Mornington vs Mount Martha

Mount Martha is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 50 in Mornington. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Martha, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Mount Martha: a median of $1.38 million, against $1.1 million in Mornington, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mornington tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Mount Martha suits families with children and couples.

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

  • Mornington has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 3)
  • Mount Martha carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 63/100)

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

First-home buyers

Mornington

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,105,000 vs $1,376,000)
  • has cheaper land ($1,402,500 vs $1,675,000)
  • But Mount Martha leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 32%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mornington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $496/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Mornington

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 47/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (71 km vs 79.8 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Mornington

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (11 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 47/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 24%)
  • But Mount Martha carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 63/100)

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

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

Mornington Mount Martha
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.

Mornington Mount Martha
Walkability 76 / 47
Mornington — Walkability: 76/100 Mount Martha — Walkability: 47/100
Safety 37 / 77
Mornington — Safety: 37/100 Mount Martha — Safety: 77/100
Low fire risk 100 / 40
Mornington — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mount Martha — Low fire risk: 40/100
Low flood risk 82 / 100
Mornington — Low flood risk: 82/100 Mount Martha — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mount Martha has higher household incomes ($109,044 vs $75,452); Mornington has more residents (25,759 vs 19,846).

Mornington Mount Martha
Population 25,759
+23% vs other
 19,846
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.4% +7.0%
Median age 50 46
Median household income $75,452/yr $109,044/yr
+45% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $496/wk
+24% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mornington Mount Martha
0-4 4.5% / 4.6%
Mornington — 0-4: 4.5% Mount Martha — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 10.4% / 14.6%
Mornington — 5-14: 10.4% Mount Martha — 5-14: 14.6%
15-19 5.3% / 7.1%
Mornington — 15-19: 5.3% Mount Martha — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 4.4% / 4.3%
Mornington — 20-24: 4.4% Mount Martha — 20-24: 4.3%
25-34 8.2% / 5.8%
Mornington — 25-34: 8.2% Mount Martha — 25-34: 5.8%
35-44 10.5% / 11.3%
Mornington — 35-44: 10.5% Mount Martha — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 13.2% / 15.8%
Mornington — 45-54: 13.2% Mount Martha — 45-54: 15.8%
55-64 12.2% / 12.7%
Mornington — 55-64: 12.2% Mount Martha — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 14.4% / 12.3%
Mornington — 65-74: 14.4% Mount Martha — 65-74: 12.3%
75-84 11.7% / 8.3%
Mornington — 75-84: 11.7% Mount Martha — 75-84: 8.3%
85+ 5.2% / 3.1%
Mornington — 85+: 5.2% Mount Martha — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mornington 35.7% couple families
Mornington — Couple Families: 35.7% Mornington — Lone Person: 44.8% Mornington — One Parent Families: 15.8% Mornington — Group Household: 2.6% Mornington — Other Families: 1.1%
Mount Martha 54.3% couple families
Mount Martha — Couple Families: 54.3% Mount Martha — Lone Person: 30.0% Mount Martha — One Parent Families: 13.5% Mount Martha — Group Household: 1.4% Mount Martha — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mornington 22.5% renting
Mornington — Owned Outright: 43.7% Mornington — Mortgage: 33.9% Mornington — Renting: 22.5%
Mount Martha 12.5% renting
Mount Martha — Owned Outright: 43.9% Mount Martha — Mortgage: 43.6% Mount Martha — Renting: 12.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mornington Mount Martha
Certificate III & IV 14.7% / 13.4%
Mornington — Certificate III & IV: 14.7% Mount Martha — Certificate III & IV: 13.4%
Bachelor Degree 12.5% / 14.7%
Mornington — Bachelor Degree: 12.5% Mount Martha — Bachelor Degree: 14.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.9% / 10.5%
Mornington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9% Mount Martha — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 3.9%
Mornington — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Mount Martha — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 2.9%
Mornington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Mount Martha — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.7%).

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.

Mornington Mount Martha
England 8.9% / 8.8%
Mornington — England: 8.9% Mount Martha — England: 8.8%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.3%
Mornington — New Zealand: 1.5% Mount Martha — New Zealand: 1.3%
Scotland 1.3% / 1.2%
Mornington — Scotland: 1.3% Mount Martha — Scotland: 1.2%
Ireland 0.7% / 0.7%
Mornington — Ireland: 0.7% Mount Martha — Ireland: 0.7%
Italy 0.6% / 0.7%
Mornington — Italy: 0.6% Mount Martha — Italy: 0.7%
South Africa 0.6% / 0.6%
Mornington — South Africa: 0.6% Mount Martha — South Africa: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mornington 77.0% houses
Mornington — Houses: 77.0% Mornington — Townhouses: 11.2% Mornington — Flats / Apartments: 11.8%
Mount Martha 84.2% houses
Mount Martha — Houses: 84.2% Mount Martha — Townhouses: 15.4% Mount Martha — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mornington Mount Martha
Median house price $1,105,000 $1,376,000
Median unit price $725,000 $795,000
Median land price $1,402,500 $1,675,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 238 sales
 33 days
from 195 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.

