Sunshine West vs Laverton North
Sunshine West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 56 in Laverton North. In Sunshine West, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Laverton North, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Laverton North: a median of $3.95 million, against $755,000 in Sunshine West, though rent is higher in Sunshine West. Sunshine West is closer to the city centre: 14.6 km, against 20.1 km. On these figures, Sunshine West tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Laverton North suits renters and 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
Sunshine West
ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (14 vs 0)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (83% vs 6%)
- has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Sunshine West
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($755,000 vs $3,950,000)
- has cheaper land ($660,000 vs $2,300,000)
- has cheaper units ($585,000 vs $973,250)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and land prices.
Renters
Laverton North
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (70% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $346/wk)
- But Sunshine West leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 36%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sunshine West
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (81/100 vs 25/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (14.6 km vs 20.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sunshine West
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (3 vs 0)
- is more walkable (81/100 vs 25/100)
- carries lower crime risk (66/100 vs 100/100)
- But Laverton North has more units and townhouses to downsize into (94% vs 17%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Laverton North
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (63.0% vs -0.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sunshine West and Laverton North 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
Sunshine West has more residents (18,552 vs 119); Sunshine West has higher household incomes ($73,632 vs $34,788).
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,552 +99% vs other | 119 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.2% | +63.0% |
| Median age | 38 | 56 |
| Median household income | $73,632/yr +53% vs other | $34,788/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $346/wk +31% vs other | $240/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.4%).
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 (13.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $755,000 | $3,950,000 |
| Median unit price | $585,000 | $973,250 |
| Median land price | $660,000 | $2,300,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 27 days from 181 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Laverton North has more industrially zoned land (83% vs 26%).
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial | 26% | 83% |
| Residential | 57% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 10% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 7% |
| 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 West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 670 across Brimbank | 4,045 across Wyndham |
| Approvals change year on year | +40% | -0% |
Gross rental yield
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.7% $550/wk on $772K | — |
| Units | 5.5% $500/wk on $471K | — |
Ranking within VIC
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 45% of VIC | — |
| Income | — | Higher than 1% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 63% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 93% of VIC | Higher than 81% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 83% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 83% of VIC | Higher than 95% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 47% of VIC | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 84% of VIC | — |
Liveability
Sunshine West is more walkable (81 vs 25).
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 57/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Laverton North carries more bushfire risk (13 vs 0); Sunshine West carries more flood risk (42 vs 18).
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 13/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 66/100 | High 100/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 42/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 48 within 5 km | 42 within 5 km |
Schools
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 10 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 3 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 3 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Victoria University Footscray Park, 7.6 km | None |
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
Schools in Laverton North
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 4 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 4 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 27 | 5 |
| Childcare | 14 | 0 |
| GPs | 3 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 9 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 15 |
Mobility
Laverton North sits further from the CBD (20.1 km vs 14.6 km).
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 81/100 | 25/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 14.6 km | 20.1 km +38% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 26 min | 25 min |
| Public transport score | 89/100 Rail · Bus | 79/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 275.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 104.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3020 | 1.2% postcode 3026 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 28 postcode 3020 | 40 postcode 3026 |
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 (80.0%).
Setting
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 39 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 26 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.2 km | 5.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 75/100 | 88/100 |
| Most common technology | Hybrid fibre-coaxial | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 15% 7,989 premises | 59% 1,527 premises |
Climate
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 482 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.2°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 23.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,847/yr | $1,997/yr |
| Council | Brimbank | Wyndham |
Federal electorate
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Fraser | Gellibrand |
| Member | Daniel Mulino | Tim Watts |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sunshine West | Laverton North | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Sunshine West
Laverton North
More comparisons
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Other comparisons with Laverton North
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.