Kensington vs West Melbourne
House prices, rent and lifestyle, side by side. Every figure shows its period and source.
Bars scale each row to its largest figure.
| Suburb | KensingtonMelbourne | West MelbourneMelbourne |
|---|---|---|
| Price & rent | ||
| Median house priceValuer-General Victoria | $1,130,000 (calendar year 2025) | $1,440,000 (calendar year 2025) |
| Median unit price | $471,500 (calendar year 2025) | $541,000 (calendar year 2025) |
| Median weekly rentDFFH / Census 2021 | $570/wk | $600/wk |
| Gross rental yieldweekly rent x 52 / house price, before costs | 2.62% | 2.17% |
| People | ||
| PopulationABS Census 2021 | 10,745 | 8,025 |
| SEIFA advantage decile | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Housing | ||
| Houses | 17% | 1% |
| Townhouses | 53% | 19% |
| Apartments/units | 29% | 80% |
| Transport | ||
| Distance to Melbourne CBD | 3.8 km | 3.4 km |
| Train stations | 11 | 19 |
| Tram stops | 6 | 5 |
| Planning & risk | ||
| Flood overlayVicmap Planning | 24% | 14% |
| Bushfire overlayVicmap Planning | 0% | 0% |
| Heritage overlayVicmap Planning | 28% | 8% |
| Schools (zoned government) | ||
| Primary | Debney Meadows Primary School, Docklands Primary School, Kensington Primary School | Docklands Primary School, Footscray City Primary School, Kensington Primary School, Narrarrang Primary School, North Melbourne Primary School |
| Secondary | Footscray High School, Mount Alexander 7-12 College, University High School | Footscray High School, Mount Alexander 7-12 College, Port Melbourne Secondary College, University High School |
| Safety | ||
| Recorded crime (council area)Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, council-wide | Higher than most areas | Higher than most areas |
Key differences
- West Melbourne is higher on median house price (by about 27%).
- West Melbourne is higher on median unit price (by about 15%).
- Kensington is higher on flood overlay share (by about 10 percentage points).
- Kensington is higher on heritage overlay share (by about 20 percentage points).
- Kensington is higher on share of houses (vs units/townhouses) (by about 16 percentage points).
Median house price over time
KensingtonWest Melbourne
The median house price in Kensington was $1,130,000 in calendar year 2025 (Valuer-General Victoria); the median unit price was $471,500 in calendar year 2025. The median house price in West Melbourne was $1,440,000 in calendar year 2025 (Valuer-General Victoria); the median unit price was $541,000 in calendar year 2025.