Overall score
Durham Lead
54.3/100
Mount Helen
60.4/100
Durham Lead for schools; Mount Helen for retirees and families.
See which suburb leads on livability, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
Head to head
Overall score
Durham Lead
54.3/100
Mount Helen
60.4/100
Crime rate
Durham Lead
16.7 / 1k
Mount Helen
39.4 / 1k
Nearby amenities
Durham Lead
1
Mount Helen
88
Population
Durham Lead
408
Mount Helen
3,011
Desirability pillars scored 0–100 vs comparable suburbs
Clearer edge on lifestyle fit (score gap ≥ 3)
Who each suburb suits — composite scores out of 100
Side-by-side scores for every compared metric.
Exact figures for every metric — winner highlighted in bold.
| Category | Durham Lead | Mount Helen |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 54.3/100 | 60.4/100 |
| Housing (desirability) | 43.2/100 | 53.2/100 |
| Crime rate | 16.7 / 1k | 39.4 / 1k |
| Schools & preschools | — | 1 |
| Weather (desirability) | 82.3/100 | 82.3/100 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 1 |
| Public transport stops | — | 19 |
| Walkability | 0.0/100 | 32.5/100 |
| Nearby amenities | 1 | 88 |
| Planning activity | 21 | 30 |
| Green cover | 38.3% | 16.4% |
| Population | 408 | 3,011 |
| SEIFA (IRSAD decile) | 7/10 | 8/10 |
Durham Lead is a quieter smaller community with space and a country-town pace, while Mount Helen is a hillside mid-sized suburb with greener streets and a quieter pace. Mount Helen sits among greener hillside streets, while Durham Lead keeps a flatter suburban layout.
Durham Lead tends to lead on a quieter safety profile and a calmer planning outlook, while Mount Helen stands out for housing affordability, walkability, and nearby cafés and amenities.
On balance, retirees, families, investors, value-focused buyers, and households prioritising schools are more likely to prefer Mount Helen, while Durham Lead remains a solid alternative depending on what matters most day to day.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.