Ringwood vs Croydon Hills

Ringwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 42 in Croydon Hills. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Croydon Hills, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Croydon Hills: a median of $1.16 million, against $1 million in Ringwood, and rent is higher there too. Ringwood is closer to the city centre: 28.6 km, against 33.8 km. On these figures, Ringwood tends to suit people living alone, while Croydon Hills suits 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

  • Ringwood has more childcare (16 vs 2)
  • Croydon Hills carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 89/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Ringwood has cheaper houses ($1,000,000 vs $1,160,000)
  • Croydon Hills leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 28%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Ringwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 10%)
  • has cheaper rent ($381/wk vs $491/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Ringwood

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (31 min vs 39 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (28.6 km vs 33.8 km)
  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 80/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Ringwood

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (24% vs 0%)
  • has more GPs (9 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 80/100)
  • But Croydon Hills carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 89/100)

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

Investors

Ringwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (9.6% vs -3.1%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ringwood Croydon Hills
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.

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Walkability 94 / 80
Ringwood — Walkability: 94/100 Croydon Hills — Walkability: 80/100
Safety 11 / 79
Ringwood — Safety: 11/100 Croydon Hills — Safety: 79/100
Low fire risk 13 / 4
Ringwood — Low fire risk: 13/100 Croydon Hills — Low fire risk: 4/100
Low flood risk 80 / 100
Ringwood — Low flood risk: 80/100 Croydon Hills — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ringwood has more residents (19,144 vs 4,839); Croydon Hills has higher household incomes ($126,724 vs $86,008).

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Population 19,144
+75% vs other
 4,839
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.6% -3.1%
Median age 38 42
Median household income $86,008/yr $126,724/yr
+47% vs other
Median weekly rent $381/wk $491/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ringwood Croydon Hills
0-4 6.1% / 4.6%
Ringwood — 0-4: 6.1% Croydon Hills — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 10.9% / 13.5%
Ringwood — 5-14: 10.9% Croydon Hills — 5-14: 13.5%
15-19 5.0% / 7.5%
Ringwood — 15-19: 5.0% Croydon Hills — 15-19: 7.5%
20-24 5.8% / 7.0%
Ringwood — 20-24: 5.8% Croydon Hills — 20-24: 7.0%
25-34 16.7% / 9.0%
Ringwood — 25-34: 16.7% Croydon Hills — 25-34: 9.0%
35-44 16.3% / 12.1%
Ringwood — 35-44: 16.3% Croydon Hills — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 12.4% / 15.5%
Ringwood — 45-54: 12.4% Croydon Hills — 45-54: 15.5%
55-64 9.8% / 15.5%
Ringwood — 55-64: 9.8% Croydon Hills — 55-64: 15.5%
65-74 8.3% / 9.8%
Ringwood — 65-74: 8.3% Croydon Hills — 65-74: 9.8%
75-84 5.7% / 4.4%
Ringwood — 75-84: 5.7% Croydon Hills — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 3.2% / 0.9%
Ringwood — 85+: 3.2% Croydon Hills — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ringwood 38.5% couple families
Ringwood — Couple Families: 38.5% Ringwood — Lone Person: 40.3% Ringwood — One Parent Families: 14.4% Ringwood — Group Household: 5.4% Ringwood — Other Families: 1.4%
Croydon Hills 65.1% couple families
Croydon Hills — Couple Families: 65.1% Croydon Hills — Lone Person: 16.8% Croydon Hills — One Parent Families: 16.1% Croydon Hills — Group Household: 1.3% Croydon Hills — Other Families: 0.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ringwood 40.5% renting
Ringwood — Owned Outright: 26.9% Ringwood — Mortgage: 32.6% Ringwood — Renting: 40.5%
Croydon Hills 10.0% renting
Croydon Hills — Owned Outright: 41.5% Croydon Hills — Mortgage: 48.5% Croydon Hills — Renting: 10.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Bachelor Degree 17.6% / 17.4%
Ringwood — Bachelor Degree: 17.6% Croydon Hills — Bachelor Degree: 17.4%
Certificate III & IV 10.9% / 12.8%
Ringwood — Certificate III & IV: 10.9% Croydon Hills — Certificate III & IV: 12.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.0% / 9.9%
Ringwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0% Croydon Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9%
Postgraduate Degree 7.7% / 4.7%
Ringwood — Postgraduate Degree: 7.7% Croydon Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 3.0%
Ringwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Croydon Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

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.

