Kealba VIC 3021
Kealba is a suburb in Victoria, 22 km from Melbourne CBD, around 26 minutes by car. Population is 3,226; the median age is 39 and the median household income is $80,184 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the lower-middle tier nationally. Population grew 1.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $370 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,625. The area shows high crime risk. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is moderate.
Is Kealba a good suburb?
Kealba scores a C (44/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on safety.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Somewhat walkable
Walkability 54/100 · 21.7 km · 26 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $772K
High crime risk
Fire 20/100 · Crime 76/100 · Flood 52/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 39 · 3,226 residents
Liveability Rating
44 / 100 · Ranked #517 in VICEach bar is Kealba's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Kealba?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
44 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataKealba's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $772,000, about 4% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$771,500
In line with its 5 neighbours (median $785,000)
Based on 91 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 26 days — median across 23 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 39 sales $749K
- 4 bed 42 sales $788K
- 5 bed 7 sales $970K
Units
$494,500
Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Kealba are currently listed at around $690,000 on average. Based on 9 houses listed in the past six months.
$690K
9 houses listed in the last 6 months.
11 of the suburb's 1,133 dwellings (1.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Kealba rent for around $650 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$650/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
7 rentals advertised against an estimated 213 rented homes (3.3%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025143 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 21% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3021.
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$650/week ($34,000 a year) on a $690,000 median
Based on a small sample (7 listings) — indicative only.
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
3 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 1 room. Whole homes are about 0.2% 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 Kealba safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Kealba sits in the high band, with 261 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 57% on the prior year.
261 offences
57.2% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202512 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.
Aircraft Noise
ANEF Contour Details
Noticeable aircraft noise
Schools
One school serve Kealba, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. St Paul's Kealba Catholic School leads the pack.
- • 257 students in one school (avg 257)
Primary
Universities nearby
2.4% 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
Kealba is somewhat walkable on foot — at 54/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Kealba.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 44.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 28.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 18.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 16.1 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 Kealba.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 1,309
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
Brimbank: 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 9 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Kealba is home to about 3,200 residents, with a median age of 39, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $80,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,226
Median Age
39
Median Household Income
$80,184/yr
Census Median Rent
$370/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,625/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$34,216/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
3.3%
Total Dwellings
1,133
Owner-Occupier Rate
81.2%
Houses
92.9%
Rental Stress
24.0%
Mortgage Stress
24.3%
Work From Home
24.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 58.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 51.0%
- Employment Rate
- 53.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 46.9%
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.
113 residents (3.5%) 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 3,045 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
15% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (214 of 1,430).
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 488 people work here; 1,430 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.3 jobs per working resident. At least 66% 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 $1,847 a year through Brimbank based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 43%
- Parks and recreation 29%
- Other and special use 11%
- Infrastructure and transport 9%
- Industrial 7%
- Commercial 1%
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: Brimbank
In the year to August 2026, 670 new dwellings were approved across Brimbank. That mix is 233 houses and 437 units. Approvals are up 39.7% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 140 homes
- Projects firmly planned 140 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 Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2008).
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 18.9 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0.
From the Footscray monitoring station, 8.5 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Essendon Airport, 7.0 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 65 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 13.5 km
- Annual rainfall
- 534 mm
- 85 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.7°C
- 13 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.5°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
6 facilities within 5 km- 0.9 kmWaste Remediation and Materials Recovery ServicesTop reported: Zinc and compounds · Lead & compounds · Chromium (III) compounds
- 3.0 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 3.7 kmPaint and Coatings ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Xylenes (individual or mixed isomers) · Ethylbenzene
- 3.7 kmSoft Drink, Cordial and Syrup ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 4.4 kmOther Structural Metal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Manganese & compounds · Chromium (III) compounds · Copper & compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 3021, 161 of 35,672 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.8% (1,362 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3021, 5,278 rooftop-solar systems totalling 28.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 19,237 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 253 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.
15 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3021 in 2025-26, rank 63 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 680, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
16 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 3021.
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 $771,500 this is $21,500 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 Daniel Mulino Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Daniel Mulino | 72.0% | 28.0% | +5.5 |
| 2022 | Daniel Mulino | 66.5% | 33.5% | +1.6 |
| 2019 | Daniel Mulino | 64.2% | 35.8% | +5.6 |
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 Natalie Suleyman Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Natalie Suleyman ALP | 59.6% | 59.6% | 40.4% |
| 2018 | Natalie Suleyman ALP | 59.7% | 71.5% | 28.5% |
| 2014 | Natalie Suleyman ALP | 56.4% | 67.5% | 32.5% |
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 Kealba?
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 3,226 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 Kealba 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 Kealba
Is Kealba a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Kealba is high (76/100, 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 Kealba?
Kealba has a low recorded bushfire history (20/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (52/100). Part of it sits inside an aircraft noise contour. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Kealba a good place to live?
Kealba has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (44/100), 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 Kealba?
Kealba, VIC had a population of 3,226 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Kealba, VIC?
The postcode for Kealba, VIC is 3021.
How far is Kealba from Melbourne?
Kealba is 22 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 26 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Kealba?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Kealba was $80,184 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 Kealba?
The median advertised rent in Kealba is $650 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Kealba?
The median age of residents in Kealba was 39 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Kealba at risk of bushfire?
Kealba has a low recorded bushfire history (20/100). 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 Kealba?
There is 1 school inside the Kealba boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Kealba walkable?
Kealba scores 54/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Kealba?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Kealba, Essendon Airport (7 km away), summer days average 26.7°C, winter nights 6.5°C, 534 mm of rain a year over 85 rainy days, and 13 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Kealba?
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 Kealba belong to?
Kealba sits within the Brimbank local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Kealba?
The average residential rates bill through Brimbank is $1,847 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Kealba?
Across Brimbank, 670 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 39.7% 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 Kealba in?
Kealba sits within the federal Division of Fraser, currently held by Daniel Mulino (Australian Labor Party).
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.