Yarraville vs Port Melbourne

Yarraville is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 42 in Port Melbourne. In both, most households own their home. In Yarraville, most homes are detached houses. In Port Melbourne, about half of homes are flats or apartments and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Port Melbourne: a median of $1.5 million, against $1.2 million in Yarraville, and rent is higher there too. Port Melbourne is closer to the city centre: 5.9 km, against 9.9 km. On these figures, Yarraville tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Port Melbourne suits 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

Yarraville

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (72% vs 6%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 41%)
  • carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 89/100)
  • But Port Melbourne 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

Yarraville

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,200,000 vs $1,500,000)
  • has cheaper units ($546,000 vs $667,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Yarraville has cheaper rent ($462/wk vs $540/wk)
  • Port Melbourne has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 34%)

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

  • Yarraville is more walkable (96/100 vs 68/100)
  • Port Melbourne sits closer to the CBD (5.9 km vs 9.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Port Melbourne

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (94% vs 28%)
  • has more GPs (7 vs 3)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 11%)
  • But Yarraville is more walkable (96/100 vs 68/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

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

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Yarraville Port Melbourne
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.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Walkability 96 / 68
Yarraville — Walkability: 96/100 Port Melbourne — Walkability: 68/100
Safety 29 / 11
Yarraville — Safety: 29/100 Port Melbourne — Safety: 11/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Yarraville — Low fire risk: 100/100 Port Melbourne — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 49 / 63
Yarraville — Low flood risk: 49/100 Port Melbourne — Low flood risk: 63/100

Demographics

Port Melbourne rents higher ($540/wk vs $462/wk); Port Melbourne skews older (42 vs 37).

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Population 15,636 17,633
+13% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.5% +9.0%
Median age 37 42
Median household income $129,220/yr
+5% vs other
 $123,344/yr
Median weekly rent $462/wk $540/wk
+17% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
0-4 6.7% / 4.7%
Yarraville — 0-4: 6.7% Port Melbourne — 0-4: 4.7%
5-14 12.4% / 9.0%
Yarraville — 5-14: 12.4% Port Melbourne — 5-14: 9.0%
15-19 4.4% / 3.9%
Yarraville — 15-19: 4.4% Port Melbourne — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 4.6% / 4.0%
Yarraville — 20-24: 4.6% Port Melbourne — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 17.0% / 15.4%
Yarraville — 25-34: 17.0% Port Melbourne — 25-34: 15.4%
35-44 18.6% / 17.7%
Yarraville — 35-44: 18.6% Port Melbourne — 35-44: 17.7%
45-54 15.3% / 16.5%
Yarraville — 45-54: 15.3% Port Melbourne — 45-54: 16.5%
55-64 10.3% / 12.7%
Yarraville — 55-64: 10.3% Port Melbourne — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 5.6% / 9.5%
Yarraville — 65-74: 5.6% Port Melbourne — 65-74: 9.5%
75-84 3.3% / 5.2%
Yarraville — 75-84: 3.3% Port Melbourne — 75-84: 5.2%
85+ 1.9% / 1.4%
Yarraville — 85+: 1.9% Port Melbourne — 85+: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Yarraville 34.4% lone person
Yarraville — Lone Person: 34.4% Yarraville — Couple Families: 44.9% Yarraville — One Parent Families: 11.6% Yarraville — Group Household: 7.1% Yarraville — Other Families: 1.9%
Port Melbourne 52.1% lone person
Port Melbourne — Lone Person: 52.1% Port Melbourne — Couple Families: 29.2% Port Melbourne — One Parent Families: 11.7% Port Melbourne — Group Household: 5.6% Port Melbourne — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Yarraville 33.8% renting
Yarraville — Owned Outright: 27.1% Yarraville — Mortgage: 39.1% Yarraville — Renting: 33.8%
Port Melbourne 44.4% renting
Port Melbourne — Owned Outright: 26.4% Port Melbourne — Mortgage: 29.2% Port Melbourne — Renting: 44.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Bachelor Degree 23.4% / 24.1%
Yarraville — Bachelor Degree: 23.4% Port Melbourne — Bachelor Degree: 24.1%
Postgraduate Degree 9.3% / 10.3%
Yarraville — Postgraduate Degree: 9.3% Port Melbourne — Postgraduate Degree: 10.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.3% / 8.9%
Yarraville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3% Port Melbourne — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Certificate III & IV 8.2% / 7.2%
Yarraville — Certificate III & IV: 8.2% Port Melbourne — Certificate III & IV: 7.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 3.5%
Yarraville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Port Melbourne — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).

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.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
England 3.7% / 4.9%
Yarraville — England: 3.7% Port Melbourne — England: 4.9%
New Zealand 2.3% / 2.5%
Yarraville — New Zealand: 2.3% Port Melbourne — New Zealand: 2.5%
Greece 1.8% / 1.7%
Yarraville — Greece: 1.8% Port Melbourne — Greece: 1.7%
Vietnam 2.1% / —
Yarraville — Vietnam: 2.1% Port Melbourne — Vietnam: not among its largest
Italy 1.1% / 0.9%
Yarraville — Italy: 1.1% Port Melbourne — Italy: 0.9%
China — / 1.5%
Yarraville — China: not among its largest Port Melbourne — China: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Yarraville 71.7% houses
Yarraville — Houses: 71.7% Yarraville — Flats / Apartments: 12.1% Yarraville — Townhouses: 16.2%
Port Melbourne 6.0% houses
Port Melbourne — Houses: 6.0% Port Melbourne — Flats / Apartments: 50.2% Port Melbourne — Townhouses: 43.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Median house price $1,200,000 $1,500,000
Median unit price $546,000 $667,500
Median land price $1,070,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 180 sales
 24 days
from 115 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.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
1 bed $418K / $490K
Yarraville — 1 bed: $418K (30 sales) Port Melbourne — 1 bed: $490K (93 sales)

