Moorabbin vs Bentleigh

In both, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Bentleigh: a median of $1.73 million, against $1.23 million in Moorabbin, and rent is higher there too. Bentleigh is closer to the city centre: 15.9 km, against 18.9 km. On these figures, Moorabbin tends to suit 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

Bentleigh

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 90/100)
  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 6)
  • has more childcare (12 vs 8)
  • But Moorabbin has more separate houses rather than flats (77% vs 60%)

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

First-home buyers

Moorabbin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,230,250 vs $1,727,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Moorabbin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($431/wk vs $480/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Bentleigh

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 79/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (15.9 km vs 18.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Bentleigh

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (9 vs 2)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (40% vs 23%)
  • carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 90/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

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

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Moorabbin Bentleigh
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.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Walkability 79 / 94
Moorabbin — Walkability: 79/100 Bentleigh — Walkability: 94/100
Safety 10 / 43
Moorabbin — Safety: 10/100 Bentleigh — Safety: 43/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Moorabbin — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bentleigh — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 62 / 56
Moorabbin — Low flood risk: 62/100 Bentleigh — Low flood risk: 56/100

Demographics

Bentleigh has more residents (17,921 vs 6,287); Bentleigh has higher household incomes ($117,676 vs $105,612).

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Population 6,287 17,921
+185% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.6% +10.9%
Median age 39
same for both
Median household income $105,612/yr $117,676/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $431/wk $480/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
0-4 6.7% / 5.0%
Moorabbin — 0-4: 6.7% Bentleigh — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 12.0% / 13.0%
Moorabbin — 5-14: 12.0% Bentleigh — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 4.9% / 6.3%
Moorabbin — 15-19: 4.9% Bentleigh — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 4.8% / 6.0%
Moorabbin — 20-24: 4.8% Bentleigh — 20-24: 6.0%
25-34 13.2% / 12.6%
Moorabbin — 25-34: 13.2% Bentleigh — 25-34: 12.6%
35-44 16.9% / 14.7%
Moorabbin — 35-44: 16.9% Bentleigh — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 13.9% / 15.4%
Moorabbin — 45-54: 13.9% Bentleigh — 45-54: 15.4%
55-64 11.1% / 12.0%
Moorabbin — 55-64: 11.1% Bentleigh — 55-64: 12.0%
65-74 8.4% / 8.2%
Moorabbin — 65-74: 8.4% Bentleigh — 65-74: 8.2%
75-84 5.7% / 4.6%
Moorabbin — 75-84: 5.7% Bentleigh — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 2.6% / 2.1%
Moorabbin — 85+: 2.6% Bentleigh — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Moorabbin 45.4% couple families
Moorabbin — Couple Families: 45.4% Moorabbin — Lone Person: 33.5% Moorabbin — One Parent Families: 14.2% Moorabbin — Group Household: 5.3% Moorabbin — Other Families: 1.6%
Bentleigh 48.7% couple families
Bentleigh — Couple Families: 48.7% Bentleigh — Lone Person: 31.2% Bentleigh — One Parent Families: 14.4% Bentleigh — Group Household: 4.4% Bentleigh — 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.

Moorabbin 29.7% renting
Moorabbin — Owned Outright: 30.6% Moorabbin — Mortgage: 39.7% Moorabbin — Renting: 29.7%
Bentleigh 29.1% renting
Bentleigh — Owned Outright: 34.7% Bentleigh — Mortgage: 36.2% Bentleigh — Renting: 29.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Bachelor Degree 19.5% / 23.1%
Moorabbin — Bachelor Degree: 19.5% Bentleigh — Bachelor Degree: 23.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 8.5%
Moorabbin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Bentleigh — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 6.9% / 9.5%
Moorabbin — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9% Bentleigh — Postgraduate Degree: 9.5%
Certificate III & IV 9.4% / 6.9%
Moorabbin — Certificate III & IV: 9.4% Bentleigh — Certificate III & IV: 6.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 3.2%
Moorabbin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Bentleigh — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).

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.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
China 3.4% / 5.8%
Moorabbin — China: 3.4% Bentleigh — China: 5.8%
India 4.1% / 3.5%
Moorabbin — India: 4.1% Bentleigh — India: 3.5%
England 3.2% / 3.4%
Moorabbin — England: 3.2% Bentleigh — England: 3.4%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.7%
Moorabbin — New Zealand: 1.5% Bentleigh — New Zealand: 1.7%
Greece 1.8% / 1.2%
Moorabbin — Greece: 1.8% Bentleigh — Greece: 1.2%
South Africa 1.0% / 1.4%
Moorabbin — South Africa: 1.0% Bentleigh — South Africa: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Moorabbin 76.7% houses
Moorabbin — Houses: 76.7% Moorabbin — Flats / Apartments: 14.7% Moorabbin — Townhouses: 8.7%
Bentleigh 59.7% houses
Bentleigh — Houses: 59.7% Bentleigh — Flats / Apartments: 20.4% Bentleigh — Townhouses: 19.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Median house price $1,230,250 $1,727,000
Median unit price $610,000 $631,000
Median land price — $925,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 60 sales
 23 days
from 110 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.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
2 bed $1.15M / $1.33M
Moorabbin — 2 bed: $1.15M (9 sales) Bentleigh — 2 bed: $1.33M (15 sales)

