Mont Albert vs Box Hill

Box Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 42 in Mont Albert. In Mont Albert, most households own their home and about half of households are couple families. In Box Hill, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Mont Albert: a median of $2.31 million, against $1.6 million in Box Hill, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mont Albert tends to suit couples, while Box Hill suits renters, young adults, and 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

  • Mont Albert has more separate houses rather than flats (54% vs 22%)
  • Box Hill has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($465,000 vs $783,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,605,000 vs $2,310,000)
  • But Mont Albert leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (61% vs 28%)
  • has cheaper rent ($381/wk vs $451/wk)
  • But Mont Albert leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 6%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 90/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Box Hill

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (11 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (78% vs 46%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 90/100)
  • But Mont Albert has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 14%)

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

Investors

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (26.0% vs 2.2%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.8% vs 4.4%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mont Albert Box Hill
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.

Mont Albert Box Hill
Walkability 90 / 99
Mont Albert — Walkability: 90/100 Box Hill — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 26 / 9
Mont Albert — Safety: 26/100 Box Hill — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Mont Albert — Low fire risk: 100/100 Box Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 84 / 77
Mont Albert — Low flood risk: 84/100 Box Hill — Low flood risk: 77/100

Demographics

Box Hill has more residents (14,353 vs 4,948); Mont Albert has higher household incomes ($120,848 vs $65,884).

Mont Albert Box Hill
Population 4,948 14,353
+190% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.2% +26.0%
Median age 42 33
Median household income $120,848/yr
+45% vs other
 $65,884/yr
Median weekly rent $451/wk
+16% vs other
 $381/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mont Albert Box Hill
0-4 3.9% / 3.1%
Mont Albert — 0-4: 3.9% Box Hill — 0-4: 3.1%
5-14 10.5% / 6.5%
Mont Albert — 5-14: 10.5% Box Hill — 5-14: 6.5%
15-19 6.5% / 4.5%
Mont Albert — 15-19: 6.5% Box Hill — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 7.1% / 13.2%
Mont Albert — 20-24: 7.1% Box Hill — 20-24: 13.2%
25-34 12.3% / 26.1%
Mont Albert — 25-34: 12.3% Box Hill — 25-34: 26.1%
35-44 12.7% / 13.2%
Mont Albert — 35-44: 12.7% Box Hill — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 13.6% / 10.8%
Mont Albert — 45-54: 13.6% Box Hill — 45-54: 10.8%
55-64 13.5% / 8.2%
Mont Albert — 55-64: 13.5% Box Hill — 55-64: 8.2%
65-74 11.9% / 6.5%
Mont Albert — 65-74: 11.9% Box Hill — 65-74: 6.5%
75-84 5.6% / 4.5%
Mont Albert — 75-84: 5.6% Box Hill — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 2.6% / 3.3%
Mont Albert — 85+: 2.6% Box Hill — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mont Albert 35.1% lone person
Mont Albert — Lone Person: 35.1% Mont Albert — Couple Families: 46.7% Mont Albert — One Parent Families: 12.3% Mont Albert — Group Household: 3.9% Mont Albert — Other Families: 2.0%
Box Hill 45.0% lone person
Box Hill — Lone Person: 45.0% Box Hill — Couple Families: 24.6% Box Hill — One Parent Families: 12.8% Box Hill — Group Household: 14.7% Box Hill — Other Families: 3.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mont Albert 28.5% renting
Mont Albert — Owned Outright: 40.9% Mont Albert — Mortgage: 30.6% Mont Albert — Renting: 28.5%
Box Hill 60.7% renting
Box Hill — Owned Outright: 20.8% Box Hill — Mortgage: 18.5% Box Hill — Renting: 60.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mont Albert Box Hill
Bachelor Degree 26.2% / 22.1%
Mont Albert — Bachelor Degree: 26.2% Box Hill — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Postgraduate Degree 13.2% / 11.6%
Mont Albert — Postgraduate Degree: 13.2% Box Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 9.4%
Mont Albert — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Box Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4%
Certificate III & IV 4.7% / 5.2%
Mont Albert — Certificate III & IV: 4.7% Box Hill — Certificate III & IV: 5.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.6% / 2.3%
Mont Albert — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.6% Box Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).

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.

Mont Albert Box Hill
China 10.2% / 29.5%
Mont Albert — China: 10.2% Box Hill — China: 29.5%
Malaysia 2.0% / 6.4%
Mont Albert — Malaysia: 2.0% Box Hill — Malaysia: 6.4%
India 2.0% / 4.5%
Mont Albert — India: 2.0% Box Hill — India: 4.5%
England 2.8% / 1.0%
Mont Albert — England: 2.8% Box Hill — England: 1.0%
Vietnam — / 1.9%
Mont Albert — Vietnam: not among its largest Box Hill — Vietnam: 1.9%
New Zealand 1.6% / —
Mont Albert — New Zealand: 1.6% Box Hill — New Zealand: not among its largest
Taiwan — / 1.2%
Mont Albert — Taiwan: not among its largest Box Hill — Taiwan: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mont Albert 53.7% houses
Mont Albert — Houses: 53.7% Mont Albert — Flats / Apartments: 11.3% Mont Albert — Townhouses: 35.0%
Box Hill 22.0% houses
Box Hill — Houses: 22.0% Box Hill — Flats / Apartments: 53.2% Box Hill — Townhouses: 24.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Mont Albert Box Hill
Median house price $2,310,000 $1,605,000
Median unit price $783,000 $465,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 49 sales
 28 days
from 51 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.

