The numbers, in plain English
To rent in Northcote without housing stress, a household income of about $104,000/year keeps the rent of $600/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 (266 bonds lodged). Check your income →
To buy the median home ($1,700,000) with a 20% deposit of $340k, repayments at 6.2% over 30 years come to about $8,330/month — comfortable on roughly $333,000/year under the same 30% rule. Saving that deposit at $1,500/month takes about 18.9 years, before stamp duty of $94k. Run your own loan →
That price is the real median of 241 house sales in Northcote, published by the state land authority — not an estimate.
Compared to the rest of Victoria, Northcote is more expensive to buy than 98% of the state's suburbs (state median $330k) and pricier to rent than 69% (state median $445/week). It sits roughly 6 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 1.8% 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 Northcote — a typical 2-bedroom unit rents for $600/week.
| Bedrooms | Type | Median rent | Bonds lodged |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | unit | $420/wk | 253 |
| 2 | unit | $600/wk | 266 |
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 ($600/wk)
Over budget
Budget: $346/wk
Buy ($1.70M)
Repayments are a stretch
$8,154/mo · deposit in ~37.8yr
$90k income
Rent ($600/wk)
Over budget
Budget: $519/wk
Buy ($1.70M)
Repayments are a stretch
$8,154/mo · deposit in ~25.2yr
$120k income
Rent ($600/wk)
Affordable
Budget: $692/wk
Buy ($1.70M)
Repayments are a stretch
$8,154/mo · deposit in ~18.9yr
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 | $1.70M |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $340k |
| Stamp duty (Victoria) | $94k |
| Stamp duty (first home buyer) | Same — check eligibility |
| Conveyancing (est.) | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Building inspection (est.) | $400 – $700 |
| Total upfront (est.) | $436k |
Who lives here & what's nearby
Real figures for Northcote — measured, not modelled.
How Northcote compares
- Households here earn about 66% more than the typical suburb in Victoria.
- Fewer owners than most of Victoria — 60% own their home, against a 79% median.
- Younger than average — a median age of 37 vs 46 statewide.
- 38% 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 Northcote
Real places nearby — the little things that make a suburb feel like home.
- Derby Reserve500 m
- Baden Morgan Reserve600 m
- Peters Reserve600 m
- All Nations Park700 m
- Ceres Makers and Flea Market1.6 km
- Clowning Around400 m
- Good Vibes Yoga800 m
- NSEG1.1 km
- Northcote Cricket Club1.2 km
- Northcote Library300 m
- Fairfield Library1.8 km
- Bargoonga Nganjin North Fitzroy Library2.0 km
- 1 John Street Little Library2.1 km
- Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd800 m
- WeCycle800 m
- Jika Jika Community Centre800 m
- Free to Feed900 m
Places within about 3 km, from OpenStreetMap contributors — distances as the crow flies. Something missing or moved? Tell us.
Get to know Northcote
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 Northcote's median of $1,700,000, VIC's first home buyer concession has phased out — duty is about $93,500.
Learn more →Nearby suburbs in Victoria
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Rent data for Northcote 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.