Popular Family Suburbs in Melbourne – families love the affordability of the west

Leading the league table of the city’s most popular suburbs for families is Roxburgh Park in the North West, where 76.6% of households have children. Typical house values in the suburb are around $550,000 though buyers can pick up entry level homes priced under $500,000.

Burnside Heights (76.3%) comes in a close second, with typical house values about $50,000 higher than Roxburgh Park.

Almost half of Melbourne’s most popular suburbs for families are located across the outer west, with affordability, good public transport options and arterial road connections likely to be the key factors attracting families to the area.

Closer to the city, the inner suburb of Aberfeldie boasts over one in two households with children, and while it’s a handy 10 kilometres or so from the GPO, parents will need a bigger budget with the typical Aberfeldie house price sitting around $1.48 million.

Families keen to enjoy an inner city lifestyle on a tighter budget can pick up a house in Bellfield for just over $935,000, or opt for an apartment at about $580,000. Close to half (47.3%) the households in the neighbourhood are families, so the youngsters are sure to find local play mates.

Popular Family Suburbs in Regional Victoria – the big three appeal to families

Regional living can give families the benefit of greater affordability, and if that’s on your bucket list, a number of locations offer tremendous value.

When it comes to population growth, Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat are the big three yet house prices are still considerably more affordable in each of these regional cities than in Melbourne.

Wandana Heights, with a median house price of $682,105, is Geelong’s most popular family suburb. The Ballarat town of Miners Rest is practically teeming with kids – one in two households have children, and with house prices around $370,000 this is an affordable neighbourhood.

In Bendigo, families are flocking to Maiden Gully, where two out of three households have youngsters, and buyers can pick up a house for around $496,000.

Here’s another sweetener to consider country living. If you and your family are buying a home for the first time, the First Home Owner Grant is worth $20,000 if you buy or build a new home in regional Victoria – that’s double the money you’ll receive in Melbourne.

To find out how your suburb checks out for families download a copy of our free Most Popular Suburbs for Families Report. Then talk to your Aussie Broker about the home loan that can help you buy into a suburb the whole family can enjoy.