South Melbourne
Port Phillip council · default-weight liveability
Also known as: South Melbourne, Southbank, Melbourne
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
South Melbourne, in Port Phillip, is a dense, urban part of Greater Melbourne. Among Greater Melbourne areas it ranks strongly for affordability, health access and public transport. It rates lower for safety. Housing is a mix of renters and owner-occupiers (about 55% of homes rented). This describes the wider area, not any single property, and is context - not advice.
Score breakdown · default weights
Explore context (never in the score)
Key facts
Trends over time - context only, never in the score
Population trend
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 (11)
- 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: 2026-06-11
- 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: 2026-05-29
- OpenStreetMap — schools within 2 km (Overpass)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-11
- 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 South Melbourne
Closest peers by how their domain percentiles line up - not by price or a single score.
- FitzroyYarraBoth strong in Rent burden, Health, Hazards96%alike
- CollingwoodYarraBoth strong in Rent burden, Transport, Health94%alike
- MentoneKingston (Vic.)Both strong in Health, Transport, Hazards94%alike
- South Yarra - WestStonningtonBoth strong in Rent burden, Health, Transport94%alike
- ParkvilleMelbourneBoth strong in Health, Rent burden, Transport93%alike
- South Yarra - SouthStonningtonBoth strong in Rent burden, Health, Transport93%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.