Toorak vs Kooyong

Kooyong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 47 in Toorak. In both, most households own their home. In Toorak, about half of homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Kooyong: a median of $4.4 million, against $3.15 million in Toorak, and rent is higher there too. Toorak is closer to the city centre: 7.8 km, against 11.4 km. On these figures, Toorak tends to suit people living alone and 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

Toorak

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (10 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
  • But Kooyong is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 40%)

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

First-home buyers

Toorak

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($3,150,000 vs $4,400,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Toorak

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($486/wk vs $590/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Toorak

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (7.8 km vs 11.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Toorak

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (70% vs 56%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Toorak Kooyong
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.

Toorak Kooyong
Walkability 88 / 90
Toorak — Walkability: 88/100 Kooyong — Walkability: 90/100
Safety 27 / 26
Toorak — Safety: 27/100 Kooyong — Safety: 26/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Toorak — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kooyong — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 44 / 23
Toorak — Low flood risk: 44/100 Kooyong — Low flood risk: 23/100

Demographics

Toorak has more residents (12,817 vs 842); Kooyong has higher household incomes ($167,336 vs $131,716).

Toorak Kooyong
Population 12,817
+93% vs other
 842
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.7% +3.1%
Median age 47 44
Median household income $131,716/yr $167,336/yr
+27% vs other
Median weekly rent $486/wk $590/wk
+21% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Toorak Kooyong
0-4 3.2% / 4.4%
Toorak — 0-4: 3.2% Kooyong — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 7.7% / 10.7%
Toorak — 5-14: 7.7% Kooyong — 5-14: 10.7%
15-19 4.9% / 6.4%
Toorak — 15-19: 4.9% Kooyong — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 6.7% / 6.9%
Toorak — 20-24: 6.7% Kooyong — 20-24: 6.9%
25-34 14.6% / 12.8%
Toorak — 25-34: 14.6% Kooyong — 25-34: 12.8%
35-44 10.6% / 9.1%
Toorak — 35-44: 10.6% Kooyong — 35-44: 9.1%
45-54 11.9% / 12.2%
Toorak — 45-54: 11.9% Kooyong — 45-54: 12.2%
55-64 13.1% / 12.7%
Toorak — 55-64: 13.1% Kooyong — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 13.6% / 11.4%
Toorak — 65-74: 13.6% Kooyong — 65-74: 11.4%
75-84 9.6% / 8.6%
Toorak — 75-84: 9.6% Kooyong — 75-84: 8.6%
85+ 4.0% / 4.5%
Toorak — 85+: 4.0% Kooyong — 85+: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Toorak 51.0% lone person
Toorak — Lone Person: 51.0% Toorak — Couple Families: 30.1% Toorak — One Parent Families: 9.9% Toorak — Group Household: 7.6% Toorak — Other Families: 1.4%
Kooyong 35.3% lone person
Kooyong — Lone Person: 35.3% Kooyong — Couple Families: 43.1% Kooyong — One Parent Families: 15.1% Kooyong — Group Household: 4.3% Kooyong — Other Families: 2.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Toorak 32.3% renting
Toorak — Owned Outright: 44.2% Toorak — Mortgage: 23.5% Toorak — Renting: 32.3%
Kooyong 24.4% renting
Kooyong — Owned Outright: 44.9% Kooyong — Mortgage: 30.7% Kooyong — Renting: 24.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Toorak Kooyong
Bachelor Degree 30.4% / 31.1%
Toorak — Bachelor Degree: 30.4% Kooyong — Bachelor Degree: 31.1%
Postgraduate Degree 12.4% / 14.0%
Toorak — Postgraduate Degree: 12.4% Kooyong — Postgraduate Degree: 14.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 8.0%
Toorak — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Kooyong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 4.5%
Toorak — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Kooyong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.5%
Certificate III & IV 3.7% / 3.3%
Toorak — Certificate III & IV: 3.7% Kooyong — Certificate III & IV: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.1%).

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.

