 39.7% Malvern — Lone Person: 43.4% Malvern — One Parent Families: 10.5% Malvern — Group Household: 4.9% Malvern — Other Families: 1.5%
Glen Iris 48.6% couple families
Glen Iris — Couple Families: 48.6% Glen Iris — Lone Person: 35.1% Glen Iris — One Parent Families: 10.2% Glen Iris — Group Household: 4.4% Glen Iris — Other Families: 1.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Malvern 27.6% renting
Malvern — Owned Outright: 43.2% Malvern — Mortgage: 29.2% Malvern — Renting: 27.6%
Glen Iris 28.3% renting
Glen Iris — Owned Outright: 37.9% Glen Iris — Mortgage: 33.8% Glen Iris — Renting: 28.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Malvern Glen Iris
Bachelor Degree 29.4% / 27.9%
Malvern — Bachelor Degree: 29.4% Glen Iris — Bachelor Degree: 27.9%
Postgraduate Degree 11.8% / 12.2%
Malvern — Postgraduate Degree: 11.8% Glen Iris — Postgraduate Degree: 12.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 7.3%
Malvern — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Glen Iris — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.0% / 4.1%
Malvern — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0% Glen Iris — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.1%
Certificate III & IV 3.4% / 4.5%
Malvern — Certificate III & IV: 3.4% Glen Iris — Certificate III & IV: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.4%).

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 Glen Iris
China 2.2% / 4.7%
Malvern — China: 2.2% Glen Iris — China: 4.7%
England 3.5% / 3.0%
Malvern — England: 3.5% Glen Iris — England: 3.0%
India 2.0% / 2.6%
Malvern — India: 2.0% Glen Iris — India: 2.6%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.5%
Malvern — New Zealand: 1.6% Glen Iris — New Zealand: 1.5%
Malaysia 0.9% / 1.8%
Malvern — Malaysia: 0.9% Glen Iris — Malaysia: 1.8%
Greece 1.3% / 1.1%
Malvern — Greece: 1.3% Glen Iris — Greece: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Malvern 45.8% houses
Malvern — Houses: 45.8% Malvern — Flats / Apartments: 34.8% Malvern — Townhouses: 19.4%
Glen Iris 54.6% houses
Glen Iris — Houses: 54.6% Glen Iris — Flats / Apartments: 27.3% Glen Iris — Townhouses: 18.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Malvern Glen Iris
Median house price $2,800,000 $2,270,000
Median unit price $582,500 $616,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 69 sales
 24 days
from 135 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 Glen Iris
1 bed $421K / $361K
Malvern — 1 bed: $421K (54 sales) Glen Iris — 1 bed: $361K (56 sales)

54 vs 56 sales

2 bed $670K / $650K
Malvern — 2 bed: $670K (67 sales) Glen Iris — 2 bed: $650K (175 sales)

67 vs 175 sales

3 bed $1.33M / $1.11M
Malvern — 3 bed: $1.33M (12 sales) Glen Iris — 3 bed: $1.11M (33 sales)

12 vs 33 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 Glen Iris
2 bed $2.17M / $1.32M
Malvern — 2 bed: $2.17M (11 sales) Glen Iris — 2 bed: $1.32M (19 sales)

11 vs 19 sales

3 bed $2.25M / $1.91M
Malvern — 3 bed: $2.25M (49 sales) Glen Iris — 3 bed: $1.91M (67 sales)

49 vs 67 sales

4 bed $3.52M / $2.5M
Malvern — 4 bed: $3.52M (40 sales) Glen Iris — 4 bed: $2.5M (74 sales)

40 vs 74 sales

5 bed $4.77M / $3.2M
Malvern — 5 bed: $4.77M (11 sales) Glen Iris — 5 bed: $3.2M (28 sales)

11 vs 28 sales

Zoning mix

Malvern Glen Iris
Residential 79% 81%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 7%
Parks and recreation 4% 9%
Commercial 6% 2%
Other and special use 1% 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

