The numbers, in plain English
To rent in Carlton without housing stress, a household income of about $116,000/year keeps the rent of $670/week at or below 30% of gross income — the standard affordability benchmark. That rent is the official median for a 2-bedroom unit — the most common new lease here (1235 bonds lodged). Check your income →
To buy the median home ($1,360,000) with a 20% deposit of $272k, repayments at 6.2% over 30 years come to about $6,664/month — comfortable on roughly $267,000/year under the same 30% rule. Saving that deposit at $1,500/month takes about 15.1 years, before stamp duty of $75k. Run your own loan →
That price is the real median of 68 house sales in Carlton, published by the state land authority — not an estimate.
Compared to the rest of Victoria, Carlton is more expensive to buy than 96% of the state's suburbs (state median $330k) and pricier to rent than 84% (state median $445/week). It sits roughly 2 km from the Melbourne CBD as the crow flies.
For investors, the median rent against the median price gives a gross rental yield of about 2.6% before costs. Net yield calculator →
Modelled medians, not valuations — every formula above is documented on our methodology page.
Actual rents lodged here
Bonds lodged, September 2025Unlike the modelled figures above, these are the real median rents from every rental bond lodged with the Victorian RTBA in Carlton — a typical 2-bedroom unit rents for $670/week.
| Bedrooms | Type | Median rent | Bonds lodged |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | unit | $500/wk | 1023 |
| 2 | unit | $670/wk | 1235 |
Source: Victoria DFFH Rental Report (CC BY 4.0), moving-annual by suburb with at least 5 lodgements per figure. Updated quarterly — see data sources.
Affordability by income
$60k income
Rent ($670/wk)
Over budget
Budget: $346/wk
Buy ($1.36M)
Repayments are a stretch
$6,523/mo · deposit in ~30.3yr
$90k income
Rent ($670/wk)
Over budget
Budget: $519/wk
Buy ($1.36M)
Repayments are a stretch
$6,523/mo · deposit in ~20.2yr
$120k income
Rent ($670/wk)
Affordable
Budget: $692/wk
Buy ($1.36M)
Repayments are a stretch
$6,523/mo · deposit in ~15.2yr
Based on 30% gross income rule for rent; 6% p.a. / 30-year P&I loan at 20% deposit for purchase; 15% savings rate for deposit timeline.
Upfront buying costs
| Purchase price | $1.36M |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $272k |
| Stamp duty (Victoria) | $75k |
| Stamp duty (first home buyer) | Same — check eligibility |
| Conveyancing (est.) | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Building inspection (est.) | $400 – $700 |
| Total upfront (est.) | $349k |
Who lives here & what's nearby
Real figures for Carlton — measured, not modelled.
How Carlton compares
- Renter-heavy — just 23% own their home, against 79% across Victoria.
- Younger than average — a median age of 27 vs 46 statewide.
- 72% of homes here are rented, against 15% across Victoria — a rental market.
Demographics and tenure from the ABS 2021 Census; the socio-economic score is the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative disadvantage, scaled 0–100 against every Australian postcode; distances and school counts from OpenStreetMap. Comparisons are against the median suburb in Victoria. Suburb-level price trends aren't shown because no open source publishes them reliably yet — see our data sources.
What's around Carlton
Real places nearby — the little things that make a suburb feel like home.
- La Mama Square100 m
- Argyle Square300 m
- 1888 Courtyard400 m
- 1888 South Lawn400 m
- Rose Street Artist Market1.0 km
- Queen Victoria Market1.0 km
- Fitzroy Market1.1 km
- Carlton Farmers Market1.2 km
- Carlton Gardens Tennis Club600 m
- Nona Lee Sports Centre (103)600 m
- Beaurepaire Centre (101)700 m
- Sabby800 m
- Rowden White Library (Levels 2 & 3)300 m
- Eastern Resource Centre Library (Building 171)400 m
- Architecture, Building & Planning Library500 m
- Giblin Eunson Library700 m
- Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre200 m
- Drill Hall (for Praying Jum'ah)900 m
- Multicultural Hub1.0 km
- Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre1.1 km
Places within about 3 km, from OpenStreetMap contributors — distances as the crow flies. Something missing or moved? Tell us.
Get to know Carlton
Real places to see and hear what living here is actually like.
Neighbourhood at a Glance
Indicative scores based on ABS Census data modelling. Always conduct your own research.
Related reading
Government schemes that may apply
First Home Guarantee (FHBG)
Buy with as little as 5% deposit, no LMI. Up to 35,000 places/year nationwide.
Learn more →First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)
Victoria offers a grant for eligible first home buyers purchasing new builds. Amounts vary.
Learn more →First Home Super Saver (FHSS)
Save up to $50k inside super (taxed at 15% instead of marginal rate), then withdraw for a deposit.
Learn more →Stamp duty concessions
At Carlton's median of $1,360,000, VIC's first home buyer concession has phased out — duty is about $74,800.
Learn more →Nearby suburbs in Victoria
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Rent data for Carlton sourced from the ABS 2021 Census, scaled by rental CPI to current values. Calculations use 30% gross income rule, 20% deposit, 6% p.a. loan rate over 30 years. Not financial advice.