Sunshine vs Sunshine West

Sunshine is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Sunshine West. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Sunshine: a median of $835,000, against $755,000 in Sunshine West. Sunshine is closer to the city centre: 13.1 km, against 14.6 km.

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

Sunshine West

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 14)
  • carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 96/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Sunshine has cheaper units ($415,000 vs $585,000)
  • Sunshine West has cheaper houses ($755,000 vs $835,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Sunshine

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 29%)

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

Commuting to the city

Sunshine

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 81/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Sunshine

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (15 vs 3)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (31% vs 17%)
  • is more walkable (99/100 vs 81/100)
  • But Sunshine West carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 96/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Sunshine and Sunshine 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.

Sunshine Sunshine 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.

Sunshine Sunshine West
Walkability 99 / 81
Sunshine — Walkability: 99/100 Sunshine West — Walkability: 81/100
Safety 4 / 34
Sunshine — Safety: 4/100 Sunshine West — Safety: 34/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Sunshine — Low fire risk: 100/100 Sunshine West — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 49 / 58
Sunshine — Low flood risk: 49/100 Sunshine West — Low flood risk: 58/100

Demographics

Sunshine West has more residents (18,552 vs 9,445); Sunshine has higher household incomes ($81,432 vs $73,632).

Sunshine Sunshine West
Population 9,445 18,552
+96% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.3% -0.2%
Median age 35 38
Median household income $81,432/yr
+10% vs other
 $73,632/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk $346/wk
+2% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sunshine Sunshine West
0-4 6.2% / 5.6%
Sunshine — 0-4: 6.2% Sunshine West — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 10.0% / 11.1%
Sunshine — 5-14: 10.0% Sunshine West — 5-14: 11.1%
15-19 4.1% / 5.3%
Sunshine — 15-19: 4.1% Sunshine West — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 7.5% / 6.5%
Sunshine — 20-24: 7.5% Sunshine West — 20-24: 6.5%
25-34 21.0% / 16.5%
Sunshine — 25-34: 21.0% Sunshine West — 25-34: 16.5%
35-44 15.9% / 14.0%
Sunshine — 35-44: 15.9% Sunshine West — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 12.1% / 12.2%
Sunshine — 45-54: 12.1% Sunshine West — 45-54: 12.2%
55-64 9.8% / 10.6%
Sunshine — 55-64: 9.8% Sunshine West — 55-64: 10.6%
65-74 6.8% / 9.3%
Sunshine — 65-74: 6.8% Sunshine West — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 4.0% / 6.7%
Sunshine — 75-84: 4.0% Sunshine West — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 2.4% / 2.2%
Sunshine — 85+: 2.4% Sunshine West — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sunshine 37.0% couple families
Sunshine — Couple Families: 37.0% Sunshine — Lone Person: 32.2% Sunshine — One Parent Families: 17.7% Sunshine — Group Household: 9.7% Sunshine — Other Families: 3.5%
Sunshine West 42.6% couple families
Sunshine West — Couple Families: 42.6% Sunshine West — Lone Person: 27.0% Sunshine West — One Parent Families: 22.3% Sunshine West — Group Household: 5.6% Sunshine West — Other Families: 2.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sunshine 42.1% renting
Sunshine — Owned Outright: 28.2% Sunshine — Mortgage: 29.7% Sunshine — Renting: 42.1%
Sunshine West 28.9% renting
Sunshine West — Owned Outright: 40.5% Sunshine West — Mortgage: 30.6% Sunshine West — Renting: 28.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sunshine Sunshine West
Bachelor Degree 15.9% / 11.1%
Sunshine — Bachelor Degree: 15.9% Sunshine West — Bachelor Degree: 11.1%
Certificate III & IV 8.8% / 9.1%
Sunshine — Certificate III & IV: 8.8% Sunshine West — Certificate III & IV: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 6.1%
Sunshine — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Sunshine West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Postgraduate Degree 6.9% / 3.4%
Sunshine — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9% Sunshine West — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 1.1%
Sunshine — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Sunshine West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

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.

Sunshine Sunshine West
Vietnam 13.5% / 13.8%
Sunshine — Vietnam: 13.5% Sunshine West — Vietnam: 13.8%
India 4.7% / 2.9%
Sunshine — India: 4.7% Sunshine West — India: 2.9%
Philippines 2.4% / 2.4%
Sunshine — Philippines: 2.4% Sunshine West — Philippines: 2.4%
Nepal 3.7% / —
Sunshine — Nepal: 3.7% Sunshine West — Nepal: not among its largest
China 1.8% / 1.4%
Sunshine — China: 1.8% Sunshine West — China: 1.4%
Greece — / 2.4%
Sunshine — Greece: not among its largest Sunshine West — Greece: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sunshine 69.2% houses
Sunshine — Houses: 69.2% Sunshine — Townhouses: 22.1% Sunshine — Flats / Apartments: 8.7%
Sunshine West 82.6% houses
Sunshine West — Houses: 82.6% Sunshine West — Townhouses: 14.2% Sunshine West — Flats / Apartments: 3.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Sunshine Sunshine West
Median house price $835,000 $755,000
Median unit price $415,000 $585,000
Median land price — $660,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 115 sales
 27 days
from 181 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.

