Historic town hall with a central clocktower
The quick read on
VIC 3205 · Port Phillip
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
South Melbourne, Victoria
Median sale price and rental income of properties in South Melbourne VIC
Based on 113 sales in the preceding 12 months
$1,580,000
Up 10.6% over 12 months
Based on 129 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$850 per week
Up 13.3% over 12 months
Market data updated September 2026.
The median house price in South Melbourne, VIC is currently $1,580,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. South Melbourne has a 12-month growth rate of 10.6% for houses and 1.7% for units.
One-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $925,000, Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,260,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,800,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $2,820,000, Larger houses have a median sale price of $5,500,000 in South Melbourne.
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in South Melbourne is $850 per week. The median house rent has increased 13.3% over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in South Melbourne is $610,000, which has increased 1.7% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $438,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $632,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $1,060,000 in South Melbourne. The median rent for units and apartments in South Melbourne is $675 per week and has increased 3.8% over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
The overall rate for South Melbourne is 14,649 offences per 100,000 residents — 266% 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 South Melbourne.
Overall crime rate
14,649
offences per 100,000 residents
266% aboveGreater Melbourne
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
South Melbourne VIC 3205 is in Victoria, within Greater Melbourne.
11,548 people call South Melbourne home, with an average of 1.9 people per household and a median household income of $2,101 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.
46.9% of workers in South Melbourne worked from home on Census day — noticeably more common than across Greater Melbourne.
4.8% of South Melbourne residents were born in England.
49.1% of people in South Melbourne 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 South Melbourne VIC 3205.
11.6% of South Melbourne's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is well below the Greater Melbourne average.
2,853 family households lived in South Melbourne; 29.5% were couple families and 13.5% were one-parent families.
28.3% 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.
South Melbourne had 11,548 residents at the 2021 Census.
39.0% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
26.3% were 55 or older. That is almost exactly typical for Greater Melbourne.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
Separate houses made up 4.7% of occupied private dwellings in South Melbourne.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 35.4% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 58.5% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
19.5% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is well below the Greater Melbourne average.
24.0% were buying their home with a mortgage.
56.5% rented their home. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
The average household in South Melbourne had 1.9 people.
One-person households made up 43.1% of occupied homes. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Two-person households represented 36.3%, while 9.8% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
46.9% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
20.8% drove a car as their only travel method. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
6.5% used only a train, tram or bus, while 10.9% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
23.4% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
One-car households formed 55.7% of the total.
20.8% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
43.0% were at the same address five years earlier, while 57.0% reported a different address.
35.3% of residents were born outside Australia. That is almost exactly typical for Greater Melbourne.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
70.3% of residents used only English at home.
23.9% used a language other than English at home.
3.2% spoke Mandarin at home, 1.4% spoke Cantonese and 0.6% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
35.3% of South Melbourne's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 64.7% was born in Australia.
2.6% of residents were born in China.
1.7% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 78.2%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
English ancestry accounted for 32.1% of ancestry responses in South Melbourne.
Australian ancestry made up 22.8% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 7.5% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
40.5% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Managers accounted for 21.4% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 11.9%.
Health care and social assistance employed 9.7% of workers, and education and training employed 7.3%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
The labour-force participation rate was 68.3%, compared with 64.1% across Greater Melbourne.
44.9% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 16.3% worked part time.
Unemployment was 5.2%, compared with 5.3% across Greater Melbourne.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
62.7% reported no selected long-term health condition.
9.8% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
7.8% reported asthma, 5.9% arthritis and 3.0% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
41.0% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 18.8% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 12.2%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 10.8%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
Median household income was $2,101 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $2,200.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $421 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
Working from home was 46.9% in South Melbourne, compared with 28.8% across Greater Melbourne.
Outright ownership was 19.5% locally and 30.7% across Greater Melbourne. That is well below the Greater Melbourne average.
Renting accounted for 56.5% in South Melbourne, against 31.1% across Greater Melbourne.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
The median house price is $1,580,000, while units and apartments sit at $610,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
The Census counted 2,853 local families, and 11.6% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
2-bedroom houses have a median around $1,260,000, 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.