Median price trend for houses
Based on 30 sales in the preceding 12 months
$1,300,000
Up 49.0% over 12 months
- 1 bed
- $570k
- 2 bed
- $1.16m
- 3 bed
- $1.55m
- 4 bed
- $1.92m
Aerial view of cityscape at sunset
Michelle Maria · CC BY 3.0
The quick read on
West Melbourne
VIC 3003 · Melbourne
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
- Median house
- $1,300,000
- Median unit
- $548,000
- Population
- 8,025
- Postcode
- 3003
latest suburb median
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
West Melbourne, Victoria
Property market insights for West Melbourne
Median sale price and rental income of properties in West Melbourne VIC
Median rent trend for houses
Based on 41 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
No change over 12 months
Market data updated October 2026.
The median house price in West Melbourne, VIC is currently $1,300,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. West Melbourne has a 12-month growth rate of 49.0% for houses and 3.3% for units.
One-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $570,000, Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,160,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,550,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,920,000 in West Melbourne.
The median house rent has remained unchanged over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in West Melbourne is $548,000, which has increased 3.3% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $415,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $595,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $975,000, Four-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $935,000 in West Melbourne. The median rent for units and apartments in West Melbourne is $625 per week and has remained unchanged over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
Is West Melbourne safe?
The overall rate for West Melbourne is 8,927 offences per 100,000 residents — 123% 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 West Melbourne.
Overall crime rate
8,927
offences per 100,000 residents
123% aboveGreater Melbourne
West MelbourneGreater 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 West Melbourne?
West Melbourne VIC 3003 is in Victoria, within Greater Melbourne.
8,025 people call West Melbourne home, with an average of 1.9 people per household and a median household income of $1,788 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
- Population
- 8,025
- Median age
- 31 years
- Median mortgage
- $2,106 / month
- 2021 household rent
- $388 / week
Above the benchmarkBelow the benchmarkIn lineGreater Melbourne benchmark
Age profile
Share of residents in each age band.
Under 157.3%Below
15–3457.0%Above
35–5425.8%Below
55–748.5%Below
75 and over1.3%Below
Homes
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Separate houses1.2%Below
Townhouses18.6%Above
Apartments79.5%Above
Ownership
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Owned outright12.1%Below
Paying a mortgage21.1%Below
Renting66.8%Above
Cars at home
Vehicles available to occupied households.
No car36.4%Above
One car51.1%Above
Two cars10.6%Below
Three or more1.9%Below
Getting to work
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
Worked from home38.4%Above
Drove to work16.3%Below
Train, tram or bus11.8%Above
Walked or cycled13.9%Above
What stands out in West Melbourne
38.4% of workers in West Melbourne worked from home on Census day — noticeably more common than across Greater Melbourne.
10.6% of West Melbourne residents were born in China, about twice the rate across Greater Melbourne.
53.0% of people in West Melbourne described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Questions people ask about West Melbourne
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for West Melbourne VIC 3003.
Is West Melbourne family-friendly?Age, family structure and household size describe the community families would be joining.
7.3% of West Melbourne's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
1,848 family households lived in West Melbourne; 23.4% were couple families and 8.4% were one-parent families.
22.0% of local families included children under 15. That is well below the Greater Melbourne average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
What is the age profile of West Melbourne?The balance between younger adults, families and older residents changes how a suburb feels day to day.
West Melbourne had 8,025 residents at the 2021 Census.
57.6% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
9.8% were 55 or older. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
What kind of homes are in West Melbourne?The dwelling mix shows whether the suburb is mostly detached homes, townhouses or apartments.
Separate houses made up 1.2% of occupied private dwellings in West Melbourne.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 18.6% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 79.5% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
Do people own or rent in West Melbourne?Tenure shows how many households own outright, have a mortgage or rent.
12.1% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
21.1% were buying their home with a mortgage.
66.8% rented their home. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
How large are households in West Melbourne?Household-size data shows the mix behind the suburb-wide average.
The average household in West Melbourne had 1.9 people.
One-person households made up 39.0% of occupied homes. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Two-person households represented 41.3%, while 7.2% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
How do people get to work in West Melbourne?Census-day travel shows the balance between home, road, public transport and active travel.
