Tree-lined street with parked cars
The quick read on
VIC 3922 · Bass Coast
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
latest suburb median
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
Cowes, Victoria
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Cowes VIC
Based on 225 sales in the preceding 12 months
$700,000
Down 2.8% over 12 months
Based on 133 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$475 per week
Down 5.0% over 12 months
Market data updated September 2026.
The median house price in Cowes, VIC is currently $700,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. Cowes has a 12-month growth rate of -2.8% for houses and -15.7% for units.
One-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $320,000, Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $545,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $646,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $766,000, Larger houses have a median sale price of $900,000 in Cowes.
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in Cowes is $475 per week. The median house rent has decreased 5.0% over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in Cowes is $485,000, which has decreased 15.7% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $325,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $460,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $660,000 in Cowes. The median rent for units and apartments in Cowes is $450 per week and has increased 12.5% over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
The overall rate for Cowes is 3,112 offences per 100,000 residents — 24% below the Rest of Vic. 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 Cowes.
Overall crime rate
3,112
offences per 100,000 residents
24% belowRest of Vic.
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Cowes VIC 3922 is in Victoria, within Rest of Vic..
6,593 people call Cowes home, with an average of 2.1 people per household and a median household income of $1,026 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
Share of residents in each age band.
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Vehicles available to occupied households.
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
18.0% of workers in Cowes worked from home on Census day.
6.4% of Cowes residents were born in England, about twice the rate across Rest of Vic..
46.3% of people in Cowes described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Cowes VIC 3922.
14.2% of Cowes's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is somewhat below the Rest of Vic. average.
1,765 family households lived in Cowes; 27.7% were couple families and 15.8% were one-parent families.
28.8% of local families included children under 15. That is somewhat below the Rest of Vic. average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
Cowes had 6,593 residents at the 2021 Census.
17.6% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
50.6% were 55 or older. That is well above the Rest of Vic. average.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
Separate houses made up 83.3% of occupied private dwellings in Cowes.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 11.8% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 4.0% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
48.8% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is well above the Rest of Vic. average.
23.3% were buying their home with a mortgage.
27.9% rented their home. That is somewhat above the Rest of Vic. average.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
The average household in Cowes had 2.1 people.
One-person households made up 34.8% of occupied homes. That is somewhat above the Rest of Vic. average.
Two-person households represented 40.8%, while 14.0% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
18.0% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is somewhat above the Rest of Vic. average.
54.1% drove a car as their only travel method. That is well below the Rest of Vic. average.
0.2% used only a train, tram or bus, while 6.1% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
5.8% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is close to the Rest of Vic. average.
One-car households formed 44.9% of the total.
49.4% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
44.7% were at the same address five years earlier, while 55.3% reported a different address.
19.9% of residents were born outside Australia. That is well above the Rest of Vic. average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
85.5% of residents used only English at home.
8.0% used a language other than English at home.
0.6% spoke Mandarin at home, 0.4% spoke Cantonese and 0.1% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
19.9% of Cowes's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 80.1% was born in Australia.
0.4% of residents were born in China.
1.2% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 87.1%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
English ancestry accounted for 43.5% of ancestry responses in Cowes.
Australian ancestry made up 35.6% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 1.3% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
16.4% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is close to the Rest of Vic. average.
Managers accounted for 13.3% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 10.2%.
Health care and social assistance employed 13.6% of workers, and education and training employed 6.7%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
The labour-force participation rate was 43.8%, compared with 57.4% across Rest of Vic..
19.3% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 17.8% worked part time.
Unemployment was 4.4%, compared with 4.1% across Rest of Vic..
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
49.1% reported no selected long-term health condition.
11.5% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
9.0% reported asthma, 14.8% arthritis and 6.4% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
17.5% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is somewhat below the Rest of Vic. average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 4.3% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 18.8%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 37.0%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
Median household income was $1,026 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $1,550.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $331 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
Working from home was 18.0% in Cowes, compared with 15.1% across Rest of Vic..
Outright ownership was 48.8% locally and 40.9% across Rest of Vic.. That is well above the Rest of Vic. average.
Renting accounted for 27.9% in Cowes, against 24.5% across Rest of Vic..
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
The median house price is $700,000, while units and apartments sit at $485,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
The Census counted 1,765 local families, and 14.2% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
Larger houses have a median around $900,000, 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
Open a free street report for local prices, rents and recorded sale history.
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.