Toorak Kooyong
China 5.0% / 3.2%
Toorak — China: 5.0% Kooyong — China: 3.2%
England 3.4% / 3.2%
Toorak — England: 3.4% Kooyong — England: 3.2%
India 1.9% / 1.1%
Toorak — India: 1.9% Kooyong — India: 1.1%
Malaysia 1.4% / 1.5%
Toorak — Malaysia: 1.4% Kooyong — Malaysia: 1.5%
New Zealand 2.0% / —
Toorak — New Zealand: 2.0% Kooyong — New Zealand: not among its largest
Sri Lanka — / 1.0%
Toorak — Sri Lanka: not among its largest Kooyong — Sri Lanka: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Toorak 49.9% flats / apartments
Toorak — Flats / Apartments: 49.9% Toorak — Houses: 30.4% Toorak — Townhouses: 19.8%
Kooyong 42.1% flats / apartments
Kooyong — Flats / Apartments: 42.1% Kooyong — Houses: 43.7% Kooyong — Townhouses: 14.1%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Toorak Kooyong
Median house price $3,150,000 $4,400,000
Median unit price $815,500 $875,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 61 sales
 62 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Toorak Kooyong
Residential 88% 48%
Parks and recreation 2% 26%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 22%
Other and special use 3%
same for both
Commercial 2% 1%
Planning zones cover 100% of Toorak and 99% of Kooyong. 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

Toorak Kooyong
New dwellings approved 818
across Stonnington
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
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.

Toorak Kooyong
Houses 2.4%
$1,550/wk on $3.29M
 —
Units 4.1%
$700/wk on $890K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Toorak Kooyong
House price Higher than 100% of VIC —
Income Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Schools Higher than 64% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 1% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 86% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 4% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 12% of VIC —

Liveability

Toorak Kooyong
Grade A
same for both
Score 77/100 75/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Kooyong carries more flood risk (77 vs 56).

Toorak Kooyong
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
73/100
 High
74/100
Flood Moderate
56/100
 High
77/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 12
within 5 km
 10
within 5 km

Schools

Toorak Kooyong
Inside the suburb 6 0
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 2.3 km
 3
Hawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne University, 1.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.3% 5.8%

Schools in Toorak

  • St Catherine's School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Toorak Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Kevin's College Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Loreto Mandeville Hall Catholic · Combined below peers
  • Geelong Grammar School - Toorak campus Independent · Combined
  • St Kevin's College - Glendalough Catholic · Combined

Schools in Kooyong

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Toorak Kooyong
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 3 1
Parks & reserves 6 2
Childcare 10 0
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 4 1
Banks & Bank@Post 4 1
Waterways 1
same for both

Mobility

Kooyong sits further from the CBD (11.4 km vs 7.8 km).

Toorak Kooyong
Walkability score 88/100 90/100
Distance to Melbourne 7.8 km 11.4 km
+46% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 17 min
Public transport score 95/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 96/100
Rail · Tram
Peak arrivals per hour 298.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 42.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.5%
postcode 3142
 3.2%
postcode 3144
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 7
postcode 3142
 13
postcode 3144

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.

Toorak Kooyong
Worked from Home 48.7% / 49.6%
Toorak — Worked from Home: 48.7% Kooyong — Worked from Home: 49.6%
Car (driver) 38.0% / 40.9%
Toorak — Car (driver): 38.0% Kooyong — Car (driver): 40.9%
Train 3.7% / 4.2%
Toorak — Train: 3.7% Kooyong — Train: 4.2%
Car (passenger) 2.1% / 2.1%
Toorak — Car (passenger): 2.1% Kooyong — Car (passenger): 2.1%
Walked Only 3.3% / 0.8%
Toorak — Walked Only: 3.3% Kooyong — Walked Only: 0.8%
Tram / Light Rail 2.4% / 1.3%
Toorak — Tram / Light Rail: 2.4% Kooyong — Tram / Light Rail: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (49.6%).

Setting

Toorak Kooyong
Elevation 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.7 km
4.8 km to a named beach
 6.2 km

NBN connectivity

Toorak Kooyong
Connectivity score 76/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 4%
8,025 premises
 5%
430 premises

Climate

Toorak Kooyong
Annual rainfall 534 mm 644 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C 26.0°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C 6.9°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Toorak Kooyong
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Toorak Kooyong
Average residential rate $1,647/yr
same for both
Council Stonnington
same for both

Federal electorate

Toorak Kooyong
Division Kooyong
same for both
Member Monique Ryan
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Toorak Kooyong
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Toorak

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Luxury Parks Professionals Retirees Trams Transport Hub

Kooyong

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Luxury Parks Professionals River Trains Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Toorak

Toorak vs South Yarra Toorak vs Hawthorn Toorak vs Prahran Toorak vs Malvern Toorak vs Armadale Toorak vs Burnley

Other comparisons with Kooyong

Kooyong vs Hawthorn Kooyong vs Hawthorn East Kooyong vs Malvern
Full data on Toorak Full data on Kooyong
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.

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