Brighton VIC 3186
Brighton sits 13 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 25 minutes by car. Census data records 23,252 residents with a median age of 48 and a median household income of $140,920 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $600 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $3,467. Brighton is characterised by high coastal erosion risk and high crime risk. Of 12 schools within the suburb boundary, 3 rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Brighton a good suburb?
Brighton scores a A (80/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on prices.
Mixed results
12 schools · 3 above peer schools
Walkable and central
Walkability 96/100 · 13.4 km · 25 min drive to Melbourne
Above the state median
Median $3.06M · Less affordable than 98% of VIC
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 65/100 · Flood 40/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 48 · 23,252 residents
Liveability Rating
80 / 100 · Ranked #57 in VICEach bar is Brighton's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Brighton?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
80 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBrighton's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $3.06 million, about 4% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$3,065,000
44% above its 5 neighbours (median $2,122,500)
Based on 190 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 27 days — median across 141 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 12 sales $1.6M
- 3 bed 65 sales $2.45M
- 4 bed 83 sales $3.33M
- 5 bed 28 sales $5.1M
Units
$923,000
48% above its 5 neighbours (median $621,750)
Based on 184 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 27 days — median across 116 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 27 sales $450K
- 2 bed 110 sales $880K
- 3 bed 43 sales $1.75M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Brighton are currently listed at around $2.3 million on average. Based on 133 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$2.3M
133 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$975K
103 units listed in the last 6 months.
236 of the suburb's 8,981 dwellings (2.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Brighton rent for around $1,605 a week on average, based on 62 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$1,605/wk
46% above its 4 neighbours (median $1,100/wk)
62 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$750/wk
18% above its 3 neighbours (median $635/wk)
69 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
131 rentals advertised against an estimated 2,200 rented homes (6.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202580 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 38% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3186.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$1,605/week ($83,000 a year) on a $2.3 million median
$750/week ($39,000 a year) on a $975,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
72 active Airbnb listings: 66 whole homes and 6 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.6% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Brighton safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Brighton sits in the moderate band, with 1,286 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 6% on the prior year.
1,286 offences
6.5% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025119 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 949 m
- Rate
- -0.05 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -19.0 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Twelve schools serve Brighton, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Brighton Primary School and St Joan of Arc School lead the pack.
- • 5,555 students across 8 schools (avg 694)
- • Sectors: 5 Catholic, 4 Government, 3 Independent
- • ICSEA 1132-1170, median 1146 (well above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Brighton Grammar School (1,480 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Universities nearby
- 5.1 kmMonash CaulfieldMonash University · 198 courses
- 9.5 kmMelbourne C.Q.U CampusCentral Queensland University · 59 courses
- 9.5 kmRMIT University - 124 Latrobe Street, MelbourneRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology · 438 courses
4.1% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Brighton is exceptionally walkable on foot — at 96/100, daily errands don't require a car at all. Within the suburb there are 4 supermarkets, 16 parks and 50 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Brighton.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 530.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 398.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 298.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 19.6 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 2 min wait
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Brighton.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 9%
- Premises covered
- 12,714
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Bayside (Vic.): council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 66 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Brighton is home to about 23,300 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $141,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
23,252
Median Age
48
Median Household Income
$140,920/yr
Census Median Rent
$600/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$3,467/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$65,468/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
13.8%
Total Dwellings
8,981
Owner-Occupier Rate
75.5%
Houses
57.2%
Rental Stress
22.1%
Mortgage Stress
29.5%
Work From Home
51.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
36 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 12 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 2,131 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 69.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 80.5%
- Employment Rate
- 57.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 63.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
1,110 residents (4.8%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 22,343 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
25% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (2,793 of 11,235).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 10,701 people work here; 11,235 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.0 per resident). At least 3% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,086 a year through Bayside (Vic.) based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 79%
- Parks and recreation 9%
- Infrastructure and transport 9%
- Commercial 3%
Rezoned since Oct 2025
- Neighbourhood Residential Zone → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC270, Mar 2026 272.8 ha
- General Residential Zone → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC270, Mar 2026 87.8 ha
- Transport Zone 1 → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC270, Mar 2026 1.4 ha
- Commercial 1 Zone → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC270, Mar 2026 1.2 ha
and 2 smaller changes
Land in this suburb moved from one zone to another by a planning scheme amendment (Vicmap Planning, CC BY 4.0). Exhibited amendments are proposals and can change or lapse.
