Melbourne vs Prahran

Melbourne is the younger of the two, with a median age of 29 against 34 in Prahran. In both, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Melbourne is closer to the city centre: 3.4 km, against 7.6 km. On these figures, Melbourne tends to suit renters, young adults, and share households.

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

Melbourne

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (12 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (40 vs 9)
  • has more childcare (11 vs 5)
  • But Prahran has more separate houses rather than flats (18% vs 0%)

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

First-home buyers

Melbourne

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($516,000 vs $1,600,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Melbourne

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (73% vs 55%)
  • has cheaper rent ($381/wk vs $421/wk)
  • But Prahran leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 26%)

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

Commuting to the city

Melbourne

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (24% vs 10%)
  • has a shorter drive in (8 min vs 18 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (3.4 km vs 7.6 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Melbourne

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (30 vs 10)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (100% vs 82%)
  • But Prahran has more residents already 65 and over (12% vs 6%)

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

Investors

Melbourne

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.2% vs -6.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Melbourne Prahran
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.

Melbourne Prahran
Walkability 100 / 99
Melbourne — Walkability: 100/100 Prahran — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 3 / 6
Melbourne — Safety: 3/100 Prahran — Safety: 6/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Melbourne — Low fire risk: 100/100 Prahran — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 36 / 58
Melbourne — Low flood risk: 36/100 Prahran — Low flood risk: 58/100

Demographics

Melbourne has more residents (54,941 vs 12,203); Prahran has higher household incomes ($110,292 vs $75,296).

Melbourne Prahran
Population 54,941
+78% vs other
 12,203
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.2% -6.0%
Median age 29 34
Median household income $75,296/yr $110,292/yr
+46% vs other
Median weekly rent $381/wk $421/wk
+10% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Melbourne Prahran
0-4 2.0% / 4.0%
Melbourne — 0-4: 2.0% Prahran — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 2.2% / 4.6%
Melbourne — 5-14: 2.2% Prahran — 5-14: 4.6%
15-19 3.5% / 2.4%
Melbourne — 15-19: 3.5% Prahran — 15-19: 2.4%
20-24 21.0% / 7.9%
Melbourne — 20-24: 21.0% Prahran — 20-24: 7.9%
25-34 38.3% / 31.2%
Melbourne — 25-34: 38.3% Prahran — 25-34: 31.2%
35-44 14.8% / 18.1%
Melbourne — 35-44: 14.8% Prahran — 35-44: 18.1%
45-54 6.8% / 10.9%
Melbourne — 45-54: 6.8% Prahran — 45-54: 10.9%
55-64 5.1% / 8.4%
Melbourne — 55-64: 5.1% Prahran — 55-64: 8.4%
65-74 3.7% / 6.2%
Melbourne — 65-74: 3.7% Prahran — 65-74: 6.2%
75-84 1.9% / 4.2%
Melbourne — 75-84: 1.9% Prahran — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 0.7% / 2.1%
Melbourne — 85+: 0.7% Prahran — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (38.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Melbourne 63.4% lone person
Melbourne — Lone Person: 63.4% Melbourne — Group Household: 20.6% Melbourne — Couple Families: 7.7% Melbourne — One Parent Families: 4.2% Melbourne — Other Families: 4.2%
Prahran 61.4% lone person
Prahran — Lone Person: 61.4% Prahran — Group Household: 13.8% Prahran — Couple Families: 16.9% Prahran — One Parent Families: 6.0% Prahran — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Melbourne 73.3% renting
Melbourne — Owned Outright: 13.1% Melbourne — Mortgage: 13.6% Melbourne — Renting: 73.3%
Prahran 55.4% renting
Prahran — Owned Outright: 20.1% Prahran — Mortgage: 24.4% Prahran — Renting: 55.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Melbourne Prahran
Bachelor Degree 30.6% / 33.4%
Melbourne — Bachelor Degree: 30.6% Prahran — Bachelor Degree: 33.4%
Postgraduate Degree 16.7% / 12.2%
Melbourne — Postgraduate Degree: 16.7% Prahran — Postgraduate Degree: 12.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.9% / 8.1%
Melbourne — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9% Prahran — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Certificate III & IV 4.6% / 5.9%
Melbourne — Certificate III & IV: 4.6% Prahran — Certificate III & IV: 5.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 3.8%
Melbourne — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Prahran — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.4%).

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.

Melbourne Prahran
China 15.1% / 1.5%
Melbourne — China: 15.1% Prahran — China: 1.5%
India 7.0% / 1.4%
Melbourne — India: 7.0% Prahran — India: 1.4%
Malaysia 6.2% / 1.0%
Melbourne — Malaysia: 6.2% Prahran — Malaysia: 1.0%
New Zealand 1.9% / 3.2%
Melbourne — New Zealand: 1.9% Prahran — New Zealand: 3.2%
England — / 4.6%
Melbourne — England: not among its largest Prahran — England: 4.6%
Indonesia 3.7% / —
Melbourne — Indonesia: 3.7% Prahran — Indonesia: not among its largest
Greece — / 2.7%
Melbourne — Greece: not among its largest Prahran — Greece: 2.7%
Thailand 2.6% / —
Melbourne — Thailand: 2.6% Prahran — Thailand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Melbourne 99.7% flats / apartments
Melbourne — Flats / Apartments: 99.7% Melbourne — Townhouses: 0.2% Melbourne — Houses: 0.1%
Prahran 60.1% flats / apartments
Prahran — Flats / Apartments: 60.1% Prahran — Townhouses: 21.6% Prahran — Houses: 18.3%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Melbourne Prahran
Median house price $516,000 $1,600,000
Median unit price $452,000 $472,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 39 days
from 10 sales
 24 days
from 78 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.

