Moorabbin vs Heatherton

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Moorabbin, about half of households are couple families. In Heatherton, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Moorabbin: a median of $1.23 million, against $1.11 million in Heatherton, though rent is higher in Heatherton. Moorabbin is closer to the city centre: 18.9 km, against 25.7 km. On these figures, Moorabbin 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

Heatherton

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 6)
  • carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 90/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 60%)
  • But Moorabbin has more childcare (8 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Heatherton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,110,000 vs $1,230,250)
  • has cheaper units ($553,500 vs $610,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Moorabbin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($431/wk vs $471/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Moorabbin

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 45/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (18.9 km vs 25.7 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Moorabbin is more walkable (79/100 vs 45/100)
  • Heatherton carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 90/100)

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

Investors

Moorabbin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.6% vs -2.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Moorabbin and Heatherton 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 Heatherton
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 Heatherton
Walkability 79 / 45
Moorabbin — Walkability: 79/100 Heatherton — Walkability: 45/100
Safety 10 / 27
Moorabbin — Safety: 10/100 Heatherton — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Moorabbin — Low fire risk: 100/100 Heatherton — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 62 / 42
Moorabbin — Low flood risk: 62/100 Heatherton — Low flood risk: 42/100

Demographics

Moorabbin has more residents (6,287 vs 2,826); Heatherton skews older (41 vs 39).

Moorabbin Heatherton
Population 6,287
+55% vs other
 2,826
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.6% -2.8%
Median age 39 41
Median household income $105,612/yr $108,576/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $431/wk $471/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Moorabbin Heatherton
0-4 6.7% / 4.9%
Moorabbin — 0-4: 6.7% Heatherton — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 12.0% / 15.5%
Moorabbin — 5-14: 12.0% Heatherton — 5-14: 15.5%
15-19 4.9% / 7.4%
Moorabbin — 15-19: 4.9% Heatherton — 15-19: 7.4%
20-24 4.8% / 4.7%
Moorabbin — 20-24: 4.8% Heatherton — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 13.2% / 9.6%
Moorabbin — 25-34: 13.2% Heatherton — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 16.9% / 13.5%
Moorabbin — 35-44: 16.9% Heatherton — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 13.9% / 18.7%
Moorabbin — 45-54: 13.9% Heatherton — 45-54: 18.7%
55-64 11.1% / 11.2%
Moorabbin — 55-64: 11.1% Heatherton — 55-64: 11.2%
65-74 8.4% / 8.7%
Moorabbin — 65-74: 8.4% Heatherton — 65-74: 8.7%
75-84 5.7% / 4.2%
Moorabbin — 75-84: 5.7% Heatherton — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 2.6% / 1.5%
Moorabbin — 85+: 2.6% Heatherton — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).

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%
Heatherton 55.3% couple families
Heatherton — Couple Families: 55.3% Heatherton — Lone Person: 25.3% Heatherton — One Parent Families: 14.9% Heatherton — Group Household: 3.1% Heatherton — Other Families: 1.4%
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%
Heatherton 27.5% renting
Heatherton — Owned Outright: 29.8% Heatherton — Mortgage: 42.7% Heatherton — Renting: 27.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Moorabbin Heatherton
Bachelor Degree 19.5% / 16.6%
Moorabbin — Bachelor Degree: 19.5% Heatherton — Bachelor Degree: 16.6%
Certificate III & IV 9.4% / 9.2%
Moorabbin — Certificate III & IV: 9.4% Heatherton — Certificate III & IV: 9.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 8.2%
Moorabbin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Heatherton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 6.9% / 6.4%
Moorabbin — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9% Heatherton — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 2.4%
Moorabbin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Heatherton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).

