Balwyn
Boroondara council · default-weight liveability
Also known as: Balwyn, Deepdene (Vic.), Canterbury (Vic.), Mont Albert, Surrey Hills
Buying here?
Two ways to look past the suburb average: drop a pin on the exact property for a precise check, or run a quick area-level read right here.
The exact-address check measures amenities, hazards and noise from the pin you drop. The quick check uses this area's centre point, so it is approximate.
In brief
Balwyn, in Boroondara, is an established middle-suburban area. Among Greater Melbourne areas it ranks strongly for low hazard exposure, public transport and safety. Housing is mostly owner-occupied (about 26% of homes rented). This describes the wider area, not any single property, and is context - not advice.
Score breakdown · default weights
Below average · Lower rent burden than 39% of Greater Melbourne
Above average · Better public transport access than 75% of Greater Melbourne
Above average · Safer than 70% of Greater Melbourne
Above average · Better health access than 68% of Greater Melbourne
Excellent · Lower bushfire & flood exposure than 84% of Greater Melbourne
Around average · Around the Greater Melbourne average for schools
Around average · Around the Greater Melbourne average for the local economy
Explore context (never in the score)
Key facts
Trends over time - context only, never in the score
Resident population
Source: ABS ERP by SA2 — full annual series (2001–2023) · context only - not in the score.
Affordability trend (medians)
Source: ABS Census 2021 Time Series Profile (C21_T02_SA2) · ratio of medians (cost / income), not a 30%-stress share · context only - not in the score.
Sources & licences (12)
- Rent-to-income ratio — ABS Census 2021 median weekly rent ÷ ABS Data by Region equivalised household income
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-05-29
- PTV GTFS Schedule — metropolitan train, tram, bus (DTP)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: rolling schedule exportFetched: 2026-06-11
- VCSA Recorded offences — suburb (Table 03) + LGA fallback (Table 02)
- Licence: CC BY 3.0 AUPeriod: 2025 (latest year in export)Fetched: 2026-06-11
- Vicmap / MapShare — general hospitals (Emergency Services FOI)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- OpenStreetMap — GP/clinic points (Overpass; hospital fallback only)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-15
- Modified Monash Model 2023 - health-access remoteness (MM1-7) by SA1, rolled up to SA2 (Dept of Health and Aged Care)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2023 (published Mar 2025)Fetched: 2026-06-13
- Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area (regulatory overlay)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- Vicplan — Land Subject to Inundation overlay (LSIO; SBO unavailable from API)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-06-14
- OpenStreetMap — schools within 2 km (Overpass)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-15
- ABS Census 2021 — children enrolled in preschool (SA2)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-06-01
- ABS Data by Region — median equivalised household income (weekly)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-05-29
- ABS Census 2016 — labour force (employed, participation) by SA2
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2016Fetched: 2026-06-01
Areas like Balwyn
Closest peers by how their domain percentiles line up - not by price or a single score.
- Bentleigh - McKinnonGlen EiraBoth strong in Hazards, Transport, Safety94%alike
- Box Hill NorthWhitehorseBoth strong in Hazards, Transport, Health92%alike
- Brighton EastBayside (Vic.)Both strong in Hazards, Health, Transport91%alike
- Mount Waverley - NorthMonashBoth strong in Hazards, Safety, Health90%alike
- Blackburn SouthWhitehorseBoth strong in Hazards, Health, Safety89%alike
- WatsoniaBanyuleBoth strong in Hazards, Transport, Health89%alike
Not relocation or financial advice. The composite score is a percentile rank within Greater Melbourne presented as an optional lens - a data-access tool, not a definitive ranking of places. Context metrics are never folded into the locked seven-domain composite.