Melbourne Prahran
1 bed $349K / $375K
Melbourne — 1 bed: $349K (787 sales) Prahran — 1 bed: $375K (184 sales)

787 vs 184 sales

2 bed $540K / $605K
Melbourne — 2 bed: $540K (999 sales) Prahran — 2 bed: $605K (175 sales)

999 vs 175 sales

3 bed $890K / $900K
Melbourne — 3 bed: $890K (131 sales) Prahran — 3 bed: $900K (19 sales)

131 vs 19 sales

Zoning mix

Melbourne has more commercially zoned land (41% vs 18%).

Melbourne Prahran
Residential 3% 67%
Commercial 41% 18%
Parks and recreation 37% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 16% 9%
Other and special use 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

Melbourne Prahran
New dwellings approved 4,715
across Melbourne
 818
across Stonnington
Approvals change year on year +195% +67%

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.

Melbourne Prahran
Houses — 3.2%
$1,000/wk on $1.6M
Units — 5.0%
$550/wk on $575K

Ranking within VIC

Melbourne Prahran
House price — Higher than 91% of VIC
Income Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Schools Higher than 46% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 12% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 25% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 60% of VIC

Liveability

Prahran scores higher overall (80 vs 64).

Melbourne Prahran
Grade B A
Score 64/100 80/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Melbourne carries more flood risk (64 vs 42).

Melbourne Prahran
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
97/100
 High
94/100
Flood Moderate
64/100
 Moderate
42/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 24
within 5 km
 12
within 5 km

Schools

Melbourne Prahran
Inside the suburb 12 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Melbourne C.Q.U Campus, 0.0 km
 3
Melbourne C.Q.U Campus, 3.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 12.2% 3.3%

Schools in Melbourne

  • MacRobertson Girls High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Melbourne Grammar School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Wesley College Independent · Combined below peers
  • Eltham College - Lonsdale Street Campus Independent · Combined
  • Holmes Grammar School Independent · Secondary
  • Melbourne Grammar School - Wadhurst Campus Independent · Combined

Schools in Prahran

  • Our Lady of Lourdes School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Melbourne Prahran
Supermarkets 25 3
Cafes & restaurants 944 29
Parks & reserves 40 9
Childcare 11 5
GPs 30 10
Pharmacies 28 5
Hospitals 3 1
Police stations 2 1
Banks & Bank@Post 43 1
Fuel stations 1 3
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 5 0

Mobility

Prahran sits further from the CBD (7.6 km vs 3.4 km).

Melbourne Prahran
Walkability score 100/100 99/100
Distance to Melbourne 3.4 km 7.6 km
+124% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 8 min 18 min
Public transport score 97/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 3733.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 262.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 5.3%
postcode 3000
 2.2%
postcode 3181
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 0
postcode 3000
 5
postcode 3181

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.

Melbourne Prahran
Worked from Home 41.2% / 51.9%
Melbourne — Worked from Home: 41.2% Prahran — Worked from Home: 51.9%
Car (driver) 12.4% / 27.4%
Melbourne — Car (driver): 12.4% Prahran — Car (driver): 27.4%
Walked Only 17.3% / 7.4%
Melbourne — Walked Only: 17.3% Prahran — Walked Only: 7.4%
Tram / Light Rail 14.0% / 4.4%
Melbourne — Tram / Light Rail: 14.0% Prahran — Tram / Light Rail: 4.4%
Train 10.2% / 5.3%
Melbourne — Train: 10.2% Prahran — Train: 5.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.9%).

Setting

Melbourne Prahran
Elevation 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.3 km
3.3 km to a named beach
 2.8 km
3.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Melbourne Prahran
Connectivity score 76/100 78/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
68,501 premises
 19%
9,581 premises

Climate

Melbourne Prahran
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Melbourne Prahran
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Melbourne Prahran
Average residential rate $2,345/yr $1,647/yr
Council Melbourne Stonnington

Federal electorate

Melbourne Prahran
Division Melbourne
same for both
Member Sarah Witty
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Melbourne Prahran
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Melbourne

Affordable Apartments Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Parks Professionals River Students Trams Transport Hub Urban

Prahran

Affordable Apartments Coastal Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Melbourne

Melbourne vs Richmond Melbourne vs South Yarra Melbourne vs Southbank Melbourne vs St Kilda Melbourne vs Carlton Melbourne vs Docklands

Other comparisons with Prahran

Prahran vs South Yarra Prahran vs Toorak Prahran vs St Kilda East Prahran vs Armadale Prahran vs Windsor
Full data on Melbourne Full data on Prahran
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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