Melba vs Charnwood.
Comparing two suburbs with median house prices of $928,000 and $715,000. Charnwood edges out on more headline metrics in this comparison.
Charnwood (median $715,000) is roughly 30% cheaper to buy into than Melba ($928,000).
Charnwood scores higher on walkability (8/100 vs 44/100 ), useful if you're optimising for a car-light household. Melba skews owner-occupied (78%), Charnwood runs more rental-dense (67% owner).
For buyers
Charnwood is the lower entry point at $715,000 median, 30% below the other suburb. For first home buyers, that translates to a smaller deposit and lower stamp duty bill.
For investors
Charnwood offers the higher gross rental yield (3.05% vs 2.35%), favouring cash-flow investors.
For families
School and household data is too similar between the two to call a winner on family fit. Check the individual profiles for street-level school catchments.
Common questions
Is Melba or Charnwood cheaper to buy in?
Charnwood has the lower median house price at $715,000, roughly 30% below Melba ($928,000). The gap on units is usually similar but worth checking on the full suburb profiles.
Which is more walkable, Melba or Charnwood?
Charnwood scores 44/100 on walkability vs 8/100. Above 70 is considered very walkable (most errands on foot), 50-69 is walkable for some errands, below 50 typically requires a car for daily life.
Which suburb has higher rental yield, Melba or Charnwood?
Gross rental yield on houses is 3.05% in Charnwood vs 2.35% in Melba. Gross yield equals annual rent divided by purchase price. Net yield (after strata, rates, insurance, agent fees and maintenance) typically runs 1.5-2 percentage points lower.
The numbers behind the take
Price & Market
Rental
Lifestyle & Demographics
Risk & Hazard
Schools
Climate
Green dot = better on that metric (lower price, higher growth, higher walkability, lower risk).