38.4% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
16.3% drove a car as their only travel method. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
11.8% used only a train, tram or bus, while 13.9% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
How many cars do households have in West Melbourne?Vehicle availability helps describe the routines local households can support.
36.4% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
One-car households formed 51.1% of the total.
12.5% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
Who's moving to West Melbourne, and who stays?Address history shows how settled or recently mobile residents were at the Census date.
20.2% were at the same address five years earlier, while 79.8% reported a different address.
53.5% of residents were born outside Australia. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
What languages are spoken in West Melbourne?Language at home gives a direct view of the community’s everyday linguistic mix.
47.7% of residents used only English at home.
45.0% used a language other than English at home.
13.6% spoke Mandarin at home, 3.4% spoke Cantonese and 2.4% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
Where were West Melbourne residents born?Birthplace adds another layer to the local story, separate from ancestry and language.
53.5% of West Melbourne's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 46.5% was born in Australia.
10.6% of residents were born in China.
6.9% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 54.4%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
What ancestries shape West Melbourne?Ancestry responses show how residents describe family and cultural background.
English ancestry accounted for 18.6% of ancestry responses in West Melbourne.
Australian ancestry made up 14.3% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 21.2% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
What work do people do in West Melbourne?Occupation describes a person’s role; industry describes the sector employing them.
39.7% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Managers accounted for 13.7% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 11.5%.
Health care and social assistance employed 9.8% of workers, and education and training employed 7.8%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
How active is the workforce in West Melbourne?Participation, employment pattern and unemployment describe the resident labour force.
The labour-force participation rate was 75.5%, compared with 64.1% across Greater Melbourne.
43.9% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 22.5% worked part time.
Unemployment was 6.3%, compared with 5.3% across Greater Melbourne.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
What does the health profile of West Melbourne show?Selected long-term health conditions help describe community service needs.
70.0% reported no selected long-term health condition.
8.5% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
6.6% reported asthma, 2.2% arthritis and 1.6% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
How educated is West Melbourne?Qualifications describe the study pathways represented among local residents.
42.9% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 23.8% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 10.3%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 9.2%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
What do incomes and housing costs look like in West Melbourne?Census income and household payments give historical context for local living costs.
Median household income was $1,788 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $2,106.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $388 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
How does West Melbourne compare with Greater Melbourne?A few clear differences place the suburb in its wider metropolitan context.
Working from home was 38.4% in West Melbourne, compared with 28.8% across Greater Melbourne.
Outright ownership was 12.1% locally and 30.7% across Greater Melbourne. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
Renting accounted for 66.8% in West Melbourne, 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 West Melbourne
Is West Melbourne expensive?
The median house price is $1,300,000, while units and apartments sit at $548,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
Is West Melbourne good for families?
The Census counted 1,848 local families, and 7.3% 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 West Melbourne?
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 West Melbourne
63 streets in West Melbourne
Street-by-street reports are not published yet. The streets below are the ones this suburb covers.
- Abbotsford St
- Adderley St
- Anderson St
- Appleton Dock Rd
- Austin Pl
- Batman St
- Boughton Pl
- Browns Hill Pl
- Capel St
- Chetwynd St
- Childers St
- Coode Rd
- Curzon St
- Dahlenburg St
- Dicks Pl
- Dryburgh St
- Dudley St
- Dynon Rd
Show all 63 streetsShow fewer streets
- Eades Pl
- Enterprize Rd
- Flagstaff Ln
- Footscray Rd
- Franklin Pl
- Harbison Ln
- Hawke Street
- Howard St
- Ireland St
- Jeffcott St
- Jones Pl
- Kensington Rd
- King St
- La Trobe Street
- Laurens St
- Lennon Street
- Lloyd St
- Lothian St
- Mackenzie Rd
- Madden Ln
- Mansion House Ln
- Mcdougall Ln
- Mckendrick Ln
- Miller Pl
- Miller St
- Milton St
- Mullaly Cl
- Peel St
- Phillipps Rd
- Phoenix Ln
- Prout Ln
- Radcliffe St
- Railway Pl
- Roden St
- Rosslyn St
- Silk Pl
- Sims Street
- Spencer St
- Stanley St
- Stawell St
- Tait Lane
- Victoria St
- Walsh St
- William St
- Wominjeka
12 suburbs surrounding West Melbourne
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Is West Melbourne 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.