Sunshine Sunshine West
1 bed $269K / $375K
Sunshine — 1 bed: $269K (14 sales) Sunshine West — 1 bed: $375K (5 sales)

14 vs 5 sales

2 bed $431K / $505K
Sunshine — 2 bed: $431K (40 sales) Sunshine West — 2 bed: $505K (13 sales)

40 vs 13 sales

3 bed $720K / $618K
Sunshine — 3 bed: $720K (7 sales) Sunshine West — 3 bed: $618K (16 sales)

7 vs 16 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.

Sunshine Sunshine West
2 bed $720K / $610K
Sunshine — 2 bed: $720K (30 sales) Sunshine West — 2 bed: $610K (14 sales)

30 vs 14 sales

3 bed $824K / $735K
Sunshine — 3 bed: $824K (109 sales) Sunshine West — 3 bed: $735K (212 sales)

109 vs 212 sales

4 bed $1.03M / $825K
Sunshine — 4 bed: $1.03M (26 sales) Sunshine West — 4 bed: $825K (82 sales)

26 vs 82 sales

5 bed $1.3M / $865K
Sunshine — 5 bed: $1.3M (5 sales) Sunshine West — 5 bed: $865K (13 sales)

5 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Sunshine has more commercially zoned land (15% vs 1%); Sunshine West has more industrially zoned land (26% vs 13%).

Sunshine Sunshine West
Residential 50% 57%
Industrial 13% 26%
Commercial 15% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 14% 9%
Parks and recreation 8% 6%
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

Sunshine Sunshine West
New dwellings approved 670
across Brimbank
same for both
Approvals change year on year +40%
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.

Sunshine Sunshine West
Houses 3.6%
$580/wk on $848K
 3.7%
$550/wk on $772K
Units 5.5%
$400/wk on $375K
 5.5%
$500/wk on $471K

Ranking within VIC

Sunshine Sunshine West
House price Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 45% of VIC
Income Higher than 49% of VIC —
Schools Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 41% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 73% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC

Liveability

Sunshine West scores higher overall (57 vs 44); Sunshine is more walkable (99 vs 81).

Sunshine Sunshine West
Grade C B
Score 44/100 57/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Sunshine carries more crime risk (96 vs 66).

Sunshine Sunshine West
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
96/100
 Moderate
66/100
Flood Moderate
51/100
 Moderate
42/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 37
within 5 km
 48
within 5 km

Schools

Sunshine Sunshine West
Inside the suburb 7 10
Rated above peers 0 3
Rated at peers 2 3
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Victoria University Footscray Park, 5.6 km
 1
Victoria University Footscray Park, 7.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 2.5%

Schools in Sunshine

  • Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Sunshine Harvester Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Sunshine Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - AFL - Sunshine Independent · Secondary
  • Sunshine College-Sunshine Work Education Training Unit Government · Secondary
  • Hester Hornbrook Academy - Sunshine Campus Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Sunshine West

  • Ardeer South Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Marian College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • St Paul's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Peter's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Sunshine College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Sunshine Heights Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sunshine Sunshine West
Supermarkets 15 4
Cafes & restaurants 32 4
Parks & reserves 14 27
Childcare 11 14
GPs 15 3
Pharmacies 7 3
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 1
Fuel stations 5 2
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 4 1

Mobility

Sunshine Sunshine West
Walkability score 99/100 81/100
Distance to Melbourne 13.1 km 14.6 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 24 min 26 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 89/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 578.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 275.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3020
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 3020
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.

Sunshine Sunshine West
Car (driver) 52.6% / 65.9%
Sunshine — Car (driver): 52.6% Sunshine West — Car (driver): 65.9%
Worked from Home 28.3% / 20.7%
Sunshine — Worked from Home: 28.3% Sunshine West — Worked from Home: 20.7%
Train 9.3% / 4.8%
Sunshine — Train: 9.3% Sunshine West — Train: 4.8%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 5.8%
Sunshine — Car (passenger): 4.2% Sunshine West — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Bus 3.2% / 1.4%
Sunshine — Bus: 3.2% Sunshine West — Bus: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.9%).

Setting

Sunshine Sunshine West
Elevation 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.2 km
same for both

NBN connectivity

Sunshine Sunshine West
Connectivity score 77/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 15%
5,519 premises
 15%
7,989 premises

Climate

Sunshine Sunshine West
Annual rainfall 534 mm 482 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C 25.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C 6.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Sunshine Sunshine West
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 23.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Sunshine Sunshine West
Average residential rate $1,847/yr
same for both
Council Brimbank
same for both

Federal electorate

Sunshine Sunshine West
Division Fraser
same for both
Member Daniel Mulino
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Sunshine

Easy Commute Gentrifying Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks River Townhouses Transport Hub

Sunshine West

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sunshine

Sunshine vs Sunshine North Sunshine vs Braybrook Sunshine vs Albion Sunshine vs Ardeer Sunshine vs Brooklyn

Other comparisons with Sunshine West

Sunshine West vs Deer Park Sunshine West vs Derrimut Sunshine West vs Albion Sunshine West vs Ardeer Sunshine West vs Brooklyn Sunshine West vs Laverton North
Full data on Sunshine Full data on Sunshine 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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