Mount Martha vs Safety Beach

Mount Martha is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 53 in Safety Beach. 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 $1.11 million in Safety Beach, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mount Martha tends to suit families with children and couples, while Safety Beach suits people living alone, older residents, and 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

Mount Martha

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (42 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (12 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Mount Martha leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 31%)
  • Safety Beach has cheaper houses ($1,115,000 vs $1,376,000)

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

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Mount Martha leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 31%)
  • Safety Beach has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 12%)

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

Commuting to the city

Mount Martha

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (47/100 vs 34/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (79.8 km vs 82.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Mount Martha

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 54/100)
  • is more walkable (47/100 vs 34/100)
  • But Safety Beach has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 24%)

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

Investors

Safety Beach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (31.3% vs 7.0%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.8% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mount Martha Safety Beach
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.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Walkability 47 / 34
Mount Martha — Walkability: 47/100 Safety Beach — Walkability: 34/100
Safety 77 / 46
Mount Martha — Safety: 77/100 Safety Beach — Safety: 46/100
Low fire risk 40 / 23
Mount Martha — Low fire risk: 40/100 Safety Beach — Low fire risk: 23/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Mount Martha — Low flood risk: 100/100 Safety Beach — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mount Martha has more residents (19,846 vs 6,328); Mount Martha has higher household incomes ($109,044 vs $76,336).

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Population 19,846
+68% vs other
 6,328
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.0% +31.3%
Median age 46 53
Median household income $109,044/yr
+30% vs other
 $76,336/yr
Median weekly rent $496/wk
+7% vs other
 $460/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
0-4 4.6% / 3.5%
Mount Martha — 0-4: 4.6% Safety Beach — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 14.6% / 8.6%
Mount Martha — 5-14: 14.6% Safety Beach — 5-14: 8.6%
15-19 7.1% / 5.3%
Mount Martha — 15-19: 7.1% Safety Beach — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 4.3% / 4.1%
Mount Martha — 20-24: 4.3% Safety Beach — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 5.8% / 7.9%
Mount Martha — 25-34: 5.8% Safety Beach — 25-34: 7.9%
35-44 11.3% / 9.1%
Mount Martha — 35-44: 11.3% Safety Beach — 35-44: 9.1%
45-54 15.8% / 13.1%
Mount Martha — 45-54: 15.8% Safety Beach — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 12.7% / 15.2%
Mount Martha — 55-64: 12.7% Safety Beach — 55-64: 15.2%
65-74 12.3% / 17.0%
Mount Martha — 65-74: 12.3% Safety Beach — 65-74: 17.0%
75-84 8.3% / 12.4%
Mount Martha — 75-84: 8.3% Safety Beach — 75-84: 12.4%
85+ 3.1% / 3.7%
Mount Martha — 85+: 3.1% Safety Beach — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

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%
Safety Beach 36.0% couple families
Safety Beach — Couple Families: 36.0% Safety Beach — Lone Person: 43.4% Safety Beach — One Parent Families: 16.7% Safety Beach — Group Household: 2.8% Safety Beach — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mount Martha 12.5% renting
Mount Martha — Owned Outright: 43.9% Mount Martha — Mortgage: 43.6% Mount Martha — Renting: 12.5%
Safety Beach 24.7% renting
Safety Beach — Owned Outright: 43.4% Safety Beach — Mortgage: 31.9% Safety Beach — Renting: 24.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Certificate III & IV 13.4% / 16.2%
Mount Martha — Certificate III & IV: 13.4% Safety Beach — Certificate III & IV: 16.2%
Bachelor Degree 14.7% / 11.1%
Mount Martha — Bachelor Degree: 14.7% Safety Beach — Bachelor Degree: 11.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.5% / 9.8%
Mount Martha — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.5% Safety Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8%
Postgraduate Degree 3.9% / 2.5%
Mount Martha — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9% Safety Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / 2.0%
Mount Martha — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% Safety Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

