Newtown vs Scarsdale
Scarsdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 45 in Newtown. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Newtown 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
Scarsdale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 94/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 60%)
- But Newtown has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Scarsdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Newtown
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($103/wk vs $240/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 16%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Scarsdale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (139.2 km vs 141.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Scarsdale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 94/100)
- But Newtown has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Newtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (54.9% vs 14.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Newtown and Scarsdale drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Scarsdale has more residents (855 vs 189); Scarsdale rents higher ($240/wk vs $103/wk).
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 189 | 855 +352% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +54.9% | +14.9% |
| Median age | 45 | 39 |
| Median household income | $53,300/yr | $80,496/yr +51% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $103/wk | $240/wk +133% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $625,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $277,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 30 days from 8 sales |
Zoning mix
Newtown has more rural and farming land (88% vs 46%).
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 46% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 46% |
| Residential | 3% | 8% |
| Environmental | 2% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 12% of VIC | Higher than 48% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 50% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of VIC | Higher than 74% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 40% of VIC | Higher than 39% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of VIC | Higher than 33% of VIC |
Liveability
Scarsdale is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 31/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Newtown carries more crime risk (94 vs 35); Newtown carries more flood risk (79 vs 33).
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 73/100 |
| Crime | High 94/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Flood | High 79/100 | Low 33/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 10 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 3 | 0 |
Schools in Newtown
- Woady Yaloak Primary School-Scarsdale Campus Government · Primary
Schools in Scarsdale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 9 | 68 |
Mobility
Newtown sits further from the CBD (141.4 km vs 139.2 km).
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 141.4 km +2% vs other | 139.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3351 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 3351 same for both | |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.0%).
Setting
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 343 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 385 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 66 premises | 0% 304 premises |
Climate
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 605 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Newtown | Scarsdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Newtown
Other comparisons with Scarsdale
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.