North Geelong vs Geelong West

Geelong West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 40 in North Geelong. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Geelong West, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Geelong West: a median of $860,000, against $690,000 in North Geelong, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, North Geelong tends to suit 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

Geelong West

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (5 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

North Geelong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($690,000 vs $860,000)

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

Renters

North Geelong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($315/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

North Geelong

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (58 min vs 63 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (70 km vs 73.4 km)
  • But Geelong West is more walkable (93/100 vs 80/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • North Geelong has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 14%)
  • Geelong West is more walkable (93/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

North Geelong

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.5% vs 5.1%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.9% vs 3.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

North Geelong Geelong West
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.

North Geelong Geelong West
Walkability 80 / 93
North Geelong — Walkability: 80/100 Geelong West — Walkability: 93/100
Safety 8 / 16
North Geelong — Safety: 8/100 Geelong West — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
North Geelong — Low fire risk: 100/100 Geelong West — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 70 / 62
North Geelong — Low flood risk: 70/100 Geelong West — Low flood risk: 62/100

Demographics

Geelong West has more residents (7,345 vs 3,225); Geelong West has higher household incomes ($93,444 vs $77,480).

North Geelong Geelong West
Population 3,225 7,345
+128% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.7% +5.4%
Median age 40 36
Median household income $77,480/yr $93,444/yr
+21% vs other
Median weekly rent $315/wk $350/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Geelong Geelong West
0-4 5.6% / 6.8%
North Geelong — 0-4: 5.6% Geelong West — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 10.7% / 10.3%
North Geelong — 5-14: 10.7% Geelong West — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 4.2% / 4.1%
North Geelong — 15-19: 4.2% Geelong West — 15-19: 4.1%
20-24 5.8% / 6.8%
North Geelong — 20-24: 5.8% Geelong West — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 16.6% / 18.1%
North Geelong — 25-34: 16.6% Geelong West — 25-34: 18.1%
35-44 12.2% / 16.0%
North Geelong — 35-44: 12.2% Geelong West — 35-44: 16.0%
45-54 12.0% / 13.1%
North Geelong — 45-54: 12.0% Geelong West — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 8.3% / 10.8%
North Geelong — 55-64: 8.3% Geelong West — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 9.3% / 8.6%
North Geelong — 65-74: 9.3% Geelong West — 65-74: 8.6%
75-84 7.5% / 3.9%
North Geelong — 75-84: 7.5% Geelong West — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 7.5% / 1.3%
North Geelong — 85+: 7.5% Geelong West — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Geelong 42.0% lone person
North Geelong — Lone Person: 42.0% North Geelong — Couple Families: 34.0% North Geelong — One Parent Families: 16.6% North Geelong — Group Household: 6.3% North Geelong — Other Families: 1.1%
Geelong West 45.5% lone person
Geelong West — Lone Person: 45.5% Geelong West — Couple Families: 32.3% Geelong West — One Parent Families: 12.9% Geelong West — Group Household: 7.9% Geelong West — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

North Geelong 41.7% renting
North Geelong — Owned Outright: 26.4% North Geelong — Mortgage: 31.9% North Geelong — Renting: 41.7%
Geelong West 41.2% renting
Geelong West — Owned Outright: 28.1% Geelong West — Mortgage: 30.6% Geelong West — Renting: 41.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Geelong Geelong West
Bachelor Degree 10.6% / 19.1%
North Geelong — Bachelor Degree: 10.6% Geelong West — Bachelor Degree: 19.1%
Certificate III & IV 13.8% / 11.9%
North Geelong — Certificate III & IV: 13.8% Geelong West — Certificate III & IV: 11.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.4% / 8.5%
North Geelong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.4% Geelong West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.2% / 8.1%
North Geelong — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2% Geelong West — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 4.0%
North Geelong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Geelong West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0%

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.

North Geelong Geelong West
India 3.8% / 2.0%
North Geelong — India: 3.8% Geelong West — India: 2.0%
England 1.9% / 3.0%
North Geelong — England: 1.9% Geelong West — England: 3.0%
Italy 1.8% / 1.5%
North Geelong — Italy: 1.8% Geelong West — Italy: 1.5%
China 1.0% / 1.5%
North Geelong — China: 1.0% Geelong West — China: 1.5%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.3%
North Geelong — New Zealand: 1.0% Geelong West — New Zealand: 1.3%
Germany 1.0% / —
North Geelong — Germany: 1.0% Geelong West — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North Geelong 81.6% houses
North Geelong — Houses: 81.6% North Geelong — Townhouses: 17.9% North Geelong — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Geelong West 73.7% houses
Geelong West — Houses: 73.7% Geelong West — Townhouses: 9.0% Geelong West — Flats / Apartments: 17.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

North Geelong Geelong West
Median house price $690,000 $860,000
Median unit price $429,000 $430,000
Median land price $825,000 $725,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 42 days
from 12 sales
 28 days
from 71 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.

