Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in St Albans

St Albans is a multicultural, family-oriented suburb in Melbourne’s west centred on a busy shopping strip and the railway station. Housing is largely post-war weatherboard and brick on tree-lined streets, with pockets of newer townhouses at the edges. The local centre is known for bakeries, multicultural eateries and everyday shops, and parks, sports ovals and community centres provide options for active households. Good rail, regular bus services and major roads make it a practical base for people working across the western suburbs and the city.

Home to 38,042 people with a median age of 36 and a median household income of $1,205 a week, the community is weighted towards families and the majority of homes are owner-occupied (62.0%). Recent and ongoing local work includes a town-centre strategy to guide activation and investment, upgrades to the Sunbury line and station improvements, education funding for a local primary school, a residential rehabilitation expansion and community housing projects such as the Gertrude Street development. Whether St Albans suits you will come down to the local conveniences and amenities you value.

On these figures, housing in St Albans sits well above what local households earned at the last Census. A median house price of $710,000 is about 11.3 times a typical local annual household income at the last Census, while the median unit price of $530,000 is about 8.5 times that income — both are in the higher multiple bands against local earnings.

Renting also takes a large share of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census: house rent of $500 a week is about 41.5% of weekly household income, a large share, and unit rent of $413 a week is about 34.3%, a sizeable share. Which of these numbers matters most depends on whether you plan to rent or buy and on your own income and circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

The clearest pattern in St Albans over the past 12 months is that houses moved more than units. Median house values rose 10.5% over the year, a strong increase, while median unit values rose 4.5%, a modest rise. On the income side, house rents increased 4.2% (a moderate rise) and unit rents edged up 0.7% (a slight increase).

Put simply, capital growth outpaced rental income for both property types this year, and the house market outperformed units on both value and rent changes. Which of those outcomes matters to you depends on whether you prioritise rental income or price growth and on your own circumstances.

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.