Mont Albert Box Hill
2 bed $730K / $505K
Mont Albert — 2 bed: $730K (37 sales) Box Hill — 2 bed: $505K (229 sales)

37 vs 229 sales

3 bed $1.01M / $784K
Mont Albert — 3 bed: $1.01M (8 sales) Box Hill — 3 bed: $784K (20 sales)

8 vs 20 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.

Mont Albert Box Hill
3 bed $1.85M / $1.37M
Mont Albert — 3 bed: $1.85M (22 sales) Box Hill — 3 bed: $1.37M (20 sales)

22 vs 20 sales

4 bed $2.3M / $1.72M
Mont Albert — 4 bed: $2.3M (36 sales) Box Hill — 4 bed: $1.72M (28 sales)

36 vs 28 sales

5 bed $3.1M / $2.17M
Mont Albert — 5 bed: $3.1M (16 sales) Box Hill — 5 bed: $2.17M (5 sales)

16 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Box Hill has more commercially zoned land (51% vs 5%).

Mont Albert Box Hill
Residential 83% 20%
Commercial 5% 51%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 15%
Parks and recreation 2% 12%
Other and special use 0% 2%
Planning zones cover 99% of Mont Albert and 100% of Box Hill. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Mont Albert Box Hill
New dwellings approved 879
across Whitehorse
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
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.

Mont Albert Box Hill
Houses — 2.9%
$740/wk on $1.35M
Units 4.4%
$640/wk on $765K
 5.8%
$620/wk on $552K

Ranking within VIC

Mont Albert Box Hill
House price Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Income Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 26% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 86% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 4% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 9% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 25% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC

Liveability

Mont Albert scores higher overall (88 vs 75); Box Hill is more walkable (99 vs 90).

Mont Albert Box Hill
Grade A+ A
Score 88/100 75/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Box Hill carries more crime risk (91 vs 74).

Mont Albert Box Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
74/100
 High
91/100
Flood Low
16/100
 Low
23/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Mont Albert Box Hill
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 3.6 km
 3
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 3.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.0% 6.7%

Schools in Mont Albert

  • Mont Albert Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Box Hill

  • Box Hill High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Francis Xavier's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady of Sion College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Cricket Australia - Box Hill Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Mont Albert Box Hill
Supermarkets 1 11
Cafes & restaurants 10 70
Parks & reserves 3 10
Childcare 2 6
GPs 0 11
Pharmacies 1 5
Hospitals 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 8
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Mont Albert Box Hill
Walkability score 90/100 99/100
Distance to Melbourne 19.9 km 20.7 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 29 min
Public transport score 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 85.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 547.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.8%
postcode 3127
 2.1%
postcode 3128
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 22
postcode 3127
 14
postcode 3128

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.

Mont Albert Box Hill
Car (driver) 40.4% / 39.5%
Mont Albert — Car (driver): 40.4% Box Hill — Car (driver): 39.5%
Worked from Home 47.9% / 31.0%
Mont Albert — Worked from Home: 47.9% Box Hill — Worked from Home: 31.0%
Train 4.8% / 11.3%
Mont Albert — Train: 4.8% Box Hill — Train: 11.3%
Walked Only 2.3% / 9.5%
Mont Albert — Walked Only: 2.3% Box Hill — Walked Only: 9.5%
Car (passenger) 3.0% / 4.1%
Mont Albert — Car (passenger): 3.0% Box Hill — Car (passenger): 4.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (47.9%).

Setting

Mont Albert Box Hill
Elevation 102 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 94 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 13.0 km 14.3 km

NBN connectivity

Mont Albert Box Hill
Connectivity score 77/100 81/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 7%
2,387 premises
 28%
9,245 premises

Climate

Mont Albert Box Hill
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Mont Albert Box Hill
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Mont Albert Box Hill
Average residential rate $1,516/yr
same for both
Council Whitehorse
same for both

Federal electorate

Mont Albert Box Hill
Division Menzies
same for both
Member Gabriel Ng
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mont Albert Box Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mont Albert

Easy Commute Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Village Feel

Box Hill

Affordable Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mont Albert

Mont Albert vs Surrey Hills Mont Albert vs Balwyn Mont Albert vs Box Hill North Mont Albert vs Mont Albert North

Other comparisons with Box Hill

Box Hill vs Blackburn Box Hill vs Surrey Hills Box Hill vs Box Hill North Box Hill vs Blackburn South Box Hill vs Box Hill South Box Hill vs Mont Albert North
Full data on Mont Albert Full data on Box Hill
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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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