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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Bayside (Vic.)
In the year to August 2026, 473 new dwellings were approved across Bayside (Vic.). That mix is 176 houses and 297 units. Approvals are down 46.9% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 441 homes
- Apartment and townhouse projects under construction 81 homes
- Projects firmly planned 267 homes
- Projects likely to go ahead 54 homes
- Projects possible in the longer term 39 homes
From the Victorian Government's Urban Development Program: growth-area land and approved lots (metropolitan 2025, regional June 2024) and projects of 10 or more homes in Melbourne (2025), by stage. Lots and homes are counted as published; a lot usually becomes one home.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2017).
Registered Aboriginal Parties are appointed by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal cultural heritage for their area. They are the body to contact about cultural heritage here.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 7.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
From the Brighton monitoring station, 0.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Moorabbin Airport, 11.9 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 19 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 918 m
- 1.0 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 644 mm
- 94 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.0°C
- 10 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.9°C
- 2 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
2 facilities within 5 km- 3.4 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 4.6 km
EV adoption
In postcode 3186, 581 of 18,121 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.4% (617 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 6.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3186, 1,776 rooftop-solar systems totalling 13.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 10,217 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 137 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
The separate First Home Buyer Duty Reduction (stamp-duty concession) runs alongside this grant.
1 first-home grant was paid in postcode 3186 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 66, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
33 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 34 across postcode 3186.
Land transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with State Revenue Office Victoria
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with State Revenue Office Victoria.
At $3,065,000 this is $2,315,000 above the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Tim Wilson Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tim Wilson | 46.0% | 54.0% | -0.2 |
| 2022 | Zoe Daniel | 45.2% | 54.8% | -3.0 |
| 2019 | Tim Wilson | 42.2% | 57.8% | -4.9 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by James Newbury Liberal
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | James Newbury LP | 50.3% | 45.8% | 54.2% |
| 2018 | James Newbury LP | 51.1% | 48.9% | 51.1% |
| 2014 | Louise Asher LP | 55.5% | 40.2% | 59.8% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Brighton?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 23,252 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
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Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Melbourne There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Melbourne suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Compare Brighton to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Brighton
Is Brighton a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Brighton is moderate (65/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Brighton?
Brighton has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (40/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Brighton a good place to live?
Brighton has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (80/100), ranked against other VIC suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Brighton?
Brighton, VIC had a population of 23,252 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Brighton, VIC?
The postcode for Brighton, VIC is 3186.
How far is Brighton from Melbourne?
Brighton is 13 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 25 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Brighton?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Brighton was $140,920 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Brighton?
The median advertised rent in Brighton is $1,605 a week for houses (62 listings) and $750 a week for units (69 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Brighton?
The median age of residents in Brighton was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Brighton?
There are 12 schools inside the Brighton boundary: 3 above, 3 at, and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Brighton walkable?
Brighton scores 96/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it exceptionally walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Brighton?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Brighton (Brighton) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 7.6 µg/m³. That puts Brighton below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Brighton?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Brighton, Moorabbin Airport (11.9 km away), summer days average 26°C, winter nights 6.9°C, 644 mm of rain a year over 94 rainy days, and 10 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Brighton?
First-home buyers in VIC may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by State Revenue Office Victoria; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Brighton belong to?
Brighton sits within the Bayside (Vic.) local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Brighton?
The average residential rates bill through Bayside (Vic.) is $2,086 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Brighton?
Across Bayside (Vic.), 473 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 46.9% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Brighton in?
Brighton sits within the federal Division of Goldstein, currently held by Tim Wilson (Liberal).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2022
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.