Murrumbeena vs Bentleigh East

Murrumbeena is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 40 in Bentleigh East. In both, most households own their home. In Bentleigh East, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Murrumbeena: a median of $1.58 million, against $1.45 million in Bentleigh East, though rent is higher in Bentleigh East. Murrumbeena is closer to the city centre: 17.2 km, against 22.2 km. On these figures, Murrumbeena tends to suit people living alone, while Bentleigh East 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

Bentleigh East

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (8 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (20 vs 8)
  • has more parks and reserves (15 vs 8)

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

First-home buyers

Murrumbeena

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($504,000 vs $775,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Murrumbeena

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (37% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($386/wk vs $500/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Murrumbeena

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (17.2 km vs 22.2 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Bentleigh East

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (10 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 59/100)
  • But Murrumbeena has more units and townhouses to downsize into (54% vs 31%)

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

Investors

Bentleigh East

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (9.1% vs 0.7%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
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.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Walkability 80 / 85
Murrumbeena — Walkability: 80/100 Bentleigh East — Walkability: 85/100
Safety 41 / 57
Murrumbeena — Safety: 41/100 Bentleigh East — Safety: 57/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Murrumbeena — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bentleigh East — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 53 / 70
Murrumbeena — Low flood risk: 53/100 Bentleigh East — Low flood risk: 70/100

Demographics

Bentleigh East has more residents (30,159 vs 9,996); Bentleigh East rents higher ($500/wk vs $386/wk).

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Population 9,996 30,159
+202% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.7% +9.1%
Median age 37 40
Median household income $106,964/yr $115,180/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $386/wk $500/wk
+30% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
0-4 5.1% / 5.7%
Murrumbeena — 0-4: 5.1% Bentleigh East — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 11.0% / 14.7%
Murrumbeena — 5-14: 11.0% Bentleigh East — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 4.7% / 6.5%
Murrumbeena — 15-19: 4.7% Bentleigh East — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 7.0% / 5.1%
Murrumbeena — 20-24: 7.0% Bentleigh East — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 17.3% / 10.2%
Murrumbeena — 25-34: 17.3% Bentleigh East — 25-34: 10.2%
35-44 15.7% / 15.6%
Murrumbeena — 35-44: 15.7% Bentleigh East — 35-44: 15.6%
45-54 13.6% / 15.6%
Murrumbeena — 45-54: 13.6% Bentleigh East — 45-54: 15.6%
55-64 11.4% / 11.2%
Murrumbeena — 55-64: 11.4% Bentleigh East — 55-64: 11.2%
65-74 8.0% / 7.9%
Murrumbeena — 65-74: 8.0% Bentleigh East — 65-74: 7.9%
75-84 4.2% / 4.7%
Murrumbeena — 75-84: 4.2% Bentleigh East — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 2.0% / 2.8%
Murrumbeena — 85+: 2.0% Bentleigh East — 85+: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Murrumbeena 41.4% couple families
Murrumbeena — Couple Families: 41.4% Murrumbeena — Lone Person: 41.8% Murrumbeena — One Parent Families: 9.9% Murrumbeena — Group Household: 5.0% Murrumbeena — Other Families: 1.8%
Bentleigh East 54.2% couple families
Bentleigh East — Couple Families: 54.2% Bentleigh East — Lone Person: 26.4% Bentleigh East — One Parent Families: 15.1% Bentleigh East — Group Household: 2.8% Bentleigh East — 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.

Murrumbeena 37.1% renting
Murrumbeena — Owned Outright: 30.1% Murrumbeena — Mortgage: 32.8% Murrumbeena — Renting: 37.1%
Bentleigh East 24.4% renting
Bentleigh East — Owned Outright: 35.4% Bentleigh East — Mortgage: 40.1% Bentleigh East — Renting: 24.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Bachelor Degree 25.2% / 19.9%
Murrumbeena — Bachelor Degree: 25.2% Bentleigh East — Bachelor Degree: 19.9%
Postgraduate Degree 11.3% / 8.0%
Murrumbeena — Postgraduate Degree: 11.3% Bentleigh East — Postgraduate Degree: 8.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 8.2%
Murrumbeena — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Bentleigh East — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Certificate III & IV 7.0% / 8.7%
Murrumbeena — Certificate III & IV: 7.0% Bentleigh East — Certificate III & IV: 8.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 2.8%
Murrumbeena — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% Bentleigh East — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).