9 vs 15 sales

3 bed $1.21M / $1.55M
Moorabbin — 3 bed: $1.21M (63 sales) Bentleigh — 3 bed: $1.55M (83 sales)

63 vs 83 sales

4 bed $1.36M / $1.94M
Moorabbin — 4 bed: $1.36M (29 sales) Bentleigh — 4 bed: $1.94M (57 sales)

29 vs 57 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.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
1 bed $400K / $427K
Moorabbin — 1 bed: $400K (7 sales) Bentleigh — 1 bed: $427K (6 sales)

7 vs 6 sales

2 bed $592K / $620K
Moorabbin — 2 bed: $592K (49 sales) Bentleigh — 2 bed: $620K (109 sales)

49 vs 109 sales

3 bed $1.01M / $882K
Moorabbin — 3 bed: $1.01M (11 sales) Bentleigh — 3 bed: $882K (24 sales)

11 vs 24 sales

Zoning mix

Moorabbin has more industrially zoned land (48% vs 0%).

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Residential 32% 84%
Industrial 48% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 7%
Commercial 6% 5%
Parks and recreation 5% 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

Moorabbin Bentleigh
New dwellings approved 465
across Kingston (Vic.)
 617
across Glen Eira
Approvals change year on year -36% -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.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Houses 3.8%
$850/wk on $1.17M
 3.5%
$1,050/wk on $1.55M
Units 5.2%
$685/wk on $688K
 5.4%
$660/wk on $630K

Ranking within VIC

Moorabbin Bentleigh
House price Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Income Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Schools Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 13% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 53% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC

Liveability

Bentleigh is more walkable (94 vs 79); Bentleigh scores higher overall (85 vs 72).

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Grade A A+
Score 72/100 85/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Moorabbin carries more crime risk (90 vs 57).

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
90/100
 Moderate
57/100
Flood Low
38/100
 Moderate
44/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 15
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Inside the suburb 5 4
Rated above peers 2
same for both
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Monash Caulfield, 6.8 km
 2
Monash Caulfield, 4.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 3.8%

Schools in Moorabbin

  • Moorabbin Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Catherine's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Southmoor Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Avenues Education Government · Secondary · Special school
  • Bayside Special Developmental School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Bentleigh

  • Bentleigh West Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • St Paul's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Tucker Road Bentleigh Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Supermarkets 2 4
Cafes & restaurants 7 14
Parks & reserves 6 9
Childcare 8 12
GPs 2 9
Pharmacies 3 4
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 5
Fuel stations 3 0

Mobility

Moorabbin sits further from the CBD (18.9 km vs 15.9 km).

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Walkability score 79/100 94/100
Distance to Melbourne 18.9 km
+16% vs other
 15.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 30 min 26 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 173.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 177.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 3189
 2.5%
postcode 3204
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 3189
 20
postcode 3204

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.

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Car (driver) 49.5% / 42.4%
Moorabbin — Car (driver): 49.5% Bentleigh — Car (driver): 42.4%
Worked from Home 39.7% / 45.9%
Moorabbin — Worked from Home: 39.7% Bentleigh — Worked from Home: 45.9%
Train 3.7% / 5.5%
Moorabbin — Train: 3.7% Bentleigh — Train: 5.5%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 2.8%
Moorabbin — Car (passenger): 3.1% Bentleigh — Car (passenger): 2.8%
Walked Only 2.2% / 2.0%
Moorabbin — Walked Only: 2.2% Bentleigh — Walked Only: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.5%).

Setting

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Elevation 43 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 31 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.7 km
4.7 km to a named beach
 4.0 km
4.2 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Connectivity score 78/100 82/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 23%
5,070 premises
 28%
8,531 premises

Climate

Moorabbin Bentleigh
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)

Moorabbin Bentleigh
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Average residential rate $1,940/yr $1,577/yr
Council Kingston (Vic.) Glen Eira

Federal electorate

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Division Goldstein
same for both
Member Tim Wilson
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Moorabbin Bentleigh
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Moorabbin

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Transport Hub

Bentleigh

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Moorabbin

Moorabbin vs Bentleigh East Moorabbin vs Cheltenham Moorabbin vs Brighton East Moorabbin vs Highett Moorabbin vs Oakleigh South Moorabbin vs Hampton East

Other comparisons with Bentleigh

Bentleigh vs Bentleigh East Bentleigh vs Brighton East Bentleigh vs McKinnon Bentleigh vs Hampton East
Full data on Moorabbin Full data on Bentleigh
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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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