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 Heatherton
China 3.4% / 3.6%
Moorabbin — China: 3.4% Heatherton — China: 3.6%
England 3.2% / 3.4%
Moorabbin — England: 3.2% Heatherton — England: 3.4%
India 4.1% / 2.4%
Moorabbin — India: 4.1% Heatherton — India: 2.4%
South Africa 1.0% / 3.8%
Moorabbin — South Africa: 1.0% Heatherton — South Africa: 3.8%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.5%
Moorabbin — New Zealand: 1.5% Heatherton — New Zealand: 1.5%
Greece 1.8% / —
Moorabbin — Greece: 1.8% Heatherton — Greece: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 1.6%
Moorabbin — Malaysia: not among its largest Heatherton — Malaysia: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

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%
Heatherton 81.7% houses
Heatherton — Houses: 81.7% Heatherton — Flats / Apartments: 7.8% Heatherton — Townhouses: 10.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Moorabbin Heatherton
Median house price $1,230,250 $1,110,000
Median unit price $610,000 $553,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 60 sales
 22 days
from 10 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 Heatherton
2 bed $1.15M / $918K
Moorabbin — 2 bed: $1.15M (9 sales) Heatherton — 2 bed: $918K (6 sales)

9 vs 6 sales

3 bed $1.21M / $1.1M
Moorabbin — 3 bed: $1.21M (63 sales) Heatherton — 3 bed: $1.1M (21 sales)

63 vs 21 sales

4 bed $1.36M / $1.24M
Moorabbin — 4 bed: $1.36M (29 sales) Heatherton — 4 bed: $1.24M (13 sales)

29 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Moorabbin has more industrially zoned land (48% vs 0%); Heatherton has more rural and farming land (47% vs 0%).

Moorabbin Heatherton
Industrial 48% 0%
Rural and farming 0% 47%
Residential 32% 8%
Other and special use 0% 23%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 11%
Commercial 6%
same for both
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 Heatherton
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.

Moorabbin Heatherton
Houses 3.8%
$850/wk on $1.17M
 —
Units 5.2%
$685/wk on $688K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Moorabbin Heatherton
House price Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC
Income Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Schools Higher than 80% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 36% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 53% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 71% of VIC —

Liveability

Moorabbin is more walkable (79 vs 45); Moorabbin scores higher overall (72 vs 62).

Moorabbin Heatherton
Grade A B
Score 72/100 62/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Heatherton carries more flood risk (58 vs 38); Moorabbin carries more crime risk (90 vs 73).

Moorabbin Heatherton
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
90/100
 High
73/100
Flood Low
38/100
 Moderate
58/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 15
within 5 km
 25
within 5 km

Schools

Moorabbin Heatherton
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Monash Caulfield, 6.8 km
 2
Monash Clayton, 5.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 2.7%

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 Heatherton

  • Christway College Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Moorabbin Heatherton
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 7 1
Parks & reserves 6 10
Childcare 8 1
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 3 0
Hospitals 1
same for both
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 3 2
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Heatherton sits further from the CBD (25.7 km vs 18.9 km).

Moorabbin Heatherton
Walkability score 79/100 45/100
Distance to Melbourne 18.9 km 25.7 km
+36% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 30 min 34 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 173.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 105.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 3189
 1.8%
postcode 3202
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 3189
 32
postcode 3202

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 Heatherton
Car (driver) 49.5% / 55.2%
Moorabbin — Car (driver): 49.5% Heatherton — Car (driver): 55.2%
Worked from Home 39.7% / 34.0%
Moorabbin — Worked from Home: 39.7% Heatherton — Worked from Home: 34.0%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 4.4%
Moorabbin — Car (passenger): 3.1% Heatherton — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Train 3.7% / 2.9%
Moorabbin — Train: 3.7% Heatherton — Train: 2.9%
Walked Only 2.2% / 2.3%
Moorabbin — Walked Only: 2.2% Heatherton — Walked Only: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.2%).

Setting

Moorabbin Heatherton
Elevation 43 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.7 km
4.7 km to a named beach
same for both

NBN connectivity

Moorabbin Heatherton
Connectivity score 78/100 87/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 23%
5,070 premises
 45%
1,358 premises

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

Moorabbin Heatherton
Division Goldstein Isaacs
Member Tim Wilson Mark Dreyfus
Party Liberal Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Moorabbin Heatherton
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

Heatherton

Middle-Ring

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Moorabbin

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

Other comparisons with Heatherton

Heatherton vs Bentleigh East Heatherton vs Cheltenham Heatherton vs Clayton South Heatherton vs Dingley Village Heatherton vs Oakleigh South Heatherton vs Clarinda
Full data on Moorabbin Full data on Heatherton
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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