The numbers, in plain English
To rent in South Yarra without housing stress, a household income of about $87,000/year keeps the rent of $500/week at or below 30% of gross income — the standard affordability benchmark. That rent is the official median for a 1-bedroom unit — the most common new lease here (1378 bonds lodged). Check your income →
To buy the median home ($2,265,000) with a 20% deposit of $453k, repayments at 6.2% over 30 years come to about $11,098/month — comfortable on roughly $444,000/year under the same 30% rule. Saving that deposit at $1,500/month takes about 25.2 years, before stamp duty of $127k. Run your own loan →
That price is the real median of 135 house sales in South Yarra, published by the state land authority — not an estimate.
Compared to the rest of Victoria, South Yarra is more expensive to buy than 99% of the state's suburbs (state median $330k) and pricier to rent than 84% (state median $445/week). It sits roughly 4 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 1.1% 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 South Yarra — a typical 1-bedroom unit rents for $500/week.
| Bedrooms | Type | Median rent | Bonds lodged |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | unit | $500/wk | 1378 |
| 2 | unit | $700/wk | 1288 |
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 ($500/wk)
Over budget
Budget: $346/wk
Buy ($2.27M)
Repayments are a stretch
$10,864/mo · deposit in ~50.4yr
$90k income
Rent ($500/wk)
Affordable
Budget: $519/wk
Buy ($2.27M)
Repayments are a stretch
$10,864/mo · deposit in ~33.6yr
$120k income
Rent ($500/wk)
Affordable
Budget: $692/wk
Buy ($2.27M)
Repayments are a stretch
$10,864/mo · deposit in ~25.2yr
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 | $2.27M |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $453k |
| Stamp duty (Victoria) | $127k |
| Stamp duty (first home buyer) | Same — check eligibility |
| Conveyancing (est.) | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Building inspection (est.) | $400 – $700 |
| Total upfront (est.) | $583k |
Who lives here & what's nearby
Real figures for South Yarra — measured, not modelled.
How South Yarra compares
- Households here earn about 49% more than the typical suburb in Victoria.
- Renter-heavy — just 36% own their home, against 79% across Victoria.
- Younger than average — a median age of 33 vs 46 statewide.
- 62% 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 South Yarra
Real places nearby — the little things that make a suburb feel like home.
- South Yarra Siding300 m
- Caroline Gardens400 m
- MacFarlan Street Reserve400 m
- Arthur Street Pocket Park400 m
- Prahran Market900 m
- Gleadell Street Market2.5 km
- Sunday Market2.8 km
- Burnley Bouldering Walls1.2 km
- Prahran Aquatic Center1.2 km
- Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club1.3 km
- Olympic Park1.6 km
- Toorak/South Yarra Library700 m
- Braille and Talking Book Library900 m
- Prahran Square Library1.1 km
- Prahran Library1.3 km
- Alan Roberts International Medical Graduates Support & Advisory Services Pty ( ARIMGSAS )1.6 km
- Prahran RSL Memorial Hall1.7 km
- Prahran RSL1.7 km
- Camp Sovereignty2.4 km
Places within about 3 km, from OpenStreetMap contributors — distances as the crow flies. Something missing or moved? Tell us.
Get to know South Yarra
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 South Yarra's median of $2,265,000, VIC's first home buyer concession has phased out — duty is about $127,225.
Learn more →Nearby suburbs in Victoria
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Rent data for South Yarra 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.