West Melbourne vs Spotswood

West Melbourne is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 37 in Spotswood. In West Melbourne, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Spotswood, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. West Melbourne is closer to the city centre: 4.6 km, against 10.2 km. On these figures, West Melbourne tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Spotswood suits families with children and couples.

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

Spotswood

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (65% vs 1%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 22%)
  • But West Melbourne has more parks and reserves (12 vs 7)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • West Melbourne has cheaper units ($530,000 vs $754,500)
  • Spotswood leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 27%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

West Melbourne

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (67% vs 33%)
  • has cheaper rent ($388/wk vs $456/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

West Melbourne

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (16% vs 5%)
  • sits closer to the CBD (4.6 km vs 10.2 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (11 min vs 18 min)
  • But Spotswood is more walkable (85/100 vs 38/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Spotswood

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (11% vs 4%)
  • is more walkable (85/100 vs 38/100)
  • But West Melbourne has more units and townhouses to downsize into (99% vs 35%)

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

Investors

West Melbourne

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (45.5% vs 8.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

West Melbourne Spotswood
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.

West Melbourne Spotswood
Walkability 38 / 85
West Melbourne — Walkability: 38/100 Spotswood — Walkability: 85/100
Safety 8 / 7
West Melbourne — Safety: 8/100 Spotswood — Safety: 7/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
West Melbourne — Low fire risk: 100/100 Spotswood — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 36 / 72
West Melbourne — Low flood risk: 36/100 Spotswood — Low flood risk: 72/100

Demographics

West Melbourne has more residents (8,025 vs 2,820); Spotswood has higher household incomes ($127,920 vs $92,976).

West Melbourne Spotswood
Population 8,025
+65% vs other
 2,820
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +45.5% +8.3%
Median age 31 37
Median household income $92,976/yr $127,920/yr
+38% vs other
Median weekly rent $388/wk $456/wk
+18% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

West Melbourne Spotswood
0-4 3.1% / 7.3%
West Melbourne — 0-4: 3.1% Spotswood — 0-4: 7.3%
5-14 4.2% / 13.7%
West Melbourne — 5-14: 4.2% Spotswood — 5-14: 13.7%
15-19 2.8% / 3.9%
West Melbourne — 15-19: 2.8% Spotswood — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 13.7% / 4.1%
West Melbourne — 20-24: 13.7% Spotswood — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 40.5% / 15.2%
West Melbourne — 25-34: 40.5% Spotswood — 25-34: 15.2%
35-44 17.2% / 19.7%
West Melbourne — 35-44: 17.2% Spotswood — 35-44: 19.7%
45-54 8.7% / 15.5%
West Melbourne — 45-54: 8.7% Spotswood — 45-54: 15.5%
55-64 5.4% / 9.4%
West Melbourne — 55-64: 5.4% Spotswood — 55-64: 9.4%
65-74 3.1% / 6.8%
West Melbourne — 65-74: 3.1% Spotswood — 65-74: 6.8%
75-84 1.1% / 3.3%
West Melbourne — 75-84: 1.1% Spotswood — 75-84: 3.3%
85+ 0.2% / 1.0%
West Melbourne — 85+: 0.2% Spotswood — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (40.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

West Melbourne 56.2% lone person
West Melbourne — Lone Person: 56.2% West Melbourne — Couple Families: 16.2% West Melbourne — Group Household: 19.1% West Melbourne — One Parent Families: 5.8% West Melbourne — Other Families: 2.7%
Spotswood 32.3% lone person
Spotswood — Lone Person: 32.3% Spotswood — Couple Families: 47.9% Spotswood — Group Household: 5.2% Spotswood — One Parent Families: 12.7% Spotswood — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

West Melbourne 66.8% renting
West Melbourne — Owned Outright: 12.1% West Melbourne — Mortgage: 21.1% West Melbourne — Renting: 66.8%
Spotswood 32.9% renting
Spotswood — Owned Outright: 27.6% Spotswood — Mortgage: 39.4% Spotswood — Renting: 32.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

West Melbourne Spotswood
Bachelor Degree 31.6% / 21.6%
West Melbourne — Bachelor Degree: 31.6% Spotswood — Bachelor Degree: 21.6%
Postgraduate Degree 17.5% / 7.4%
West Melbourne — Postgraduate Degree: 17.5% Spotswood — Postgraduate Degree: 7.4%
Certificate III & IV 5.4% / 10.0%
West Melbourne — Certificate III & IV: 5.4% Spotswood — Certificate III & IV: 10.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 7.7%
West Melbourne — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Spotswood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 3.6%
West Melbourne — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Spotswood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.6%).

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.

West Melbourne Spotswood
China 10.6% / 0.8%
West Melbourne — China: 10.6% Spotswood — China: 0.8%
India 6.9% / 2.3%
West Melbourne — India: 6.9% Spotswood — India: 2.3%
England 2.4% / 3.1%
West Melbourne — England: 2.4% Spotswood — England: 3.1%
New Zealand 2.0% / 2.4%
West Melbourne — New Zealand: 2.0% Spotswood — New Zealand: 2.4%
Malaysia 3.2% / —
West Melbourne — Malaysia: 3.2% Spotswood — Malaysia: not among its largest
Vietnam 1.8% / 1.1%
West Melbourne — Vietnam: 1.8% Spotswood — Vietnam: 1.1%
Italy — / 1.5%
West Melbourne — Italy: not among its largest Spotswood — Italy: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

West Melbourne 80.2% flats / apartments
West Melbourne — Flats / Apartments: 80.2% West Melbourne — Houses: 1.2% West Melbourne — Townhouses: 18.6%
Spotswood 4.2% flats / apartments
Spotswood — Flats / Apartments: 4.2% Spotswood — Houses: 65.2% Spotswood — Townhouses: 30.6%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

West Melbourne Spotswood
Median house price $1,272,500 $1,220,250
Median unit price $530,000 $754,500
Median land price — $1,100,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 18 sales
 32 days
from 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.

