Is Northcote a nice place to live?

Northcote has a High Street retail and café strip, established live-music venues and weekend markets, and the Darebin Creek corridor. The community has incomes above the median for Victoria, couples with children make up 44.2% of families and most homes are owner-occupied. Parks, reserves and shared walking and cycling routes provide regular green open space, the Northern Pipe Trail has seen upgrades to its shared path, and the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment opened, adding indoor and outdoor pools and a warm-water pool.

Is it expensive to live in Northcote?

On the figures, a typical local household earned about $2,287 a week at the last Census. In Northcote, the average house rent of $850 a week would take about 37% of that weekly household income, while the average unit rent of $525 a week would take about 23%. Looking at buying, the median house price of $1,520,000 is about 12.8 times a typical local annual household income, which sits well above local incomes. The median unit price of $605,000 is about 5.1 times a typical local annual household income, which is somewhat above local incomes. On these figures, renting a unit looks less stretched against local incomes than buying a house. Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Is Northcote a good place to invest?

Over the past 12 months in Northcote, house rents climbed a solid 7.6% while house values rose a modest 4.0%. Unit rents rose a solid 5.0%, while unit values fell a moderate 4.5%. Put together, rental income increased faster than capital growth for houses, and for units rents rose even as unit values declined. This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

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Northcote suburb profile

Northcote is an inner-northern Melbourne suburb with tree-lined streets of Victorian and interwar terraces, renovated workers' cottages and low-rise apartment blocks. The mix of intact period houses and contemporary infill creates a clearly defined residential character across quiet streets and small local parks.

High Street provides a long retail and café strip beside Northcote station on the Mernda line, with established live-music venues and weekend markets contributing to a lively precinct. Parks, reserves and the Darebin Creek corridor offer extensive walking and cycling routes and regular green open space.

Northcote property market performance

Current median dwelling price$1,062,500Past 3 months

Property growth-0.3%Past 12 months

Northcote's median house price is $1.52 million, a modest 4.0% rise over the last 12 months. The median unit price is $605,000, a measured 4.5% fall over the last 12 months.

There were 66 houses and 49 units sold in the last 3 months. Units sold more quickly than houses, with a median of 28 days to sale compared with 39 days for houses. In Northcote, unit rents rose 5.0% over the last 12 months, a solid rise, while unit values declined.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$1.52M	$605K
Change in value Past 12 months	4.0%	-4.5%
Sold Past 3 months	66	49
Median days on market Past 12 months	39	28
Average rent Past 12 months	$850	$525
Change in rent Past 12 months	7.6%	5.0%

5 year median price trend for houses and units

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Northcote demographics

Northcote is a community with incomes above the median for Victoria.

Couples with children are the largest family group at 44.2% and most homes are owner-occupied. At the 2021 Census, 25,276 people lived in Northcote.

Northcote and Victoria

	Suburb	VIC
Median age years	37	38
Median household income weekly	$2,287	$1,759
Couples with children share of families	44.2%	45.5%
Couples without children share of families	41.6%	37.6%
One-parent families share of families	12.5%	15.2%
Homes owned outright share of homes	30.8%	33.2%
Homes with a mortgage share of homes	30.9%	37.3%
Homes rented share of homes	38.3%	29.5%

Source: ABS 2021 Census. Shares of homes exclude other and not-stated tenure.

Northcote infrastructure, key developments and investment opportunities

Northcote's Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment opened in 2023; the new centre includes indoor and outdoor pools and an added warm-water pool. Council also set aside 5.72 hectares of the Northcote Public Golf Course as dedicated open space, which opened to the community on 1 January 2023.

Sections of the Northern Pipe Trail have been progressively upgraded, including a new shared path installed in 2022 between Murray Road and Regent Street as part of wider works along the trail. The Parade Playground was redeveloped in 2024, with works carried out from 29 April to 17 May 2024. A grant-funded Northcote Gorge revegetation project on a 320 m stretch of Merri Creek began in 2026, with staged weed-removal and restoration works planned.

Suburbs near Northcote

Some popular suburbs near Northcote include:

How does Northcote compare to nearby suburbs?

Median house prices: Northcote’s median house price is 8.6% higher than Thornbury’s.
Median unit prices: Northcote’s median unit price is 6.6% higher than Thornbury’s.
House price growth: Over the past 12 months, house prices in Northcote have grown 0.7% higher than in Thornbury.
Unit price growth: Over the past 12 months, unit prices in Northcote have grown 10.0% higher than in Fairfield.
Selling speed for houses: Properties in Northcote are selling 25.0% faster than in Fairfield.
Selling speed for units: Properties in Northcote are selling 12.5% faster than in Brunswick East.
Investment considerations: In Northcote, the rental yield for house is 33.6% higher than the Melbourne average, while the rental yield for units is 11.8% lower.
House price growth: Over the past 12 months, house prices in Northcote have grown 60.0% higher than the average rate of growth across Melbourne.
Unit price growth:Over the past 12 months, unit prices in Northcote have grown 0.2% higher than the average rate of growth for units across Melbourne.

Common questions about Northcote

Is Northcote a nice place to live?
Northcote has a High Street retail and café strip, established live-music venues and weekend markets, and the Darebin Creek corridor.

The community has incomes above the median for Victoria, couples with children make up 44.2% of families and most homes are owner-occupied. Parks, reserves and shared walking and cycling routes provide regular green open space, the Northern Pipe Trail has seen upgrades to its shared path, and the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment opened, adding indoor and outdoor pools and a warm-water pool.
Is it expensive to live in Northcote?
On the figures, a typical local household earned about $2,287 a week at the last Census. In Northcote, the average house rent of $850 a week would take about 37% of that weekly household income, while the average unit rent of $525 a week would take about 23%.

Looking at buying, the median house price of $1,520,000 is about 12.8 times a typical local annual household income, which sits well above local incomes. The median unit price of $605,000 is about 5.1 times a typical local annual household income, which is somewhat above local incomes. On these figures, renting a unit looks less stretched against local incomes than buying a house.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.
Is Northcote a good place to invest?
Over the past 12 months in Northcote, house rents climbed a solid 7.6% while house values rose a modest 4.0%. Unit rents rose a solid 5.0%, while unit values fell a moderate 4.5%. Put together, rental income increased faster than capital growth for houses, and for units rents rose even as unit values declined.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

Choose the right real estate agents in Northcote

In Northcote ,176 agents are actively selling property, but a small number do the heavy lifting. Just 5 agents handled 24.9% of all sales in the past year, giving them a strong presence and deep experience in the local market.

Commission rates usually sit between 1.8% and 2.47%. Comparing agents and understanding what’s included in their fee structure can help you find the right mix of service, value, and motivation—without compromising on outcomes.