Malvern Glen Iris
New dwellings approved 818
across Stonnington
 711
across Boroondara
Approvals change year on year +67% -40%

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 Glen Iris
Houses 3.4%
$1,700/wk on $2.6M
 2.8%
$1,200/wk on $2.2M
Units 4.4%
$645/wk on $760K
 4.2%
$570/wk on $700K

Ranking within VIC

Malvern Glen Iris
House price Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Income Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 3% of VIC
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 99% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 88% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 32% of VIC Higher than 8% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 17% of VIC

Liveability

Malvern is more walkable (99 vs 82).

Malvern Glen Iris
Grade A+
same for both
Score 88/100
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Glen Iris carries more flood risk (46 vs 31); Malvern carries more crime risk (74 vs 54).

Malvern Glen Iris
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
74/100
 Moderate
54/100
Flood Low
31/100
 Moderate
46/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 9
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Malvern Glen Iris
Inside the suburb 4 7
Rated above peers 2 5
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Monash Caulfield, 2.8 km
 3
Monash Caulfield, 3.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.5% 4.9%

Schools in Malvern

  • De La Salle College Catholic · Combined above peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Malvern Central School Government · Primary at peers
  • De La Salle College - Kinnoull Campus Catholic · Combined

Schools in Glen Iris

  • Camberwell South Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Glen Iris Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Korowa Anglican Girls' School Independent · Combined above peers
  • St Cecilia's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Roch's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Sacre Coeur Catholic · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Malvern Glen Iris
Supermarkets 3 2
Cafes & restaurants 19 20
Parks & reserves 7 21
Childcare 8 18
GPs 7
same for both
Pharmacies 6 2
Hospitals 1
same for both
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 2
Fuel stations 1
same for both
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 9

Mobility

Malvern Glen Iris
Walkability score 99/100 82/100
Distance to Melbourne 12 km 13.6 km
+13% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 20 min
Public transport score 98/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 303.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 361.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.2%
postcode 3144
 3.2%
postcode 3146
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 13
postcode 3144
 19
postcode 3146

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 Glen Iris
Worked from Home 49.6% / 49.9%
Malvern — Worked from Home: 49.6% Glen Iris — Worked from Home: 49.9%
Car (driver) 36.7% / 39.1%
Malvern — Car (driver): 36.7% Glen Iris — Car (driver): 39.1%
Train 4.6% / 4.2%
Malvern — Train: 4.6% Glen Iris — Train: 4.2%
Walked Only 4.6% / 1.9%
Malvern — Walked Only: 4.6% Glen Iris — Walked Only: 1.9%
Car (passenger) 1.9% / 2.4%
Malvern — Car (passenger): 1.9% Glen Iris — Car (passenger): 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.9%).

Setting

Malvern Glen Iris
Elevation 55 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.4 km 8.0 km

NBN connectivity

Malvern Glen Iris
Connectivity score 78/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
6,062 premises
 7%
12,150 premises

Climate

Malvern Glen Iris
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 Glen Iris
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³ 4.3 µg/m³
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Malvern Glen Iris
Average residential rate $1,647/yr $2,253/yr
Council Stonnington Boroondara

Federal electorate

Malvern Glen Iris
Division Kooyong Chisholm
Member Monique Ryan Carina Garland
Party Independent Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Malvern

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Trams Transport Hub Urban

Glen Iris

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Professionals River Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Malvern

Malvern vs Hawthorn Malvern vs Malvern East Malvern vs Caulfield North Malvern vs Hawthorn East Malvern vs Toorak Malvern vs Armadale

Other comparisons with Glen Iris

Glen Iris vs Malvern East Glen Iris vs Camberwell Glen Iris vs Burwood Glen Iris vs Hawthorn East Glen Iris vs Ashburton Glen Iris vs Ashwood
Full data on Malvern Full data on Glen Iris
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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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