30 vs 93 sales

2 bed $576K / $741K
Yarraville — 2 bed: $576K (58 sales) Port Melbourne — 2 bed: $741K (182 sales)

58 vs 182 sales

3 bed $732K / $1.67M
Yarraville — 3 bed: $732K (9 sales) Port Melbourne — 3 bed: $1.67M (32 sales)

9 vs 32 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.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
2 bed $1.02M / $1.25M
Yarraville — 2 bed: $1.02M (81 sales) Port Melbourne — 2 bed: $1.25M (71 sales)

81 vs 71 sales

3 bed $1.24M / $1.72M
Yarraville — 3 bed: $1.24M (176 sales) Port Melbourne — 3 bed: $1.72M (76 sales)

176 vs 76 sales

4 bed $1.53M / $2.33M
Yarraville — 4 bed: $1.53M (54 sales) Port Melbourne — 4 bed: $2.33M (22 sales)

54 vs 22 sales

5 bed $2.02M / $2.71M
Yarraville — 5 bed: $2.02M (11 sales) Port Melbourne — 5 bed: $2.71M (6 sales)

11 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Port Melbourne has more commercially zoned land (47% vs 5%).

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Residential 56% 20%
Commercial 5% 47%
Industrial 15% 13%
Parks and recreation 12% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 10%
Other and special use 1% 2%
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

Yarraville Port Melbourne
New dwellings approved 774
across Maribyrnong
 891
across Port Phillip
Approvals change year on year +198% +4175%

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.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Houses 3.9%
$850/wk on $1.12M
 3.5%
$1,025/wk on $1.51M
Units 5.1%
$510/wk on $525K
 5.5%
$780/wk on $735K

Ranking within VIC

Yarraville Port Melbourne
House price Higher than 75% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Income Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Schools Higher than 8% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 54% of VIC Higher than 16% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 95% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 64% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC

Liveability

Yarraville is more walkable (96 vs 68); Port Melbourne scores higher overall (70 vs 65).

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Grade B A
Score 65/100 70/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Yarraville carries more flood risk (51 vs 37); Port Melbourne carries more crime risk (89 vs 71).

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
71/100
 High
89/100
Flood Moderate
51/100
 Low
37/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
76/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 45
within 5 km
 36
within 5 km

Schools

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Inside the suburb 5 4
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Victoria University Footscray Park, 2.6 km
 3
Melbourne C.Q.U Campus, 4.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 1.9%

Schools in Yarraville

  • Kingsville Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Wembley Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Augustine's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Yarraville West Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Yarraville Special Developmental School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Port Melbourne

  • Port Melbourne Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Port Melbourne Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Albert Park College-Environmental Arts Hub Government · Secondary
  • Port Phillip Specialist School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Supermarkets 4
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 27 55
Parks & reserves 20 30
Childcare 9 8
GPs 3 7
Pharmacies 4 3
Banks & Bank@Post 3 4
Fuel stations 4 5
EV chargers 0 4
Waterways 6 1

Mobility

Yarraville sits further from the CBD (9.9 km vs 5.9 km).

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Walkability score 96/100 68/100
Distance to Melbourne 9.9 km
+40% vs other
 5.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 16 min 14 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
 94/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 260.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 654.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 3013
 2.9%
postcode 3207
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 22
postcode 3013
 7
postcode 3207

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.

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Worked from Home 50.4% / 52.1%
Yarraville — Worked from Home: 50.4% Port Melbourne — Worked from Home: 52.1%
Car (driver) 36.6% / 33.9%
Yarraville — Car (driver): 36.6% Port Melbourne — Car (driver): 33.9%
Train 6.5% / 0.6%
Yarraville — Train: 6.5% Port Melbourne — Train: 0.6%
Walked Only 2.4% / 4.4%
Yarraville — Walked Only: 2.4% Port Melbourne — Walked Only: 4.4%
Bicycle 1.7% / 2.9%
Yarraville — Bicycle: 1.7% Port Melbourne — Bicycle: 2.9%
Car (passenger) 1.9% / 2.2%
Yarraville — Car (passenger): 1.9% Port Melbourne — Car (passenger): 2.2%
Tram / Light Rail — / 2.6%
Yarraville — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest Port Melbourne — Tram / Light Rail: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.1%).

Setting

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Elevation 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.3 km
4.2 km to a named beach
 792 m
813 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Connectivity score 93/100 73/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the building
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 76%
7,912 premises
 18%
12,195 premises

Climate

Yarraville Port Melbourne
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)

Yarraville Port Melbourne
PM2.5 — 7.9 µg/m³
PM10 18.9 µg/m³ —
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Average residential rate $2,450/yr $1,765/yr
Council Maribyrnong Port Phillip

Federal electorate

Yarraville Port Melbourne
Division Fraser Macnamara
Member Daniel Mulino Josh Burns
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Yarraville

Easy Commute Inner Parks Professionals River Transport Hub

Port Melbourne

Apartments Beach Coastal Easy Commute Inner Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Yarraville

Yarraville vs Footscray Yarraville vs Altona North Yarraville vs West Footscray Yarraville vs West Melbourne Yarraville vs Seddon Yarraville vs Kingsville

Other comparisons with Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne vs Docklands Port Melbourne vs Newport Port Melbourne vs South Melbourne Port Melbourne vs West Melbourne Port Melbourne vs Albert Park Port Melbourne vs Spotswood
Full data on Yarraville Full data on Port Melbourne
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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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