Thornbury vs Fairfield

In both, most households own their home. In Fairfield, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fairfield: a median of $1.66 million, against $1.44 million in Thornbury, though rent is higher in Thornbury. Fairfield is closer to the city centre: 6.9 km, against 8.8 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

Thornbury

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (25 vs 6)
  • has more childcare (17 vs 6)

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

First-home buyers

Thornbury

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,440,000 vs $1,662,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

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

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

Commuting to the city

Fairfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (16 min vs 21 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Thornbury

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more GPs (6 vs 3)

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

Investors

Fairfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.8% vs 5.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Thornbury Fairfield
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.

Thornbury Fairfield
Walkability 97 / 96
Thornbury — Walkability: 97/100 Fairfield — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 30 / 27
Thornbury — Safety: 30/100 Fairfield — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Thornbury — Low fire risk: 100/100 Fairfield — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 60 / 30
Thornbury — Low flood risk: 60/100 Fairfield — Low flood risk: 30/100

Demographics

Thornbury has more residents (19,005 vs 6,535).

Thornbury Fairfield
Population 19,005
+66% vs other
 6,535
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.4% -0.4%
Median age 37
same for both
Median household income $102,492/yr $102,284/yr
Median weekly rent $391/wk
+6% vs other
 $369/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thornbury Fairfield
0-4 5.1% / 5.2%
Thornbury — 0-4: 5.1% Fairfield — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 9.6% / 10.2%
Thornbury — 5-14: 9.6% Fairfield — 5-14: 10.2%
15-19 4.3% / 4.3%
Thornbury — 15-19: 4.3% Fairfield — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 5.4% / 5.8%
Thornbury — 20-24: 5.4% Fairfield — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 20.3% / 18.8%
Thornbury — 25-34: 20.3% Fairfield — 25-34: 18.8%
35-44 17.7% / 17.0%
Thornbury — 35-44: 17.7% Fairfield — 35-44: 17.0%
45-54 14.1% / 14.0%
Thornbury — 45-54: 14.1% Fairfield — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 9.8% / 11.5%
Thornbury — 55-64: 9.8% Fairfield — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 6.5% / 7.6%
Thornbury — 65-74: 6.5% Fairfield — 65-74: 7.6%
75-84 4.5% / 4.0%
Thornbury — 75-84: 4.5% Fairfield — 75-84: 4.0%
85+ 2.6% / 1.8%
Thornbury — 85+: 2.6% Fairfield — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thornbury 44.0% lone person
Thornbury — Lone Person: 44.0% Thornbury — Couple Families: 33.6% Thornbury — One Parent Families: 11.1% Thornbury — Group Household: 9.7% Thornbury — Other Families: 1.5%
Fairfield 49.1% lone person
Fairfield — Lone Person: 49.1% Fairfield — Couple Families: 33.6% Fairfield — One Parent Families: 9.0% Fairfield — Group Household: 6.8% Fairfield — Other Families: 1.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thornbury 42.8% renting
Thornbury — Owned Outright: 27.7% Thornbury — Mortgage: 29.5% Thornbury — Renting: 42.8%
Fairfield 42.3% renting
Fairfield — Owned Outright: 29.2% Fairfield — Mortgage: 28.5% Fairfield — Renting: 42.3%
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.

Thornbury Fairfield
Greece 4.2% / 2.6%
Thornbury — Greece: 4.2% Fairfield — Greece: 2.6%
England 2.9% / 3.2%
Thornbury — England: 2.9% Fairfield — England: 3.2%
Italy 2.9% / 1.8%
Thornbury — Italy: 2.9% Fairfield — Italy: 1.8%
New Zealand 2.2% / 1.4%
Thornbury — New Zealand: 2.2% Fairfield — New Zealand: 1.4%
India 1.2% / 0.9%
Thornbury — India: 1.2% Fairfield — India: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

Qualifications

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

Thornbury Fairfield
Bachelor Degree 24.4% / 24.9%
Thornbury — Bachelor Degree: 24.4% Fairfield — Bachelor Degree: 24.9%
Postgraduate Degree 10.9% / 12.1%
Thornbury — Postgraduate Degree: 10.9% Fairfield — Postgraduate Degree: 12.1%
Certificate III & IV 7.4% / 6.6%
Thornbury — Certificate III & IV: 7.4% Fairfield — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 6.7%
Thornbury — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Fairfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.7% / 5.5%
Thornbury — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.7% Fairfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thornbury 51.4% houses
Thornbury — Houses: 51.4% Thornbury — Flats / Apartments: 25.2% Thornbury — Townhouses: 23.4%
Fairfield 43.7% houses
Fairfield — Houses: 43.7% Fairfield — Flats / Apartments: 35.0% Fairfield — Townhouses: 21.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Thornbury Fairfield
Median house price $1,440,000 $1,662,500
Median unit price $527,000 $483,250
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 134 sales
 22 days
from 16 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.

