Surrey Hills vs Box Hill

Box Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 42 in Surrey Hills. In Surrey Hills, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. In Box Hill, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Surrey Hills: a median of $2.12 million, against $1.6 million in Box Hill, and rent is higher there too. Surrey Hills is closer to the city centre: 13 km, against 20.7 km. On these figures, Surrey Hills tends to suit couples, while Box Hill suits renters, young adults, 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

Surrey Hills

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (67% vs 22%)
  • has more childcare (12 vs 6)
  • carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 91/100)

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

First-home buyers

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($465,000 vs $825,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,605,000 vs $2,125,000)
  • But Surrey Hills leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (61% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($381/wk vs $462/wk)
  • But Surrey Hills leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Surrey Hills sits closer to the CBD (13 km vs 20.7 km)
  • Box Hill gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 5%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (11 vs 4)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (78% vs 33%)
  • But Surrey Hills carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 91/100)

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

Investors

Box Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (26.0% vs 0.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.8% vs 4.6%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Surrey Hills Box Hill
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.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Walkability 94 / 99
Surrey Hills — Walkability: 94/100 Box Hill — Walkability: 99/100
Safety 49 / 9
Surrey Hills — Safety: 49/100 Box Hill — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Surrey Hills — Low fire risk: 100/100 Box Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 79 / 77
Surrey Hills — Low flood risk: 79/100 Box Hill — Low flood risk: 77/100

Demographics

Surrey Hills has higher household incomes ($130,156 vs $65,884); Surrey Hills skews older (42 vs 33).

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Population 13,655 14,353
+5% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.4% +26.0%
Median age 42 33
Median household income $130,156/yr
+49% vs other
 $65,884/yr
Median weekly rent $462/wk
+18% vs other
 $381/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
0-4 3.9% / 3.1%
Surrey Hills — 0-4: 3.9% Box Hill — 0-4: 3.1%
5-14 12.6% / 6.5%
Surrey Hills — 5-14: 12.6% Box Hill — 5-14: 6.5%
15-19 7.7% / 4.5%
Surrey Hills — 15-19: 7.7% Box Hill — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 6.8% / 13.2%
Surrey Hills — 20-24: 6.8% Box Hill — 20-24: 13.2%
25-34 9.8% / 26.1%
Surrey Hills — 25-34: 9.8% Box Hill — 25-34: 26.1%
35-44 11.6% / 13.2%
Surrey Hills — 35-44: 11.6% Box Hill — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 15.7% / 10.8%
Surrey Hills — 45-54: 15.7% Box Hill — 45-54: 10.8%
55-64 13.1% / 8.2%
Surrey Hills — 55-64: 13.1% Box Hill — 55-64: 8.2%
65-74 10.9% / 6.5%
Surrey Hills — 65-74: 10.9% Box Hill — 65-74: 6.5%
75-84 5.3% / 4.5%
Surrey Hills — 75-84: 5.3% Box Hill — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 2.7% / 3.3%
Surrey Hills — 85+: 2.7% Box Hill — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Surrey Hills 52.3% couple families
Surrey Hills — Couple Families: 52.3% Surrey Hills — Lone Person: 31.2% Surrey Hills — One Parent Families: 11.6% Surrey Hills — Group Household: 3.7% Surrey Hills — Other Families: 1.3%
Box Hill 24.6% couple families
Box Hill — Couple Families: 24.6% Box Hill — Lone Person: 45.0% Box Hill — One Parent Families: 12.8% Box Hill — Group Household: 14.7% Box Hill — Other Families: 3.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Surrey Hills 22.0% renting
Surrey Hills — Owned Outright: 42.6% Surrey Hills — Mortgage: 35.4% Surrey Hills — Renting: 22.0%
Box Hill 60.7% renting
Box Hill — Owned Outright: 20.8% Box Hill — Mortgage: 18.5% Box Hill — Renting: 60.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Bachelor Degree 26.5% / 22.1%
Surrey Hills — Bachelor Degree: 26.5% Box Hill — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Postgraduate Degree 12.8% / 11.6%
Surrey Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 12.8% Box Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.5% / 9.4%
Surrey Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5% Box Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4%
Certificate III & IV 4.5% / 5.2%
Surrey Hills — Certificate III & IV: 4.5% Box Hill — Certificate III & IV: 5.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.6% / 2.3%
Surrey Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.6% Box Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.5%).

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.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
China 6.0% / 29.5%
Surrey Hills — China: 6.0% Box Hill — China: 29.5%
Malaysia 2.1% / 6.4%
Surrey Hills — Malaysia: 2.1% Box Hill — Malaysia: 6.4%
India 1.5% / 4.5%
Surrey Hills — India: 1.5% Box Hill — India: 4.5%
England 3.6% / 1.0%
Surrey Hills — England: 3.6% Box Hill — England: 1.0%
Vietnam 0.8% / 1.9%
Surrey Hills — Vietnam: 0.8% Box Hill — Vietnam: 1.9%
New Zealand 1.3% / —
Surrey Hills — New Zealand: 1.3% Box Hill — New Zealand: not among its largest
Taiwan — / 1.2%
Surrey Hills — Taiwan: not among its largest Box Hill — Taiwan: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Surrey Hills 66.9% houses
Surrey Hills — Houses: 66.9% Surrey Hills — Flats / Apartments: 12.6% Surrey Hills — Townhouses: 20.5%
Box Hill 22.0% houses
Box Hill — Houses: 22.0% Box Hill — Flats / Apartments: 53.2% Box Hill — Townhouses: 24.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Median house price $2,125,000 $1,605,000
Median unit price $825,000 $465,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 118 sales
 28 days
from 51 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.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
2 bed $808K / $505K
Surrey Hills — 2 bed: $808K (88 sales) Box Hill — 2 bed: $505K (229 sales)

