Cheltenham VIC 3192
Located in Victoria, Cheltenham sits 21 km from Melbourne CBD, around 32 minutes by car. The suburb has 23,992 residents, a median age of 40, and a median household income of $99,788 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 7.6% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $430 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,200. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Of 6 schools within the suburb boundary, 2 rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Cheltenham a good suburb?
Cheltenham scores a A (76/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools, transit, and community, weaker on prices and safety.
Above the state average
6 schools · 2 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 94/100 · 20.9 km · 32 min drive to Melbourne
Above the state median
Median $1.25M · Less affordable than 86% of VIC
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 80/100 · Flood 30/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 9/10 · median age 40 · 23,992 residents
Liveability Rating
76 / 100 · Ranked #98 in VICEach bar is Cheltenham's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Cheltenham?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
76 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataCheltenham's unit market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $678,000, about 9% below where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$677,500
10% above its 6 neighbours (median $616,500)
Based on 276 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 23 days — median across 131 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 37 sales $365K
- 2 bed 184 sales $668K
- 3 bed 48 sales $895K
Houses
$1,252,500
11% below its 7 neighbours (median $1,407,500)
Based on 270 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 22 days — median across 155 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 23 sales $1.05M
- 3 bed 120 sales $1.2M
- 4 bed 93 sales $1.35M
- 5 bed 25 sales $1.68M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Cheltenham are currently listed at around $1.2 million on average. Based on 152 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.2M
152 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$630K
79 units listed in the last 6 months.
231 of the suburb's 9,463 dwellings (2.4%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Cheltenham rent for around $800 a week on average, based on 79 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$800/wk
19% below its 6 neighbours (median $990/wk)
79 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$600/wk
8% below its 5 neighbours (median $650/wk)
54 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
133 rentals advertised against an estimated 2,640 rented homes (5.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025107 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3192.
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$800/week ($42,000 a year) on a $1.2 million median
$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $630,000 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
36 active Airbnb listings: 28 whole homes and 8 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.3% 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 Cheltenham safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Cheltenham sits in the high band, with 2,103 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 12% on the prior year.
2,103 offences
12.2% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202580 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
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.
Schools
Six schools serve Cheltenham, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Cheltenham East Primary School and Cheltenham Primary School lead the pack.
- • 2,209 students across 6 schools (avg 368)
- • Sectors: 5 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 1054-1122, median 1094 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Cheltenham Secondary College (759 students)
Primary
Secondary
Universities nearby
- 8.0 kmMonash ClaytonMonash University · 383 courses
- 9.3 kmMonash CaulfieldMonash University · 198 courses
2.2% 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
Cheltenham is exceptionally walkable on foot — at 94/100, daily errands don't require a car at all. Within the suburb there are 8 supermarkets, 28 parks and 56 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Cheltenham.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 428.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 352.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 220.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 20.3 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 3 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 Cheltenham.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 9%
- Premises covered
- 13,274
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
Kingston (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 60 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Cheltenham is home to about 24,000 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $100,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
23,992
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$99,788/yr
Census Median Rent
$430/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,200/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$48,048/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.6%
Total Dwellings
9,463
Owner-Occupier Rate
72.1%
Houses
58.5%
Rental Stress
22.4%
Mortgage Stress
26.5%
Work From Home
40.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
112 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 56 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 2,561 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 66.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 72.3%
- Employment Rate
- 62.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 54.3%
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.
1,043 residents (4.3%) 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 22,580 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
19% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (2,306 of 12,308).
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 15,687 people work here; 12,308 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.3 per resident). At least 19% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
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 $1,940 a year through Kingston (Vic.) based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 51%
- Commercial 19%
- Parks and recreation 11%
- Industrial 10%
- Infrastructure and transport 9%
Rezoned since Oct 2025
- Commercial 2 Zone → Precinct Zone · GC246, Jul 2026 71.0 ha
- General Residential Zone → Precinct Zone · GC246, Jul 2026 64.5 ha
- Commercial 1 Zone → Precinct Zone · GC246, Jul 2026 21.4 ha
- Residential Growth Zone → Precinct Zone · GC246, Jul 2026 11.5 ha
and 6 smaller changes
Proposed rezonings
- Green Wedge Zone → Green Wedge A Zone · C220king, exhibited Oct 2026 0.7 ha
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: Kingston (Vic.)
In the year to August 2026, 465 new dwellings were approved across Kingston (Vic.). That mix is 196 houses and 269 units. Approvals are down 36.4% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 507 homes
- Apartment and townhouse projects under construction 10 homes
- Projects firmly planned 286 homes
- Projects likely to go ahead 74 homes
- Projects possible in the longer term 137 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, 7.8 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Moorabbin Airport, 3.6 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 45 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.7 km
- 2.9 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
15 facilities within 5 km- 1.8 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 1.8 kmBasic Inorganic Chemical ManufacturingTop reported: Boron & compounds · Fluoride compounds
- 1.8 kmPrintingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol · Oxides of Nitrogen
- 1.8 kmOther Converted Paper Product ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 2.0 kmBasic Inorganic Chemical ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Nitric acid · Acetic acid (ethanoic acid)
EV adoption
In postcode 3192, 280 of 19,115 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.9% (547 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3192, 2,299 rooftop-solar systems totalling 16.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 10,175 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 165 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 3192 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 178, in 2007-08.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
31 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb.
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 $677,500 this is under 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 Mark Dreyfus Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mark Dreyfus | 64.3% | 35.7% | +4.8 |
| 2022 | Mark Dreyfus | 56.9% | 43.1% | -0.4 |
| 2019 | Mark Dreyfus | 56.4% | 43.6% | -3.5 |
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 Nick Staikos Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Nick Staikos ALP | 58.0% | 58.0% | 42.0% |
| 2018 | Nick Staikos ALP | 50.2% | 61.9% | 38.1% |
| 2014 | Nick Staikos ALP | 50.8% | 50.8% | 49.2% |
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 Cheltenham?
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 23,992 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.
Featured in
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
Beaumaris VIC 3193
Mentone VIC 3194
Highett VIC 3190
Sandringham VIC 3191
Black Rock VIC 3193
Moorabbin VIC 3189
Compare Cheltenham to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Cheltenham
Is Cheltenham a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cheltenham is high (80/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Cheltenham?
Cheltenham has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (30/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Cheltenham a good place to live?
Cheltenham has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (76/100), 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 Cheltenham?
Cheltenham, VIC had a population of 23,992 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cheltenham, VIC?
The postcode for Cheltenham, VIC is 3192.
How far is Cheltenham from Melbourne?
Cheltenham is 21 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 32 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cheltenham?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cheltenham was $99,788 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 Cheltenham?
The median advertised rent in Cheltenham is $800 a week for houses (79 listings) and $600 a week for units (54 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Cheltenham?
The median age of residents in Cheltenham was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Cheltenham?
There are 6 schools inside the Cheltenham boundary: 2 above, 3 at, and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Cheltenham walkable?
Cheltenham scores 94/100 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 Cheltenham?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Cheltenham (Brighton) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 7.6 µg/m³. That puts Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cheltenham, Moorabbin Airport (3.6 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 Cheltenham?
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 Cheltenham belong to?
Cheltenham sits within the Kingston (Vic.) local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cheltenham?
The average residential rates bill through Kingston (Vic.) is $1,940 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cheltenham?
Across Kingston (Vic.), 465 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 36.4% 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 Cheltenham in?
Cheltenham sits within the federal Division of Isaacs, currently held by Mark Dreyfus (Australian Labor Party).
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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.