Malvern East
VICMalvern East is a growing suburb in VIC with 22,296 residents.
- SAL code
- 21587
- SA2
- 208041195
- Population
- 22,296
- LGA
- Stonnington
Malvern East, VIC had 22,296 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 4.0% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 38. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,944 a month. Around 66.9% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 35.6%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 54.2% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 29 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Malvern East, VIC at a glance
Malvern East sits ~13 km south-east of Melbourne CBD in the City of Stonnington — established inner-east territory dominated by interwar period homes on generous blocks, with the southern hemisphere's largest mall (Chadstone) on its doorstep. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market + lifestyle context.
For homebuyers
The streetscape here is mostly Californian bungalow and interwar brick on 600-800 sqm blocks, with pockets of post-war townhouse infill closer to Dandenong Road. You'll find the suburb hangs together around three anchors: Chadstone Shopping Centre to the east (the largest mall in the southern hemisphere), Hedgeley Dene Gardens (a long linear park threading through the centre) and Gardiners Creek trail, which links into Melbourne's wider bike network. Five train stations sit within or beside the suburb (Caulfield, Carnegie, Darling, Malvern East and Holmesglen on the Glen Waverley line), so commutes to the CBD run 20-25 minutes. School catchment is a strong pull: Lloyd Street Primary (an IB Primary Years Programme government school) plus private options Caulfield Grammar (Malvern campus, K-6), Sacre Coeur and De La Salle College within easy reach. In short: established middle-Melbourne with park access, a major mall, and a deep school catchment carrying the premium.
For investors
Malvern East trades as a capital-growth play, not a yield play. Median house sale sits around $2.025M (propertyvalue.com.au, April 2026) on roughly 244 transactions in the past 12 months, with 12-month house growth ~5.9% (Your Investment Property April 2026). Houses spend ~27-38 days on market depending on source. Median weekly rent is ~$800 for houses and ~$570 for units, putting gross yields at ~2.16% on houses and ~4.5% on units (htag April 2026). Vacancy sits tight at ~1.7%.
Strengths
- Tight rental market — 1.7% vacancy keeps re-let risk low (htag April 2026)
- Unit yields work harder than houses — ~4.5% gross on units vs ~2.2% on houses gives a smaller-ticket entry path (htag April 2026)
- Liquid market — ~244 house sales and ~234 unit sales over 12 months means evidence-rich pricing on exit (Your Investment Property April 2026)
- School catchment is sticky tenant demand — Caulfield Grammar Malvern campus and Lloyd Street Primary anchor long-term renter interest
Trade-offs
- House yields ~2.16% gross — negative gearing territory at current rates; cash flow needs servicing capacity (htag April 2026)
- Entry is expensive — $2M+ median means limited LVR headroom and a thin buyer pool on exit if conditions soften
- Recent house growth (~5.9% over 12 months) is moderate for the price band — capital growth not guaranteed to outpace cheaper Melbourne corridors (Your Investment Property April 2026)
- Unit growth lags — ~2.2% over 12 months on units, so the higher-yield entry comes with slower price appreciation (Your Investment Property April 2026)
What's coming
The City of Stonnington adopted a $235M operating budget for 2025-26 with a focus on renewing existing infrastructure rather than greenfield expansion. The headline initiative is the Chapel Street Precinct Improvement Plan ($4.38M in 2025-26) — primarily affecting Prahran/South Yarra but lifting the broader Stonnington brand. A new state Congestion Levy ($4.09M annually from 1 January 2026) tightens future capital headroom across the council.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: established inner-east living with Chadstone, parkland, and strong schools — premium price, long-term hold suburb. For investors: thin yields on houses; units offer a more workable yield-to-entry trade if growth tolerance is moderate.
Population
?22,296
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+4.0%
3yr: +7.2% · 10yr: +8.2%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,383/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
38
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?10/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.2%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
5
4 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?13
7 long day, 3 OSHC
Parks & green space
?29
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?84
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?31
Stonnington · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
Source: Valuer-General Victoria (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from VIC police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Malvern East (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Malvern East suburb alone is ~22,296 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 19,439 to 23,996 over 24 years, averaging 0.9% per year.
Schools
5 in suburbSector
3 public · 2 private
Type
4 primary · 1 special
Total enrolment
1,858
Avg per school
372
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for VIC.
Source when available: Victorian Department of Education / Vicmap School Zones.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 0.7%Predominantly detached houses (54.2%), mixed tenure (66.9% own or mortgage).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
VIC 29%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area + Vicmap flood overlays.
Flood risk
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Overlay (flood codes)
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
15 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCTZ2 | HCTZ2Other | 33.3% | 2.57 km² |
| NRZ2 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 2Residential | 14.3% | 1.11 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 12.4% | 0.96 km² |
| HCTZ1 | HCTZ1Other | 9.9% | 0.77 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 7.8% | 0.60 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 5.8% | 0.45 km² |
| GRZ10 | General Residential Zone Schedule 10Residential | 5.3% | 0.41 km² |
| NRZ4 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 4Residential | 3.3% | 0.26 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 1.9% | 0.15 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 1.7% | 0.13 km² |
| GRZ7 | General Residential Zone Schedule 7Residential | 1.4% | 0.10 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 1.1% | 0.09 km² |
| GRZ3 | General Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 1.0% | 0.07 km² |
| GRZ6 | General Residential Zone Schedule 6Residential | 0.5% | 0.04 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.2% | 0.02 km² |
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Zones (ZONE_VIC/2026-04-29/08783d2926383881) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.