Scarsdale vs Happy Valley
Scarsdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 47 in Happy Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Scarsdale, about half of households are couple families. In Happy Valley, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Scarsdale tends to suit couples, while Happy Valley suits 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 the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Happy Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 22%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Happy Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $240/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Scarsdale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (111 min vs 133 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (139.2 km vs 158.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Scarsdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.9% vs 2.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Scarsdale and Happy Valley 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 87); Scarsdale rents higher ($240/wk vs $150/wk).
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 855 +90% vs other | 87 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.9% | +2.4% |
| Median age | 39 | 47 |
| Median household income | $80,496/yr +23% vs other | $61,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $240/wk +38% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (10.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Happy Valley has more rural and farming land (69% vs 46%).
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 46% | 69% |
| Parks and recreation | 46% | 31% |
| Residential | 8% | 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
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 39% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 33% of VIC | Higher than 24% of VIC |
Liveability
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 31/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Scarsdale carries more bushfire risk (73 vs 28).
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 73/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | Low 35/100 same for both | |
| Flood | Low 33/100 | Low 30/100 |
| 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
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 same for both | |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 68 | 4 |
Mobility
Happy Valley sits further from the CBD (158.2 km vs 139.2 km).
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 139.2 km | 158.2 km +14% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 133 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3351 | 0.5% postcode 3360 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 3351 | 42 postcode 3360 |
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 (76.8%).
Setting
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 385 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 322 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 304 premises | 0% 38 premises |
Climate
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Scarsdale | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Scarsdale
Happy Valley
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Scarsdale
Other comparisons with Happy Valley
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.