St Kilda (Vic.)
VICSt Kilda (Vic.) is a growing suburb in VIC with 19,490 residents.
- SAL code
- 22343
- SA2
- 206051513
- Population
- 19,490
- LGA
- Port Phillip
St Kilda (Vic.), VIC had 19,490 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 4.7% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 36. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,000 a month. Around 37.1% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 60.4%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 82.8% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 26 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
St Kilda (Vic.), VIC at a glance
St Kilda is Melbourne's iconic bayside entertainment suburb, ~6 km south of the CBD in the City of Port Phillip. The housing stock is unusually mixed — Victorian and Edwardian mansions and terraces sit alongside inter-war flats and a dense layer of newer apartments — and the Esplanade, Acland Street and Fitzroy Street still set the rhythm of the place. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
St Kilda trades on lifestyle density rather than space. Acland Street's cake shops, Fitzroy Street's restaurants, the Esplanade Sunday market, Luna Park and the foreshore promenade are all walkable from most addresses, and the 96 light rail runs straight into the CBD in around 20 minutes. Housing is almost a museum of Melbourne living: Victorian terraces and grand single-fronts on the hill, Art Deco walk-ups around Grey Street, and apartment towers stitched in from the 1970s through to the new Fitzroy Street builds. Catani Gardens and the St Kilda Botanical Gardens anchor green space, the foreshore is the back yard, and St Kilda Primary plus Albert Park College's St Kilda Park campus are the main public school anchors. In short: an inner-bayside suburb you live in for the street life and the beach rather than the back yard.
For investors
St Kilda is a unit-led market with thin house turnover. Median house ~$1.56M with ~2.78% gross yield (~$550/wk rent); units around $550/wk rent against a much lower entry give ~5.67% gross yield (Your Investment Property, May 2026). Past 12 months: ~75 house sales vs ~626 unit sales — a deep stratified market for an inner suburb. Days-on-market 46 (houses), 38 (units); vacancy ~0.76% per HtAG (April 2026).
Strengths
- Unit yields ~5.67% (Your Investment Property May 2026) — strong cashflow for an inner-Melbourne postcode.
- Very tight vacancy (~0.76% HtAG April 2026) plus short unit days-on-market (~38) supports leasing velocity.
- Deep unit transaction market (~626 sales/yr) means easy entry and exit and clear comparable pricing.
- Lifestyle pull (beach, Acland/Fitzroy strips, 96 tram to CBD) underpins durable tenant demand from young professionals and downsizers.
Trade-offs
- House capital growth has been muted — ~+2% over 12 months on YIP figures — well below pre-2022 inner-Melbourne pace.
- Unit values have softened (-2.39% over 12 months, May 2026) as inner-city apartment supply works through the pipeline.
- Houses sit at a premium $1.5M+ entry with ~2.78% yield — a holding-cost play, not a cashflow one.
- High share of older walk-up flats means strata, heritage and maintenance overheads need careful due diligence.
What's coming
The City of Port Phillip's St Kilda Pier Foreshore Upgrade is in delivery, with main construction running August 2025 to May 2026 — extending the pier to Jacka Boulevard, reinstating the Catani Gardens edge and adding a new pedestrian plaza in place of part of the Sea Baths car park. Council is also progressing a feasibility case for a 5,000-capacity live music venue on the long-vacant St Kilda Triangle site beside the Palais Theatre, plus a new public toilet block at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a lifestyle-first inner-bayside suburb where you trade back yard for beach, trams and street life. For investors: a yield + leasing-velocity play in units rather than a capital-growth bet on houses.
Population
?19,490
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+4.7%
3yr: +14.8% · 10yr: +11.6%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,779/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
36
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?7/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?7.0%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
4
4 primary, 2 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?11
6 long day, 3 OSHC
Parks & green space
?26
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?57
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?236
Port Phillip · 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 — St Kilda - Central (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; St Kilda (Vic.) suburb alone is ~19,490 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 8,558 to 14,012 over 24 years, averaging 2.1% per year.
Schools
4 in suburbSector
2 public · 2 private
Type
2 primary · 2 K-12
Total enrolment
2,078
Avg per school
520
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 3.6%Almost entirely apartments (82.8%), rental-heavy (60.4% renting), built for families (48% are 2 bed).
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
26 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 32.3% | 1.03 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 19.1% | 0.61 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 9.6% | 0.30 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 8.6% | 0.27 km² |
| NRZ5 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 5Residential | 5.8% | 0.19 km² |
| NRZ1 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 5.5% | 0.17 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 5.3% | 0.17 km² |
| NRZ6 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 6Residential | 2.8% | 0.09 km² |
| SUZ4 | Special Use Zone Schedule 4Special use | 2.3% | 0.07 km² |
| GRZ3 | General Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 1.3% | 0.04 km² |
| SUZ3 | Special Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 0.9% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.9% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.8% | 0.03 km² |
| CDZ2 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 2Business | 0.6% | 0.02 km² |
| NRZ7 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 7Residential | 0.6% | 0.02 km² |
| GRZ12 | General Residential Zone Schedule 12Residential | 0.5% | 0.02 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 0.5% | 0.02 km² |
| GRZ10 | General Residential Zone Schedule 10Residential | 0.5% | 0.01 km² |
| SUZ1 | Special Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.5% | 0.01 km² |
| SUZ2 | Special Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.4% | 0.01 km² |
| GRZ5 | General Residential Zone Schedule 5Residential | 0.3% | 9,546 m² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 0.3% | 8,206 m² |
| GRZ11 | General Residential Zone Schedule 11Residential | 0.2% | 7,439 m² |
| GRZ13 | General Residential Zone Schedule 13Residential | 0.1% | 4,769 m² |
| GRZ4 | General Residential Zone Schedule 4Residential | 0.1% | 4,279 m² |
| CDZ3 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 3Business | 0.1% | 3,687 m² |
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.