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.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
India 5.8% / 3.6%
Murrumbeena — India: 5.8% Bentleigh East — India: 3.6%
China 4.0% / 4.8%
Murrumbeena — China: 4.0% Bentleigh East — China: 4.8%
Greece 2.2% / 2.2%
Murrumbeena — Greece: 2.2% Bentleigh East — Greece: 2.2%
England 2.1% / 2.2%
Murrumbeena — England: 2.1% Bentleigh East — England: 2.2%
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.3%
Murrumbeena — New Zealand: 1.5% Bentleigh East — New Zealand: 1.3%
South Africa — / 2.1%
Murrumbeena — South Africa: not among its largest Bentleigh East — South Africa: 2.1%

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Murrumbeena 45.6% houses
Murrumbeena — Houses: 45.6% Murrumbeena — Flats / Apartments: 29.1% Murrumbeena — Townhouses: 25.4%
Bentleigh East 69.2% houses
Bentleigh East — Houses: 69.2% Bentleigh East — Flats / Apartments: 16.7% Bentleigh East — Townhouses: 14.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Median house price $1,580,000 $1,450,000
Median unit price $504,000 $775,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 46 sales
 23 days
from 173 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.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
1 bed $351K / $380K
Murrumbeena — 1 bed: $351K (58 sales) Bentleigh East — 1 bed: $380K (19 sales)

58 vs 19 sales

2 bed $610K / $660K
Murrumbeena — 2 bed: $610K (82 sales) Bentleigh East — 2 bed: $660K (103 sales)

82 vs 103 sales

3 bed $1.1M / $1.02M
Murrumbeena — 3 bed: $1.1M (13 sales) Bentleigh East — 3 bed: $1.02M (47 sales)

13 vs 47 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.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
2 bed $1.2M / $1.07M
Murrumbeena — 2 bed: $1.2M (11 sales) Bentleigh East — 2 bed: $1.07M (25 sales)

11 vs 25 sales

3 bed $1.49M / $1.36M
Murrumbeena — 3 bed: $1.49M (34 sales) Bentleigh East — 3 bed: $1.36M (164 sales)

34 vs 164 sales

4 bed $1.87M / $1.59M
Murrumbeena — 4 bed: $1.87M (25 sales) Bentleigh East — 4 bed: $1.59M (131 sales)

25 vs 131 sales

5 bed $1.9M / $1.9M
Murrumbeena — 5 bed: $1.9M (8 sales) Bentleigh East — 5 bed: $1.9M (19 sales)

8 vs 19 sales

Zoning mix

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Residential 83% 85%
Parks and recreation 8% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 7%
Other and special use 0% 3%
Commercial 2% 1%
Industrial 1% 0%
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

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
New dwellings approved 617
across Glen Eira
same for both
Approvals change year on year -69%
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.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Houses 3.2%
$950/wk on $1.55M
 3.6%
$980/wk on $1.42M
Units 5.2%
$545/wk on $542K
 5.0%
$630/wk on $652K

Ranking within VIC

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
House price Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Income Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 57% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 10% of VIC Higher than 20% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC

Liveability

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Grade A
same for both
Score 80/100 79/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Murrumbeena carries more flood risk (47 vs 30); Murrumbeena carries more crime risk (59 vs 43).

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
59/100
 Moderate
43/100
Flood Moderate
47/100
 Low
30/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
 13
within 5 km

Schools

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Inside the suburb 2 8
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Monash Caulfield, 3.0 km
 3
Monash Caulfield, 5.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.2% 2.9%

Schools in Murrumbeena

  • Murrumbeena Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Patrick's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Bentleigh East

  • Coatesville Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Valkstone Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Bentleigh Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Peter's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • East Bentleigh Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • McKinnon Secondary College - East Campus Government · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 13 27
Parks & reserves 8 15
Childcare 8 20
GPs 0 10
Pharmacies 2 3
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 2 3
Fuel stations 1 4

Mobility

Bentleigh East sits further from the CBD (22.2 km vs 17.2 km).

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Walkability score 80/100 85/100
Distance to Melbourne 17.2 km 22.2 km
+29% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 27 min 30 min
Public transport score 80/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 232.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 463.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 3163
 2.2%
postcode 3165
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 13
postcode 3163
 23
postcode 3165

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.

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Car (driver) 41.5% / 49.5%
Murrumbeena — Car (driver): 41.5% Bentleigh East — Car (driver): 49.5%
Worked from Home 44.8% / 41.9%
Murrumbeena — Worked from Home: 44.8% Bentleigh East — Worked from Home: 41.9%
Train 7.1% / 2.7%
Murrumbeena — Train: 7.1% Bentleigh East — Train: 2.7%
Car (passenger) 2.4% / 3.1%
Murrumbeena — Car (passenger): 2.4% Bentleigh East — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Walked Only 2.1% / 1.3%
Murrumbeena — Walked Only: 2.1% Bentleigh East — Walked Only: 1.3%

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

Setting

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Elevation 48 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.4 km 6.3 km

NBN connectivity

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Connectivity score 76/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 2%
4,929 premises
 3%
12,873 premises

Climate

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
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)

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

Council rates

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Average residential rate $1,577/yr
same for both
Council Glen Eira
same for both

Federal electorate

Murrumbeena Bentleigh East
Division Hotham
same for both
Member Clare O'Neil
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Murrumbeena

Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains Transport Hub Urban Village Feel

Bentleigh East

Middle-Ring Parks Premium Professionals Urban

More comparisons

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Murrumbeena vs Malvern East Murrumbeena vs Carnegie Murrumbeena vs Hughesdale

Other comparisons with Bentleigh East

Bentleigh East vs Bentleigh Bentleigh East vs Carnegie Bentleigh East vs Oakleigh South Bentleigh East vs Oakleigh Bentleigh East vs Ormond Bentleigh East vs Hughesdale
Full data on Murrumbeena Full data on Bentleigh East
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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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