Mornington Mount Martha
2 bed $690K / $708K
Mornington — 2 bed: $690K (106 sales) Mount Martha — 2 bed: $708K (14 sales)

106 vs 14 sales

3 bed $818K / $840K
Mornington — 3 bed: $818K (54 sales) Mount Martha — 3 bed: $840K (35 sales)

54 vs 35 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.

Mornington Mount Martha
1 bed $975K / $1.3M
Mornington — 1 bed: $975K (6 sales) Mount Martha — 1 bed: $1.3M (5 sales)

6 vs 5 sales

2 bed $823K / $1.03M
Mornington — 2 bed: $823K (25 sales) Mount Martha — 2 bed: $1.03M (11 sales)

25 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1M / $1.18M
Mornington — 3 bed: $1M (257 sales) Mount Martha — 3 bed: $1.18M (171 sales)

257 vs 171 sales

4 bed $1.2M / $1.55M
Mornington — 4 bed: $1.2M (143 sales) Mount Martha — 4 bed: $1.55M (182 sales)

143 vs 182 sales

5 bed $1.53M / $1.9M
Mornington — 5 bed: $1.53M (28 sales) Mount Martha — 5 bed: $1.9M (31 sales)

28 vs 31 sales

Zoning mix

Mornington Mount Martha
Residential 55% 47%
Rural and farming 20% 30%
Parks and recreation 7% 12%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 9%
Industrial 5% 0%
Commercial 2% 0%
Other and special use 0% 1%
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

Mornington Mount Martha
New dwellings approved 791
across Mornington Peninsula
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
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.

Mornington Mount Martha
Houses 3.2%
$770/wk on $1.25M
 2.8%
$898/wk on $1.68M
Units 3.9%
$595/wk on $789K
 4.0%
$650/wk on $840K

Ranking within VIC

Mornington Mount Martha
House price Higher than 72% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Income Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Schools Higher than 18% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 9% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 23% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 9% of VIC Higher than 11% of VIC

Liveability

Mornington is more walkable (76 vs 47); Mount Martha scores higher overall (71 vs 56).

Mornington Mount Martha
Grade B A
Score 56/100 71/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Mount Martha carries more bushfire risk (60 vs 0); Mornington carries more flood risk (18 vs 0).

Mornington Mount Martha
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime Moderate
63/100
 Low
23/100
Flood Low
18/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion Low
25/100
 Moderate
50/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Mornington Mount Martha
Inside the suburb 9 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 3 2
Rated below peers 3 0

Schools in Mornington

  • Benton Junior College Government · Primary at peers
  • Mornington Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Mornington Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Mornington Park Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Padua College Catholic · Secondary below peers
  • St Macartan's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Mount Martha

  • Osborne Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Balcombe Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mount Martha Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mornington Mount Martha
Supermarkets 7 1
Cafes & restaurants 63 7
Parks & reserves 56 42
Childcare 19 12
GPs 11 1
Pharmacies 9 1
Hospitals 3 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 7 2
Fuel stations 8 0
EV chargers 2 1
Beaches 3 0
Waterways 11 9

Mobility

Mount Martha sits further from the CBD (79.8 km vs 71 km).

Mornington Mount Martha
Walkability score 76/100 47/100
Distance to Melbourne 71 km 79.8 km
+12% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 62 min 65 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 198.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 94.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 3931
 1.8%
postcode 3934
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 32
postcode 3931
 39
postcode 3934

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.

Mornington Mount Martha
Car (driver) 65.6% / 62.1%
Mornington — Car (driver): 65.6% Mount Martha — Car (driver): 62.1%
Worked from Home 26.6% / 31.6%
Mornington — Worked from Home: 26.6% Mount Martha — Worked from Home: 31.6%
Car (passenger) 3.8% / 3.9%
Mornington — Car (passenger): 3.8% Mount Martha — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Walked Only 2.2% / 1.1%
Mornington — Walked Only: 2.2% Mount Martha — Walked Only: 1.1%
Bus 0.8% / 0.5%
Mornington — Bus: 0.8% Mount Martha — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.6%).

Setting

Mornington Mount Martha
Elevation 47 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.3 km
2.3 km to a named beach
 1.9 km
4.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Mornington Mount Martha
Connectivity score 70/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
14,301 premises
 46%
9,213 premises

Climate

Mornington Mount Martha
Annual rainfall 700 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Mornington Mount Martha
Average residential rate $1,659/yr
same for both
Council Mornington Peninsula
same for both

Federal electorate

Mornington Mount Martha
Division Flinders
same for both
Member Zoe Mckenzie
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mornington Mount Martha
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mornington

Coastal Outer Parks Retirees

Mount Martha

Coastal Parks Premium Regional Centre

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Full data on Mornington Full data on Mount Martha
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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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