West Melbourne Spotswood
2 bed $1.07M / $1.01M
West Melbourne — 2 bed: $1.07M (12 sales) Spotswood — 2 bed: $1.01M (17 sales)

12 vs 17 sales

3 bed $1.45M / $1.16M
West Melbourne — 3 bed: $1.45M (11 sales) Spotswood — 3 bed: $1.16M (53 sales)

11 vs 53 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.

West Melbourne Spotswood
2 bed $605K / $735K
West Melbourne — 2 bed: $605K (164 sales) Spotswood — 2 bed: $735K (15 sales)

164 vs 15 sales

3 bed $978K / $1.1M
West Melbourne — 3 bed: $978K (28 sales) Spotswood — 3 bed: $1.1M (7 sales)

28 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

West Melbourne has more commercially zoned land (44% vs 13%); Spotswood has more industrially zoned land (38% vs 15%).

West Melbourne Spotswood
Commercial 44% 13%
Industrial 15% 38%
Infrastructure and transport 28% 16%
Residential 5% 22%
Parks and recreation 3% 11%
Other and special use 5% 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

West Melbourne Spotswood
New dwellings approved 4,715
across Melbourne
 1,028
across Hobsons Bay
Approvals change year on year +195% +206%

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.

West Melbourne Spotswood
Houses 3.7%
$810/wk on $1.15M
 3.8%
$850/wk on $1.15M
Units 6.5%
$670/wk on $536K
 —

Ranking within VIC

West Melbourne Spotswood
House price Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC
Income Higher than 62% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools Higher than 7% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 25% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 58% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 96% of VIC —

Liveability

Spotswood is more walkable (85 vs 38); Spotswood scores higher overall (78 vs 52).

West Melbourne Spotswood
Grade B A
Score 52/100 78/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

West Melbourne carries more flood risk (64 vs 28).

West Melbourne Spotswood
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 High
93/100
Flood Moderate
64/100
 Low
28/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 42
within 5 km
 40
within 5 km

Schools

West Melbourne Spotswood
Inside the suburb 3 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 2.8 km
 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 3.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 6.8% 1.7%

Schools in West Melbourne

  • Simonds Catholic College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Haileybury College - City Boys Independent · Combined
  • Haileybury College - City Girls Independent · Combined

Schools in Spotswood

  • Spotswood Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Margaret Mary's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

West Melbourne Spotswood
Supermarkets 3 2
Cafes & restaurants 31 4
Parks & reserves 12 7
Childcare 2 3
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 12 3

Mobility

Spotswood sits further from the CBD (10.2 km vs 4.6 km).

West Melbourne Spotswood
Walkability score 38/100 85/100
Distance to Melbourne 4.6 km 10.2 km
+122% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 11 min 18 min
Public transport score 96/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 94/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 309.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 60.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.5%
postcode 3003
 1.7%
postcode 3015
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 3
postcode 3003
 23
postcode 3015

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.

West Melbourne Spotswood
Worked from Home 45.4% / 46.6%
West Melbourne — Worked from Home: 45.4% Spotswood — Worked from Home: 46.6%
Car (driver) 19.3% / 43.1%
West Melbourne — Car (driver): 19.3% Spotswood — Car (driver): 43.1%
Walked Only 13.6% / 1.5%
West Melbourne — Walked Only: 13.6% Spotswood — Walked Only: 1.5%
Train 8.8% / 4.8%
West Melbourne — Train: 8.8% Spotswood — Train: 4.8%
Tram / Light Rail 7.0% / —
West Melbourne — Tram / Light Rail: 7.0% Spotswood — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 2.1% / 2.6%
West Melbourne — Car (passenger): 2.1% Spotswood — Car (passenger): 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (46.6%).

Setting

West Melbourne Spotswood
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km
3.4 km to a named beach
 2.0 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

West Melbourne Spotswood
Connectivity score 87/100 91/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 56%
6,126 premises
 57%
1,662 premises

Climate

West Melbourne Spotswood
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)

West Melbourne Spotswood
PM2.5 7.9 µg/m³ —
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ — 0.81 pphm

Council rates

West Melbourne Spotswood
Average residential rate $2,345/yr $2,677/yr
Council Melbourne Hobsons Bay

Federal electorate

West Melbourne Spotswood
Division Melbourne Fraser
Member Sarah Witty Daniel Mulino
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

West Melbourne Spotswood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

West Melbourne

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Professionals Trains Trams Transport Hub

Spotswood

Coastal Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals River Townhouses Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with West Melbourne

West Melbourne vs Melbourne West Melbourne vs Port Melbourne West Melbourne vs Footscray West Melbourne vs Yarraville West Melbourne vs Docklands West Melbourne vs North Melbourne

Other comparisons with Spotswood

Spotswood vs Port Melbourne Spotswood vs Yarraville Spotswood vs Newport Spotswood vs Altona North Spotswood vs South Kingsville
Full data on West Melbourne Full data on Spotswood
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