North Geelong Geelong West
1 bed $321K / $305K
North Geelong — 1 bed: $321K (8 sales) Geelong West — 1 bed: $305K (17 sales)

8 vs 17 sales

2 bed $491K / $515K
North Geelong — 2 bed: $491K (6 sales) Geelong West — 2 bed: $515K (27 sales)

6 vs 27 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.

North Geelong Geelong West
2 bed $640K / $685K
North Geelong — 2 bed: $640K (7 sales) Geelong West — 2 bed: $685K (33 sales)

7 vs 33 sales

3 bed $667K / $860K
North Geelong — 3 bed: $667K (45 sales) Geelong West — 3 bed: $860K (86 sales)

45 vs 86 sales

4 bed $810K / $1.05M
North Geelong — 4 bed: $810K (16 sales) Geelong West — 4 bed: $1.05M (34 sales)

16 vs 34 sales

Zoning mix

North Geelong has more industrially zoned land (41% vs 0%).

North Geelong Geelong West
Residential 19% 78%
Industrial 41% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 19% 7%
Commercial 10% 12%
Parks and recreation 7% 3%
Other and special use 5% 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

North Geelong Geelong West
New dwellings approved 3,468
across Greater Geelong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +56%
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.

North Geelong Geelong West
Houses 3.9%
$528/wk on $700K
 3.1%
$558/wk on $925K
Units 6.5%
$420/wk on $335K
 5.1%
$460/wk on $472K

Ranking within VIC

North Geelong Geelong West
House price Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC
Income Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 57% of VIC Higher than 49% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 19% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC

Liveability

Geelong West scores higher overall (66 vs 50); Geelong West is more walkable (93 vs 80).

North Geelong Geelong West
Grade B
same for both
Score 50/100 66/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

North Geelong Geelong West
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 High
84/100
Flood Low
30/100
 Low
38/100
Coastal erosion Moderate
42/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 12
within 5 km
 14
within 5 km

Schools

North Geelong Geelong West
Inside the suburb 2
same for both
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 4.0 km
 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 1.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.8% 2.4%

Schools in North Geelong

  • SEDA College (Victoria) - BVNV Geelong Independent · Secondary
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Multi Geelong Independent · Secondary

Schools in Geelong West

  • St Patrick's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Ashby Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

North Geelong Geelong West
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 8 41
Parks & reserves 4 6
Childcare 2 5
GPs 2
same for both
Pharmacies 0 5
Banks & Bank@Post 0 7
Fuel stations 3 2
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 2 0

Mobility

Geelong West sits further from the CBD (73.4 km vs 70 km).

North Geelong Geelong West
Walkability score 80/100 93/100
Distance to Melbourne 70 km 73.4 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 58 min 63 min
Public transport score 89/100
Rail
 76/100
Peak arrivals per hour 96.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 129.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 3215
 1.3%
postcode 3218
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 26
postcode 3215
 24
postcode 3218

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.

North Geelong Geelong West
Car (driver) 64.9% / 56.8%
North Geelong — Car (driver): 64.9% Geelong West — Car (driver): 56.8%
Worked from Home 22.3% / 30.1%
North Geelong — Worked from Home: 22.3% Geelong West — Worked from Home: 30.1%
Car (passenger) 5.1% / 3.6%
North Geelong — Car (passenger): 5.1% Geelong West — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 2.3% / 5.4%
North Geelong — Walked Only: 2.3% Geelong West — Walked Only: 5.4%
Bicycle 1.9% / 1.6%
North Geelong — Bicycle: 1.9% Geelong West — Bicycle: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.9%).

Setting

North Geelong Geelong West
Elevation 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 903 m
3.8 km to a named beach
 996 m
2.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

North Geelong Geelong West
Connectivity score 85/100 78/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 65%
2,409 premises
 51%
4,462 premises

Climate

North Geelong Geelong West
Annual rainfall 454 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

North Geelong Geelong West
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

North Geelong Geelong West
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

North Geelong Geelong West
Division Corio
same for both
Member Richard Marles
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

North Geelong Geelong West
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

North Geelong

Coastal Transport Hub

Geelong West

Cafe Culture Coastal Parks Professionals Urban Village Feel

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North Geelong

North Geelong vs Norlane North Geelong vs Hamlyn Heights North Geelong vs Geelong North Geelong vs Bell Park North Geelong vs Rippleside North Geelong vs Drumcondra

Other comparisons with Geelong West

Geelong West vs Newtown Geelong West vs Hamlyn Heights Geelong West vs Geelong Geelong West vs Manifold Heights Geelong West vs Drumcondra
Full data on North Geelong Full data on Geelong West
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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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