Thornbury Fairfield
1 bed $395K / $385K
Thornbury — 1 bed: $395K (98 sales) Fairfield — 1 bed: $385K (47 sales)

98 vs 47 sales

2 bed $611K / $580K
Thornbury — 2 bed: $611K (112 sales) Fairfield — 2 bed: $580K (51 sales)

112 vs 51 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.

Thornbury Fairfield
2 bed $1.28M / $1.61M
Thornbury — 2 bed: $1.28M (65 sales) Fairfield — 2 bed: $1.61M (11 sales)

65 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1.4M / $1.55M
Thornbury — 3 bed: $1.4M (140 sales) Fairfield — 3 bed: $1.55M (25 sales)

140 vs 25 sales

4 bed $1.75M / $1.95M
Thornbury — 4 bed: $1.75M (52 sales) Fairfield — 4 bed: $1.95M (7 sales)

52 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Thornbury Fairfield
Residential 71% 36%
Parks and recreation 10% 43%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 12%
Industrial 6%
same for both
Commercial 3%
same for both
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

Thornbury Fairfield
New dwellings approved 1,213
across Darebin
 1,675
across Yarra
Approvals change year on year +0% +646%

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.

Thornbury Fairfield
Houses 3.5%
$878/wk on $1.31M
 3.2%
$825/wk on $1.32M
Units 5.1%
$550/wk on $559K
 5.8%
$500/wk on $445K

Ranking within VIC

Thornbury Fairfield
House price Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Income Higher than 75% of VIC
same for both
Schools Higher than 37% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 99% of VIC
same for both
Affordability Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 5% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 35% of VIC Higher than 25% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 68% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC

Liveability

Fairfield scores higher overall (76 vs 71).

Thornbury Fairfield
Grade A
same for both
Score 71/100 76/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fairfield carries more flood risk (70 vs 40).

Thornbury Fairfield
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
70/100
 High
73/100
Flood Moderate
40/100
 High
70/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 11
within 5 km

Schools

Thornbury Fairfield
Inside the suburb 9 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 4 0
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 5.3 km
 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 3.7 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 3.0%

Schools in Thornbury

  • Virtual School Victoria Government · Combined above peers
  • Penders Grove Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Thornbury High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Wales Street Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Holy Spirit School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Fairfield

  • Fairfield Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Thornbury Fairfield
Supermarkets 6 3
Cafes & restaurants 37 35
Parks & reserves 25 6
Childcare 17 6
GPs 6 3
Pharmacies 5
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 2 1
Fuel stations 5 4
Waterways 2
same for both

Mobility

Thornbury Fairfield
Walkability score 97/100 96/100
Distance to Melbourne 8.8 km
+22% vs other
 6.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 16 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 93/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 386.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 128.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 3071
 3.0%
postcode 3078
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 19
postcode 3071
 25
postcode 3078

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.

Thornbury Fairfield
Worked from Home 49.4% / 50.7%
Thornbury — Worked from Home: 49.4% Fairfield — Worked from Home: 50.7%
Car (driver) 35.3% / 33.5%
Thornbury — Car (driver): 35.3% Fairfield — Car (driver): 33.5%
Train 3.6% / 5.7%
Thornbury — Train: 3.6% Fairfield — Train: 5.7%
Bicycle 4.0% / 4.3%
Thornbury — Bicycle: 4.0% Fairfield — Bicycle: 4.3%
Walked Only 2.3% / 2.9%
Thornbury — Walked Only: 2.3% Fairfield — Walked Only: 2.9%
Tram / Light Rail 2.5% / 0.1%
Thornbury — Tram / Light Rail: 2.5% Fairfield — Tram / Light Rail: 0.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.7%).

Setting

Thornbury Fairfield
Elevation 69 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 11.2 km 9.1 km

NBN connectivity

Thornbury Fairfield
Connectivity score 76/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
10,177 premises
 6%
3,717 premises

Climate

Thornbury Fairfield
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Thornbury Fairfield
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.82 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Thornbury Fairfield
Average residential rate $1,764/yr $1,937/yr
Council Darebin Yarra

Federal electorate

Thornbury Fairfield
Division Cooper
same for both
Member Ged Kearney
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thornbury Fairfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thornbury

Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Fairfield

Apartments Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub Village Feel

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Thornbury

Thornbury vs Preston Thornbury vs Coburg Thornbury vs Northcote Thornbury vs Ivanhoe Thornbury vs Brunswick East Thornbury vs Alphington

Other comparisons with Fairfield

Fairfield vs Northcote Fairfield vs Kew Fairfield vs Abbotsford Fairfield vs Clifton Hill Fairfield vs Alphington
Full data on Thornbury Full data on Fairfield
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