Victoria desirability index

What goes in

• Median house price9%

  Demand signal within the same cohort

• Price change7%

  Recent momentum, capped at ±25% to limit outliers

• Rental yield9%

  Annual rent as a percentage of house price

• Safety13%

  Lower crime rate per 1,000 residents ranks higher

• Crime trend6%

  Falling crime year-on-year ranks higher

• Amenities9%

  Shops, services, and facilities nearby

• Household income9%

  2021 Census median weekly household income

• Dwelling vacancy3%

  Lower share of unoccupied private dwellings (2021 Census)

• Schools3%

  Schools and preschools in the suburb

• School ICSEA3%

  Median ICSEA across schools in the suburb (ACARA 2025)

• Transport8%

  Public transport stops mapped to the suburb

• CBD access2%

  Proximity to the state capital for metro and coastal suburbs

• Health access3%

  Hospitals and GP clinics in the suburb

• Parks & reserves2%

  Parks and public open space in the suburb

• SEIFA advantage6%

  ABS 2021 IRSAD decile — socio-economic advantage

• Heritage2%

  State heritage places in the suburb

• Childcare3%

  Childcare services mapped via OpenStreetMap

• Bushfire risk3%

  Lower is better — absence of bushfire planning overlay

• Green cover2%

  Parks and woodland features from OpenStreetMap

How scores are built

1. Each factor is ranked as a percentile within the suburb's cohort (metro, coastal, or regional).
2. Percentiles are combined using the weights above. Missing factors are skipped — at least six must be present.
3. The combined score is re-scaled so the top suburb in the state scores 100. No suburb is hard-coded as the benchmark.

Compare within a cohort

Each suburb is grouped into metro, coastal, or regional cohorts using council (LGA) boundaries, coastal name hints, and distance from Melbourne. Scores compare like with like — a beach suburb is not ranked against an outback town.

• Metro Melbourne

  Inner and middle suburbs within commuting distance of Melbourne.

• Coastal & beach

  Beach suburbs and coastal towns — compare like with like.

• Country & regional

  Towns and localities beyond the metro fringe.