Located in Victoria, Emerald sits 55 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour by car. The suburb has 5,890 residents, a median age of 43, and a median household income of $110,188 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population grew 1.9% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $400 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,000. The area shows high bushfire risk. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Emerald a good suburb?
Emerald scores a B (56/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit.
Mixed results
3 schools · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 54.7 km · 60 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $930K
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 63/100 · Crime 40/100 · Flood 16/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 43 · 5,890 residents
Liveability Rating
56 / 100 · Ranked #321 in VICEach bar is Emerald's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Emerald?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
56 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataEmerald's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $930,000, about 3% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$930,000
9% above its 8 neighbours (median $850,000)
Based on 105 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 22 days — median across 39 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 9 sales $745K
- 3 bed 42 sales $875K
- 4 bed 44 sales $1.08M
- 5 bed 10 sales $1.22M
Land
$522,500
Based on 12 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 108 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Emerald are currently listed at around $996,000 on average. Based on 18 houses listed in the past six months.
$996K
18 houses listed in the last 6 months.
18 of the suburb's 2,012 dwellings (0.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Short-Stay Rentals
27 active Airbnb listings: 27 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 1.3% 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 Emerald safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Emerald sits in the moderate band, with 170 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 16% on the prior year.
170 offences
16.3% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202537 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 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
Three schools serve Emerald, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Dandenong Ranges Steiner School leads the pack.
- • 1,216 students across 3 schools (avg 405)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Independent
- • ICSEA 1005-1080, median 1061 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Emerald Secondary College (620 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Emerald is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the suburb there are 2 supermarkets, 14 parks and 7 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Emerald.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 31.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 28.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 25.5 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 16.3 hours
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 Emerald.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 23%
- Premises covered
- 2,364
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
Cardinia: 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 16 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.
Emerald is home to about 5,900 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $110,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
5,890
Median Age
43
Median Household Income
$110,188/yr
Census Median Rent
$400/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,000/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$44,252/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
5.0%
Total Dwellings
2,012
Owner-Occupier Rate
91.5%
Houses
98.2%
Rental Stress
18.9%
Mortgage Stress
21.8%
Work From Home
27.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
11 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 168 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 91.5%
- Employment Rate
- 63.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 46.3%
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.
60 residents (1.0%) 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 5,590 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
5% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (151 of 3,053).
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 1,584 people work here; 3,053 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.5 jobs per working resident. At least 45% 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 $1,880 a year through Cardinia based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Infrastructure and transport 56%
- Environmental 19%
- Rural and farming 13%
- Residential 9%
- Parks and recreation 3%
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: Cardinia
In the year to August 2026, 1,323 new dwellings were approved across Cardinia. That mix is 1,196 houses and 127 units. Approvals are up 12.8% on the same period a year earlier.
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
This station does not measure fine particles (PM2.5).
PM10 averaged 15.5 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2.
From the Mooroolbark monitoring station, 21.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Scoresby Research Institute, 17.9 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 231 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 30.1 km
- Annual rainfall
- 777 mm
- 105 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.9°C
- 10 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.3°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.
EV adoption
In postcode 3782, 76 of 6,970 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.8% (128 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3782, 1,120 rooftop-solar systems totalling 7.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,875 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 95 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.
0 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3782 in 2025-26. The most was 40, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
5 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 $930,000 this is $180,000 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 Jason Wood Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jason Wood | 47.9% | 52.1% | +6.4 |
| 2022 | Jason Wood | 41.3% | 58.7% | +3.6 |
| 2019 | Jason Wood | 45.5% | 54.5% | +1.3 |
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 Daniela De Martino Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Daniela De Martino ALP | 57.5% | 57.5% | 42.5% |
| 2018 | James Merlino ALP | 58.6% | 58.6% | 41.4% |
| 2014 | James Merlino ALP | 55.0% | 55.0% | 45.0% |
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 Emerald?
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 5,890 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.
Nearby suburbs
Cockatoo VIC 3781
Monbulk VIC 3793
Beaconsfield Upper VIC 3808
Belgrave South VIC 3160
Kallista VIC 3791
Menzies Creek VIC 3159
Compare Emerald 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 Emerald
Is Emerald a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Emerald is moderate (40/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Emerald?
Emerald has a moderate recorded bushfire history (63/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (16/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Emerald a good place to live?
Emerald has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (56/100), 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 Emerald?
Emerald, VIC had a population of 5,890 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Emerald, VIC?
The postcode for Emerald, VIC is 3782.
How far is Emerald from Melbourne?
Emerald is 55 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 60 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Emerald?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Emerald was $110,188 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 Emerald?
There are too few current rental listings in Emerald for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $400, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Emerald?
The median age of residents in Emerald was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Emerald at risk of bushfire?
Emerald has a moderate recorded bushfire history (63/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Emerald?
There are 3 schools inside the Emerald boundary: 1 above and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the weather like in Emerald?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Emerald, Scoresby Research Institute (17.9 km away), summer days average 26.9°C, winter nights 6.3°C, 777 mm of rain a year over 105 rainy days, and 10 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Emerald?
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 Emerald belong to?
Emerald sits within the Cardinia local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Emerald?
The average residential rates bill through Cardinia is $1,880 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Emerald?
Across Cardinia, 1,323 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 12.8% 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 Emerald in?
Emerald sits within the federal Division of La Trobe, currently held by Jason Wood (Liberal).
Search another suburb or address
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.