Toolamba vs Arcadia
Toolamba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Arcadia. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Toolamba: a median of $625,000, against $242,000 in Arcadia, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Toolamba tends to suit families with children, while Arcadia suits buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Toolamba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Arcadia
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($242,500 vs $625,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Arcadia
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Arcadia
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (116 min vs 126 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (172.1 km vs 179 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Toolamba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.9% vs -2.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Toolamba and Arcadia 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
Toolamba has more residents (822 vs 212); Toolamba rents higher ($250/wk vs $200/wk).
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 822 +74% vs other | 212 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.9% | -2.3% |
| Median age | 40 | 45 |
| Median household income | $101,920/yr +13% vs other | $88,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +20% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
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 (2.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $625,000 | $242,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $600,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Arcadia has more rural and farming land (93% vs 75%).
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 75% | 93% |
| Parks and recreation | 14% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 8% | 3% |
| Residential | 2% | 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
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 649 across Greater Shepparton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 14% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 41% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 33% of VIC |
Liveability
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 27/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Toolamba carries more bushfire risk (23 vs 12).
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 23/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Flood | High 94/100 | High 95/100 |
| 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
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Toolamba
- Toolamba Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Arcadia
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 17 |
Mobility
Toolamba sits further from the CBD (179 km vs 172.1 km).
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 179 km +4% vs other | 172.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 126 min | 116 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3614 | 0.4% postcode 3631 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 78 postcode 3614 | 70 postcode 3631 |
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 (78.4%).
Setting
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 115 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 118 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 331 premises | 0% 94 premises |
Climate
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 453 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,449/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Shepparton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Toolamba | Arcadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Toolamba
Other comparisons with Arcadia
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.