Mentone vs Parkdale

In both, most households own their home. In Parkdale, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Parkdale: a median of $1.62 million, against $1.41 million in Mentone. On these figures, Mentone tends to suit people living alone.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Mentone has more childcare (17 vs 6)
  • Parkdale carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 70/100)

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

First-home buyers

Mentone

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,407,500 vs $1,625,000)
  • has cheaper units ($578,750 vs $660,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mentone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 23%)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

Mentone

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (56% vs 45%)
  • But Parkdale carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 70/100)

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

Investors

Mentone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.0% vs 4.2%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mentone Parkdale
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.

Mentone Parkdale
Walkability 94 / 87
Mentone — Walkability: 94/100 Parkdale — Walkability: 87/100
Safety 30 / 62
Mentone — Safety: 30/100 Parkdale — Safety: 62/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Mentone — Low fire risk: 100/100 Parkdale — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 60 / 56
Mentone — Low flood risk: 60/100 Parkdale — Low flood risk: 56/100

Demographics

Parkdale has higher household incomes ($110,760 vs $98,228).

Mentone Parkdale
Population 13,197
+7% vs other
 12,308
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.8% +4.8%
Median age 42 43
Median household income $98,228/yr $110,760/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $392/wk $410/wk
+5% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mentone Parkdale
0-4 4.5% / 4.8%
Mentone — 0-4: 4.5% Parkdale — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 11.2% / 13.0%
Mentone — 5-14: 11.2% Parkdale — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 5.2% / 6.8%
Mentone — 15-19: 5.2% Parkdale — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 4.7% / 5.3%
Mentone — 20-24: 4.7% Parkdale — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 12.9% / 9.7%
Mentone — 25-34: 12.9% Parkdale — 25-34: 9.7%
35-44 14.4% / 12.8%
Mentone — 35-44: 14.4% Parkdale — 35-44: 12.8%
45-54 15.2% / 16.4%
Mentone — 45-54: 15.2% Parkdale — 45-54: 16.4%
55-64 12.1% / 13.0%
Mentone — 55-64: 12.1% Parkdale — 55-64: 13.0%
65-74 9.8% / 10.1%
Mentone — 65-74: 9.8% Parkdale — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 6.7% / 5.4%
Mentone — 75-84: 6.7% Parkdale — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 3.1% / 2.6%
Mentone — 85+: 3.1% Parkdale — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mentone 37.2% couple families
Mentone — Couple Families: 37.2% Mentone — Lone Person: 44.6% Mentone — One Parent Families: 14.1% Mentone — Group Household: 2.9% Mentone — Other Families: 1.2%
Parkdale 46.7% couple families
Parkdale — Couple Families: 46.7% Parkdale — Lone Person: 35.9% Parkdale — One Parent Families: 13.7% Parkdale — Group Household: 2.5% Parkdale — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mentone 32.9% renting
Mentone — Owned Outright: 32.4% Mentone — Mortgage: 34.7% Mentone — Renting: 32.9%
Parkdale 22.6% renting
Parkdale — Owned Outright: 38.5% Parkdale — Mortgage: 38.9% Parkdale — Renting: 22.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mentone Parkdale
Bachelor Degree 19.9% / 18.6%
Mentone — Bachelor Degree: 19.9% Parkdale — Bachelor Degree: 18.6%
Certificate III & IV 10.4% / 10.4%
Mentone — Certificate III & IV: 10.4% Parkdale — Certificate III & IV: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.8% / 9.7%
Mentone — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8% Parkdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7%
Postgraduate Degree 6.9% / 6.6%
Mentone — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9% Parkdale — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.4% / 3.5%
Mentone — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4% Parkdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).

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.

Mentone Parkdale
England 4.7% / 5.1%
Mentone — England: 4.7% Parkdale — England: 5.1%
China 2.7% / 1.1%
Mentone — China: 2.7% Parkdale — China: 1.1%
New Zealand 1.8% / 1.5%
Mentone — New Zealand: 1.8% Parkdale — New Zealand: 1.5%
India 1.9% / 0.9%
Mentone — India: 1.9% Parkdale — India: 0.9%
Greece 1.7% / 0.8%
Mentone — Greece: 1.7% Parkdale — Greece: 0.8%
South Africa 1.3% / 1.0%
Mentone — South Africa: 1.3% Parkdale — South Africa: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mentone 44.0% houses
Mentone — Houses: 44.0% Mentone — Townhouses: 37.2% Mentone — Flats / Apartments: 18.8%
Parkdale 54.6% houses
Parkdale — Houses: 54.6% Parkdale — Townhouses: 35.0% Parkdale — Flats / Apartments: 10.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mentone Parkdale
Median house price $1,407,500 $1,625,000
Median unit price $578,750 $660,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 84 sales
 23 days
from 91 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.

