Median price trend for houses
Based on 49 sales in the preceding 12 months
$1,680,000
Down 3.7% over 12 months
- 2 bed
- $1.18m
- 3 bed
- $1.55m
- 4 bed
- $2.68m
Aerial view
Imagery © Esri
The quick read on
Fairfield
VIC 3078 · Darebin
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
- Median house
- $1,680,000
- Median unit
- $490,000
- Population
- 6,535
- Postcode
- 3078
latest suburb median
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
Fairfield, Victoria
Property market insights for Fairfield (Vic.)
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Fairfield (Vic.) VIC
Median rent trend for houses
Based on 39 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$750 per week
Down 6.3% over 12 months
Market data updated October 2026.
The median house price in Fairfield (Vic.), VIC is currently $1,680,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. Fairfield (Vic.) has a 12-month growth rate of -3.7% for houses and -18.3% for units.
Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,180,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,550,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $2,680,000 in Fairfield (Vic.).
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in Fairfield (Vic.) is $750 per week. The median house rent has decreased 6.3% over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in Fairfield (Vic.) is $490,000, which has decreased 18.3% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $375,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $595,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $1,320,000 in Fairfield (Vic.). The median rent for units and apartments in Fairfield (Vic.) is $475 per week and has increased 5.6% over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
Is Fairfield safe?
The overall rate for Fairfield is 8,894 offences per 100,000 residents — 122% above the Greater Melbourne benchmark.
That is the clearest suburb-wide answer. Open the detailed profile to see how the pattern changes across offence types and different parts of Fairfield.
Overall crime rate
8,894
offences per 100,000 residents
122% aboveGreater Melbourne
FairfieldGreater Melbourne: 4,001
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Who lives in Fairfield?
Fairfield VIC 3078 is in Victoria, within Greater Melbourne.
6,535 people call Fairfield home, with an average of 2.2 people per household and a median household income of $1,967 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
- Population
- 6,535
- Median age
- 37 years
- Median mortgage
- $2,167 / month
- 2021 household rent
- $369 / week
Above the benchmarkBelow the benchmarkIn lineGreater Melbourne benchmark
Age profile
Share of residents in each age band.
Under 1515.4%Below
15–3428.8%Above
35–5431.0%Above
55–7419.0%In line
75 and over5.8%Below
Homes
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Separate houses43.8%Below
Townhouses21.3%Above
Apartments34.6%Above
Ownership
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Owned outright29.2%Below
Paying a mortgage28.5%Below
Renting42.3%Above
Cars at home
Vehicles available to occupied households.
No car13.3%Above
One car51.0%Above
Two cars27.4%Below
Three or more8.3%Below
Getting to work
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
Worked from home43.6%Above
Drove to work28.8%Below
Train, tram or bus4.7%Above
Walked or cycled6.2%Above
What stands out in Fairfield
43.6% of workers in Fairfield worked from home on Census day — noticeably more common than across Greater Melbourne.
3.2% of Fairfield residents were born in England.
55.4% of people in Fairfield described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Questions people ask about Fairfield
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Fairfield VIC 3078.
Is Fairfield family-friendly?Age, family structure and household size describe the community families would be joining.
15.4% of Fairfield's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is somewhat below the Greater Melbourne average.
1,572 family households lived in Fairfield; 45.3% were couple families and 12.2% were one-parent families.
37.1% of local families included children under 15. That is close to the Greater Melbourne average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
What is the age profile of Fairfield?The balance between younger adults, families and older residents changes how a suburb feels day to day.
Fairfield had 6,535 residents at the 2021 Census.
35.8% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
24.8% were 55 or older. That is close to the Greater Melbourne average.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
What kind of homes are in Fairfield?The dwelling mix shows whether the suburb is mostly detached homes, townhouses or apartments.
Separate houses made up 43.8% of occupied private dwellings in Fairfield.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 21.3% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 34.6% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
Do people own or rent in Fairfield?Tenure shows how many households own outright, have a mortgage or rent.
29.2% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is close to the Greater Melbourne average.
28.5% were buying their home with a mortgage.
42.3% rented their home. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
How large are households in Fairfield?Household-size data shows the mix behind the suburb-wide average.
The average household in Fairfield had 2.2 people.
One-person households made up 38.0% of occupied homes. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Two-person households represented 29.3%, while 19.4% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
How do people get to work in Fairfield?Census-day travel shows the balance between home, road, public transport and active travel.
43.6% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
28.8% drove a car as their only travel method. That is well below the Greater Melbourne average.