88 vs 229 sales

3 bed $995K / $784K
Surrey Hills — 3 bed: $995K (21 sales) Box Hill — 3 bed: $784K (20 sales)

21 vs 20 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.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
2 bed $1.36M / $701K
Surrey Hills — 2 bed: $1.36M (18 sales) Box Hill — 2 bed: $701K (12 sales)

18 vs 12 sales

3 bed $1.88M / $1.37M
Surrey Hills — 3 bed: $1.88M (58 sales) Box Hill — 3 bed: $1.37M (20 sales)

58 vs 20 sales

4 bed $2.28M / $1.72M
Surrey Hills — 4 bed: $2.28M (76 sales) Box Hill — 4 bed: $1.72M (28 sales)

76 vs 28 sales

5 bed $2.94M / $2.17M
Surrey Hills — 5 bed: $2.94M (23 sales) Box Hill — 5 bed: $2.17M (5 sales)

23 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Box Hill has more commercially zoned land (51% vs 4%).

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Residential 87% 20%
Commercial 4% 51%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 15%
Parks and recreation 3% 12%
Other and special use 0% 2%
Planning zones cover 99% of Surrey Hills and 100% of Box Hill. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Surrey Hills Box Hill
New dwellings approved 711
across Boroondara
 879
across Whitehorse
Approvals change year on year -40% +17%

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.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Houses 3.2%
$1,200/wk on $1.97M
 2.9%
$740/wk on $1.35M
Units 4.6%
$700/wk on $788K
 5.8%
$620/wk on $552K

Ranking within VIC

Surrey Hills Box Hill
House price Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Income — Higher than 26% of VIC
Schools Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 86% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 100% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 1% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 9% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC

Liveability

Surrey Hills scores higher overall (92 vs 75).

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Grade A+ A
Score 92/100 75/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Box Hill carries more crime risk (91 vs 51).

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
51/100
 High
91/100
Flood Low
21/100
 Low
23/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Inside the suburb 4
same for both
Rated above peers 2
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 2.8 km
 3
Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 3.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.1% 6.7%

Schools in Surrey Hills

  • Chatham Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Holy Redeemer School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Surrey Hills Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Succour School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Box Hill

  • Box Hill High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Francis Xavier's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady of Sion College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • SEDA College (Victoria) - Cricket Australia - Box Hill Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Supermarkets 1 11
Cafes & restaurants 13 70
Parks & reserves 9 10
Childcare 12 6
GPs 4 11
Pharmacies 4 5
Hospitals 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 3 8
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 11 1

Mobility

Box Hill sits further from the CBD (20.7 km vs 13 km).

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Walkability score 94/100 99/100
Distance to Melbourne 13 km 20.7 km
+59% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 27 min 29 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 201.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 547.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.8%
postcode 3127
 2.1%
postcode 3128
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 22
postcode 3127
 14
postcode 3128

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.

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Worked from Home 51.7% / 31.0%
Surrey Hills — Worked from Home: 51.7% Box Hill — Worked from Home: 31.0%
Car (driver) 37.2% / 39.5%
Surrey Hills — Car (driver): 37.2% Box Hill — Car (driver): 39.5%
Train 4.5% / 11.3%
Surrey Hills — Train: 4.5% Box Hill — Train: 11.3%
Walked Only 2.3% / 9.5%
Surrey Hills — Walked Only: 2.3% Box Hill — Walked Only: 9.5%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 4.1%
Surrey Hills — Car (passenger): 2.7% Box Hill — Car (passenger): 4.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.7%).

Setting

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Elevation 110 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 94 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 11.8 km 14.3 km

NBN connectivity

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Connectivity score 76/100 81/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
6,292 premises
 28%
9,245 premises

Climate

Surrey Hills Box Hill
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)

Surrey Hills Box Hill
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Average residential rate $2,253/yr $1,516/yr
Council Boroondara Whitehorse

Federal electorate

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Division Kooyong Menzies
Member Monique Ryan Gabriel Ng
Party Independent Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Surrey Hills Box Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Surrey Hills

Easy Commute Luxury Middle-Ring Parks Professionals River Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Box Hill

Affordable Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Surrey Hills

Surrey Hills vs Camberwell Surrey Hills vs Burwood Surrey Hills vs Balwyn Surrey Hills vs Box Hill South Surrey Hills vs Canterbury Surrey Hills vs Mont Albert

Other comparisons with Box Hill

Box Hill vs Blackburn Box Hill vs Box Hill North Box Hill vs Blackburn South Box Hill vs Box Hill South Box Hill vs Mont Albert North Box Hill vs Mont Albert
Full data on Surrey Hills Full data on Box Hill
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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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