Ringwood Croydon Hills
China 7.3% / 3.8%
Ringwood — China: 7.3% Croydon Hills — China: 3.8%
England 2.9% / 3.4%
Ringwood — England: 2.9% Croydon Hills — England: 3.4%
India 3.2% / —
Ringwood — India: 3.2% Croydon Hills — India: not among its largest
Myanmar 2.8% / —
Ringwood — Myanmar: 2.8% Croydon Hills — Myanmar: not among its largest
Malaysia 2.1% / 0.7%
Ringwood — Malaysia: 2.1% Croydon Hills — Malaysia: 0.7%
New Zealand 1.1% / 0.9%
Ringwood — New Zealand: 1.1% Croydon Hills — New Zealand: 0.9%
South Africa — / 1.1%
Ringwood — South Africa: not among its largest Croydon Hills — South Africa: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ringwood 76.0% houses
Ringwood — Houses: 76.0% Ringwood — Flats / Apartments: 13.3% Ringwood — Townhouses: 10.8%
Croydon Hills 99.9% houses
Croydon Hills — Houses: 99.9% Croydon Hills — Flats / Apartments: 0.1% Croydon Hills — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Median house price $1,000,000 $1,160,000
Median unit price $612,500 —
Median land price $1,240,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 164 sales
 24 days
from 23 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.

Ringwood Croydon Hills
3 bed $950K / $990K
Ringwood — 3 bed: $950K (143 sales) Croydon Hills — 3 bed: $990K (33 sales)

143 vs 33 sales

4 bed $1.23M / $1.22M
Ringwood — 4 bed: $1.23M (75 sales) Croydon Hills — 4 bed: $1.22M (54 sales)

75 vs 54 sales

5 bed $1.29M / $1.41M
Ringwood — 5 bed: $1.29M (13 sales) Croydon Hills — 5 bed: $1.41M (17 sales)

13 vs 17 sales

Zoning mix

Ringwood has more commercially zoned land (12% vs 0%).

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Residential 54% 82%
Infrastructure and transport 16% 5%
Commercial 12% 0%
Parks and recreation 11% 10%
Industrial 7% 0%
Rural and farming 0% 3%
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

Ringwood Croydon Hills
New dwellings approved 328
across Maroondah
same for both
Approvals change year on year -74%
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.

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Houses 3.4%
$685/wk on $1.04M
 3.6%
$800/wk on $1.15M
Units 4.6%
$550/wk on $624K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Ringwood Croydon Hills
House price Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Income Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 22% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 32% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 37% of VIC —

Liveability

Croydon Hills scores higher overall (80 vs 54); Ringwood is more walkable (94 vs 80).

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Grade B A
Score 54/100 80/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Ringwood carries more flood risk (20 vs 0); Ringwood carries more crime risk (89 vs 21).

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Bushfire High
87/100
 High
96/100
Crime High
89/100
 Low
21/100
Flood Low
20/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Inside the suburb 10 3
Rated above peers 3
same for both
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Ringwood

  • Mullum Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Ringwood Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Yarra Valley Grammar Independent · Combined above peers
  • Aquinas College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Norwood Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Croydon Hills

  • Croydon Hills Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Luther College Independent · Secondary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Supermarkets 6 0
Cafes & restaurants 46 0
Parks & reserves 24 8
Childcare 16 2
GPs 9 0
Pharmacies 7 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 8 0
Fuel stations 6 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 11 1

Mobility

Croydon Hills sits further from the CBD (33.8 km vs 28.6 km).

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Walkability score 94/100 80/100
Distance to Melbourne 28.6 km 33.8 km
+18% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 39 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 489.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 44.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 3134
 1.3%
postcode 3136
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 27
postcode 3134
 29
postcode 3136

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.

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Car (driver) 53.2% / 59.4%
Ringwood — Car (driver): 53.2% Croydon Hills — Car (driver): 59.4%
Worked from Home 34.6% / 33.8%
Ringwood — Worked from Home: 34.6% Croydon Hills — Worked from Home: 33.8%
Car (passenger) 3.4% / 3.9%
Ringwood — Car (passenger): 3.4% Croydon Hills — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Train 5.2% / 1.7%
Ringwood — Train: 5.2% Croydon Hills — Train: 1.7%
Walked Only 2.1% / 0.9%
Ringwood — Walked Only: 2.1% Croydon Hills — Walked Only: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.4%).

Setting

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Elevation 113 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 133 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.5 km 27.7 km

NBN connectivity

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Connectivity score 79/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 15%
10,436 premises
 8%
1,712 premises

Climate

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ringwood Croydon Hills
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³ —
PM10 — 15.5 µg/m³
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Average residential rate $1,715/yr
same for both
Council Maroondah
same for both

Federal electorate

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Division Deakin
same for both
Member Matt Gregg
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ringwood Croydon Hills
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ringwood

Easy Commute Gentrifying Outer Parks River Transport Hub

Croydon Hills

Outer Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ringwood

Ringwood vs Croydon Ringwood vs Mitcham Ringwood vs Wantirna Ringwood vs Donvale Ringwood vs Vermont Ringwood vs Ringwood East

Other comparisons with Croydon Hills

Croydon Hills vs Croydon Croydon Hills vs Croydon North Croydon Hills vs Warranwood Croydon Hills vs Wonga Park
Full data on Ringwood Full data on Croydon Hills
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or