4.7% used only a train, tram or bus, while 6.2% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
How many cars do households have in Fairfield?Vehicle availability helps describe the routines local households can support.
13.3% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is somewhat above the Greater Melbourne average.
One-car households formed 51.0% of the total.
35.7% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
Who's moving to Fairfield, and who stays?Address history shows how settled or recently mobile residents were at the Census date.
55.1% were at the same address five years earlier, while 44.9% reported a different address.
22.6% of residents were born outside Australia. That is well below the Greater Melbourne average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
What languages are spoken in Fairfield?Language at home gives a direct view of the community’s everyday linguistic mix.
77.4% of residents used only English at home.
18.8% used a language other than English at home.
1.1% spoke Mandarin at home, 0.7% spoke Cantonese and 0.1% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
Where were Fairfield residents born?Birthplace adds another layer to the local story, separate from ancestry and language.
22.6% of Fairfield's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 77.4% was born in Australia.
0.8% of residents were born in China.
0.9% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 89.4%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
What ancestries shape Fairfield?Ancestry responses show how residents describe family and cultural background.
English ancestry accounted for 33.3% of ancestry responses in Fairfield.
Australian ancestry made up 28.0% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 3.6% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
What work do people do in Fairfield?Occupation describes a person’s role; industry describes the sector employing them.
42.8% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Managers accounted for 16.1% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 11.2%.
Health care and social assistance employed 17.0% of workers, and education and training employed 12.6%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
How active is the workforce in Fairfield?Participation, employment pattern and unemployment describe the resident labour force.
The labour-force participation rate was 69.9%, compared with 64.1% across Greater Melbourne.
40.5% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 22.8% worked part time.
Unemployment was 4.0%, compared with 5.3% across Greater Melbourne.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
What does the health profile of Fairfield show?Selected long-term health conditions help describe community service needs.
60.6% reported no selected long-term health condition.
12.6% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
9.2% reported asthma, 6.2% arthritis and 3.3% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
How educated is Fairfield?Qualifications describe the study pathways represented among local residents.
40.3% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 19.6% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 10.8%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 12.8%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
What do incomes and housing costs look like in Fairfield?Census income and household payments give historical context for local living costs.
Median household income was $1,967 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $2,167.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $369 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
How does Fairfield compare with Greater Melbourne?A few clear differences place the suburb in its wider metropolitan context.
Working from home was 43.6% in Fairfield, compared with 28.8% across Greater Melbourne.
Outright ownership was 29.2% locally and 30.7% across Greater Melbourne. That is close to the Greater Melbourne average.
Renting accounted for 42.3% in Fairfield, against 31.1% across Greater Melbourne.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
A buyer’s quick guide to Fairfield (Vic.)
Is Fairfield (Vic.) expensive?
The median house price is $1,680,000, while units and apartments sit at $490,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
Is Fairfield (Vic.) good for families?
The Census counted 1,572 local families, and 15.4% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
What can I get for $1.5m in Fairfield (Vic.)?
3-bedroom houses have a median around $1,550,000, the closest bedroom benchmark we hold to a $1.5m budget. Individual homes can differ substantially with block size, renovation and location.
Medians describe recorded market activity across the suburb; they are historical context, not a valuation or forecast for an individual home.
Explore the area
Streets and suburbs around Fairfield (Vic.)
50 streets in Fairfield (Vic.)
Street-by-street reports are not published yet. The streets below are the ones this suburb covers.
- Alphington St
- Arthur St
- Austin St
- Ballinamona St
- Bastings St
- Cain Ave
- Chingford St
- Christmas St
- Clarke St
- Darebin Rd
- Darling St
- Duncan St
- Edwin St
- Evans St
- Fairfield Park Dr
- Fairfield Rd
- Gillies St
- Gordon St
Show all 50 streetsShow fewer streets
- Grandview Gr
- Grange Rd
- Hall St
- Hanslope Ave
- Heidelberg Rd
- Kennedy St
- Langridge St
- Lily St
- Martin Ct
- Mcgregor St
- Mitchell St
- Monamore St
- Montefiore Street
- Palm St
- Panther Pl
- Park Cr
- Perry St
- Plimsoll Gr
- Railway Pl
- Rathmines St
- Rayment St
- Rushall St
- Separation St
- Sparks Ave
- Stafford St
- Station St
- Steane St
- Swift St
- The Esplanade
- White St
- Wingrove St
- Yarra Bend Rd
12 suburbs surrounding Fairfield (Vic.)
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Is Fairfield (Vic.) right for your search?
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Read the thinking
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.