Mentone Parkdale
1 bed $410K / $472K
Mentone — 1 bed: $410K (69 sales) Parkdale — 1 bed: $472K (15 sales)

69 vs 15 sales

2 bed $643K / $670K
Mentone — 2 bed: $643K (147 sales) Parkdale — 2 bed: $670K (61 sales)

147 vs 61 sales

3 bed $914K / $930K
Mentone — 3 bed: $914K (10 sales) Parkdale — 3 bed: $930K (11 sales)

10 vs 11 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.

Mentone Parkdale
2 bed $920K / $1.18M
Mentone — 2 bed: $920K (6 sales) Parkdale — 2 bed: $1.18M (18 sales)

6 vs 18 sales

3 bed $1.24M / $1.44M
Mentone — 3 bed: $1.24M (51 sales) Parkdale — 3 bed: $1.44M (55 sales)

51 vs 55 sales

4 bed $1.58M / $1.75M
Mentone — 4 bed: $1.58M (62 sales) Parkdale — 4 bed: $1.75M (41 sales)

62 vs 41 sales

5 bed $2.01M / $2.48M
Mentone — 5 bed: $2.01M (16 sales) Parkdale — 5 bed: $2.48M (10 sales)

16 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Mentone Parkdale
Residential 70% 84%
Commercial 10% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 7%
Parks and recreation 6%
same for both
Industrial 5% 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

Mentone Parkdale
New dwellings approved 465
across Kingston (Vic.)
same for both
Approvals change year on year -36%
same for both

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.

Mentone Parkdale
Houses 3.4%
$900/wk on $1.39M
 3.0%
$858/wk on $1.48M
Units 5.0%
$580/wk on $605K
 4.2%
$560/wk on $687K

Ranking within VIC

Mentone Parkdale
House price Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Income Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Schools Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 18% of VIC Higher than 14% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 29% of VIC Higher than 14% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 18% of VIC

Liveability

Parkdale scores higher overall (87 vs 79).

Mentone Parkdale
Grade A A+
Score 79/100 87/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Mentone carries more crime risk (70 vs 38).

Mentone Parkdale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
70/100
 Low
38/100
Flood Moderate
40/100
 Moderate
44/100
Coastal erosion Moderate
61/100
 Moderate
46/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 19
within 5 km
 16
within 5 km

Schools

Mentone Parkdale
Inside the suburb 8 3
Rated above peers 3 2
Rated at peers 4 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Monash Clayton, 8.9 km
 1
Monash Clayton, 9.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 2.8%

Schools in Mentone

  • Kilbreda College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Mentone Girls Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Mentone Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mentone Girls' Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mentone Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mentone Park Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Parkdale

  • Parkdale Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Parktone Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St John Vianney's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mentone Parkdale
Supermarkets 4 1
Cafes & restaurants 33 6
Parks & reserves 9 5
Childcare 17 6
GPs 3 1
Pharmacies 3 2
Banks & Bank@Post 3
same for both
Fuel stations 4 0
EV chargers 1 0
Beaches 0 1

Mobility

Mentone Parkdale
Walkability score 94/100 87/100
Distance to Melbourne 22.5 km 24 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 33 min 35 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 277.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 129.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 3194
 1.7%
postcode 3195
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 18
postcode 3194
 31
postcode 3195

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.

Mentone Parkdale
Car (driver) 49.5% / 50.1%
Mentone — Car (driver): 49.5% Parkdale — Car (driver): 50.1%
Worked from Home 40.2% / 40.6%
Mentone — Worked from Home: 40.2% Parkdale — Worked from Home: 40.6%
Train 3.8% / 2.6%
Mentone — Train: 3.8% Parkdale — Train: 2.6%
Car (passenger) 2.6% / 3.2%
Mentone — Car (passenger): 2.6% Parkdale — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only 2.5% / 2.2%
Mentone — Walked Only: 2.5% Parkdale — Walked Only: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.1%).

Setting

Mentone Parkdale
Elevation 23 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.2 km
1.2 km to a named beach
 1.0 km
1.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Mentone Parkdale
Connectivity score 75/100 82/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 2%
7,109 premises
 22%
5,527 premises

Climate

Mentone Parkdale
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)

Mentone Parkdale
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³ 6.3 µg/m³
PM10 — 20.8 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.98 pphm

Council rates

Mentone Parkdale
Average residential rate $1,940/yr
same for both
Council Kingston (Vic.)
same for both

Federal electorate

Mentone Parkdale
Division Isaacs
same for both
Member Mark Dreyfus
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mentone Parkdale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mentone

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Outer Parks Townhouses Transport Hub Village Feel

Parkdale

Beach Coastal Easy Commute Outer Parks Premium Townhouses Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mentone

Mentone vs Cheltenham Mentone vs Beaumaris Mentone vs Mordialloc

Other comparisons with Parkdale

Parkdale vs Mordialloc
Full data on Mentone Full data on Parkdale
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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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