Sale vs Cobains

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sale, about half of households are people living alone. In Cobains, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Cobains: a median of $605,000, against $544,000 in Sale, though rent is higher in Sale. On these figures, Sale tends to suit people living alone, while Cobains 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

  • Sale has more childcare (14 vs 0)
  • Cobains is already more of a family suburb (64% vs 49%)

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

  • Sale has cheaper houses ($543,750 vs $605,000)
  • Cobains leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 23%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Cobains

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $280/wk)
  • But Sale has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 8%)

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

Commuting to the city

Sale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 13/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (215.5 km vs 223.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Sale

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 13/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • But Cobains carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 90/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sale Cobains
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.

Sale Cobains
Walkability 86 / 13
Sale — Walkability: 86/100 Cobains — Walkability: 13/100
Safety 10 / 31
Sale — Safety: 10/100 Cobains — Safety: 31/100
Low fire risk 100 / 80
Sale — Low fire risk: 100/100 Cobains — Low fire risk: 80/100
Low flood risk 8 / 23
Sale — Low flood risk: 8/100 Cobains — Low flood risk: 23/100

Demographics

Sale has more residents (14,296 vs 245); Cobains has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $69,004).

Sale Cobains
Population 14,296
+98% vs other
 245
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.6% +5.6%
Median age 42 43
Median household income $69,004/yr $94,224/yr
+37% vs other
Median weekly rent $280/wk
+14% vs other
 $240/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sale Cobains
0-4 5.9% / 6.5%
Sale — 0-4: 5.9% Cobains — 0-4: 6.5%
5-14 12.2% / 14.3%
Sale — 5-14: 12.2% Cobains — 5-14: 14.3%
15-19 5.6% / 4.9%
Sale — 15-19: 5.6% Cobains — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 5.3% / 2.4%
Sale — 20-24: 5.3% Cobains — 20-24: 2.4%
25-34 12.6% / 10.6%
Sale — 25-34: 12.6% Cobains — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 11.6% / 11.0%
Sale — 35-44: 11.6% Cobains — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 12.2% / 12.2%
Sale — 45-54: 12.2% Cobains — 45-54: 12.2%
55-64 12.2% / 16.3%
Sale — 55-64: 12.2% Cobains — 55-64: 16.3%
65-74 11.9% / 11.4%
Sale — 65-74: 11.9% Cobains — 65-74: 11.4%
75-84 7.4% / 6.9%
Sale — 75-84: 7.4% Cobains — 75-84: 6.9%
85+ 3.2% / —
Sale — 85+: 3.2% Cobains — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sale 32.3% couple families
Sale — Couple Families: 32.3% Sale — Lone Person: 45.7% Sale — One Parent Families: 16.8% Sale — Group Household: 3.8% Sale — Other Families: 1.4%
Cobains 56.6% couple families
Cobains — Couple Families: 56.6% Cobains — Lone Person: 35.8% Cobains — One Parent Families: 7.5% Cobains — Group Household: 0.0% Cobains — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sale 33.7% renting
Sale — Owned Outright: 36.3% Sale — Mortgage: 29.9% Sale — Renting: 33.7%
Cobains 8.3% renting
Cobains — Owned Outright: 53.6% Cobains — Mortgage: 38.1% Cobains — Renting: 8.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Sale Cobains
England 2.8% / 2.0%
Sale — England: 2.8% Cobains — England: 2.0%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.2%
Sale — New Zealand: 1.0% Cobains — New Zealand: 1.2%
Philippines 0.7% / 1.2%
Sale — Philippines: 0.7% Cobains — Philippines: 1.2%
India 1.1% / —
Sale — India: 1.1% Cobains — India: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.6% / —
Sale — Netherlands: 0.6% Cobains — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.8%).

Qualifications

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

Sale Cobains
Certificate III & IV 16.3% / 15.9%
Sale — Certificate III & IV: 16.3% Cobains — Certificate III & IV: 15.9%
Bachelor Degree 9.8% / 6.5%
Sale — Bachelor Degree: 9.8% Cobains — Bachelor Degree: 6.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 5.7%
Sale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Cobains — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.7%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / 1.6%
Sale — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% Cobains — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.2%
Sale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Cobains — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sale 84.5% houses
Sale — Houses: 84.5% Sale — Flats / Apartments: 7.8% Sale — Townhouses: 7.7%
Cobains 100.0% houses
Cobains — Houses: 100.0% Cobains — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Cobains — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Sale Cobains
Median house price $543,750 $605,000
Median unit price $335,000 —
Median land price $640,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 50 days
from 178 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Cobains has more rural and farming land (89% vs 57%).

Sale Cobains
Rural and farming 57% 89%
Residential 18% 0%
Parks and recreation 14% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 4%
Commercial 2% 0%
Industrial 2% 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

Sale Cobains
New dwellings approved 209
across Wellington
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
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.

Sale Cobains
Houses 4.3%
$530/wk on $640K
 —
Units 5.9%
$385/wk on $337K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Sale Cobains
House price Higher than 15% of VIC —
Income Higher than 31% of VIC Higher than 65% of VIC
Schools Higher than 54% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 78% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 85% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 91% of VIC —

Liveability

Sale is more walkable (86 vs 13).

Sale Cobains
Grade C —
Score 38/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Cobains carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0); Sale carries more crime risk (90 vs 69).

Sale Cobains
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
20/100
Crime High
90/100
 Moderate
69/100
Flood High
92/100
 High
77/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise High
91/100
 High
83/100
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Sale Cobains
Inside the suburb 12 1
Rated above peers 3 0
Rated at peers 5 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Sale

  • Sale Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Mary's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Thomas' School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Araluen Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Catholic College Sale Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Gippsland Grammar Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Cobains

  • Cobains Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sale Cobains
Supermarkets 7 0
Cafes & restaurants 31 0
Parks & reserves 13 2
Childcare 14 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 5 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 9 0
Fuel stations 8 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 7 1

Mobility

Cobains sits further from the CBD (223.3 km vs 215.5 km).

Sale Cobains
Walkability score 86/100 13/100
Distance to Melbourne 215.5 km 223.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 159 min 163 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3850
 0.4%
postcode 3851
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 3850
 40
postcode 3851

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.

Sale Cobains
Car (driver) 76.0% / 72.3%
Sale — Car (driver): 76.0% Cobains — Car (driver): 72.3%
Worked from Home 10.8% / 19.6%
Sale — Worked from Home: 10.8% Cobains — Worked from Home: 19.6%
Walked Only 5.4% / 8.0%
Sale — Walked Only: 5.4% Cobains — Walked Only: 8.0%
Car (passenger) 5.8% / —
Sale — Car (passenger): 5.8% Cobains — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bicycle 1.7% / —
Sale — Bicycle: 1.7% Cobains — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.0%).

Setting

Sale Cobains
Elevation 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 29.0 km 27.0 km

NBN connectivity

Sale Cobains
Connectivity score 69/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
7,988 premises
 0%
97 premises

Climate

Sale Cobains
Annual rainfall 546 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Sale Cobains
Average residential rate $1,960/yr
same for both
Council Wellington
same for both

Federal electorate

Sale Cobains
Division Gippsland
same for both
Member Darren Chester
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sale Cobains
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sale

Affordable Regional Centre

Cobains

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sale

Sale vs Longford Sale vs Wurruk Sale vs Fulham Sale vs East Sale Sale vs Myrtlebank Sale vs Pearsondale

Other comparisons with Cobains

Cobains vs East Sale Cobains vs Airly Cobains vs Clydebank Cobains vs Myrtlebank Cobains vs Montgomery
Full data on Sale Full data on Cobains
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