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.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
England 8.8% / 7.6%
Mount Martha — England: 8.8% Safety Beach — England: 7.6%
New Zealand 1.3% / 1.6%
Mount Martha — New Zealand: 1.3% Safety Beach — New Zealand: 1.6%
Italy 0.7% / 1.5%
Mount Martha — Italy: 0.7% Safety Beach — Italy: 1.5%
Scotland 1.2% / 0.9%
Mount Martha — Scotland: 1.2% Safety Beach — Scotland: 0.9%
Greece — / 1.2%
Mount Martha — Greece: not among its largest Safety Beach — Greece: 1.2%
Ireland 0.7% / —
Mount Martha — Ireland: 0.7% Safety Beach — Ireland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mount Martha 84.2% houses
Mount Martha — Houses: 84.2% Mount Martha — Townhouses: 15.4% Mount Martha — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Safety Beach 77.7% houses
Safety Beach — Houses: 77.7% Safety Beach — Townhouses: 19.8% Safety Beach — Flats / Apartments: 2.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Median house price $1,376,000 $1,115,000
Median unit price $795,000 $827,500
Median land price $1,675,000 $1,482,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 33 days
from 195 sales
 26 days
from 83 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.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
2 bed $708K / $770K
Mount Martha — 2 bed: $708K (14 sales) Safety Beach — 2 bed: $770K (5 sales)

14 vs 5 sales

3 bed $840K / $832K
Mount Martha — 3 bed: $840K (35 sales) Safety Beach — 3 bed: $832K (12 sales)

35 vs 12 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.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
3 bed $1.18M / $1.03M
Mount Martha — 3 bed: $1.18M (171 sales) Safety Beach — 3 bed: $1.03M (76 sales)

171 vs 76 sales

4 bed $1.55M / $1.2M
Mount Martha — 4 bed: $1.55M (182 sales) Safety Beach — 4 bed: $1.2M (73 sales)

182 vs 73 sales

5 bed $1.9M / $1.48M
Mount Martha — 5 bed: $1.9M (31 sales) Safety Beach — 5 bed: $1.48M (8 sales)

31 vs 8 sales

Zoning mix

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Residential 47% 35%
Other and special use 1% 31%
Rural and farming 30% 25%
Parks and recreation 12% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 6%
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

Mount Martha Safety Beach
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.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Houses 2.8%
$898/wk on $1.68M
 3.8%
$850/wk on $1.15M
Units 4.0%
$650/wk on $840K
 3.9%
$695/wk on $935K

Ranking within VIC

Mount Martha Safety Beach
House price Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Income Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 44% of VIC
Schools Higher than 69% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 9% of VIC Higher than 10% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 7% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 11% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC

Liveability

Mount Martha scores higher overall (71 vs 50); Mount Martha is more walkable (47 vs 34).

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Grade A B
Score 71/100 50/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Safety Beach carries more crime risk (54 vs 23); Safety Beach carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 60).

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Bushfire Moderate
60/100
 High
77/100
Crime Low
23/100
 Moderate
54/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
59/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

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

Schools in Safety Beach

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 7 2
Parks & reserves 42 1
Childcare 12 0
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 0 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 9 15

Mobility

Safety Beach sits further from the CBD (82.5 km vs 79.8 km).

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Walkability score 47/100 34/100
Distance to Melbourne 79.8 km 82.5 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 65 min 69 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 94.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 56.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.8%
postcode 3934
 1.2%
postcode 3936
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3934
 25
postcode 3936

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.

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Car (driver) 62.1% / 66.2%
Mount Martha — Car (driver): 62.1% Safety Beach — Car (driver): 66.2%
Worked from Home 31.6% / 27.5%
Mount Martha — Worked from Home: 31.6% Safety Beach — Worked from Home: 27.5%
Car (passenger) 3.9% / 4.0%
Mount Martha — Car (passenger): 3.9% Safety Beach — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Walked Only 1.1% / 1.0%
Mount Martha — Walked Only: 1.1% Safety Beach — Walked Only: 1.0%
Bus 0.5% / 0.7%
Mount Martha — Bus: 0.5% Safety Beach — Bus: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.2%).

Setting

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Elevation 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.9 km
4.5 km to a named beach
 798 m
851 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Mount Martha Safety Beach
Connectivity score 70/100 72/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 46%
9,213 premises
 49%
3,195 premises

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Mount Martha

Coastal Parks Premium Regional Centre

Safety Beach

Beach Coastal Quiet Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mount Martha

Mount Martha vs Mornington Mount Martha vs Dromana Mount Martha vs Moorooduc Mount Martha vs Tuerong

Other comparisons with Safety Beach

Safety Beach vs Dromana Safety Beach vs Tuerong
Full data on Mount Martha Full data on Safety Beach
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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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