Moving to Cairnlea VIC 3023
What the official numbers say about living in Cairnlea — before you pack a box.
At a glance
Housing: buy or rent
Budget around $932,500 for a median house or $413,500 for a unit (based on 2024 sales). Sale prices moved up about 71% between 2014 and 2024.
Renting? The census median is $400 a week, against a median household income of $2,062 a week.
About 84% of homes are owner-occupied and 15% rented, and the most common dwelling type is the house.
Who you'll be living with
Cairnlea grew 14% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses (8,839 → 10,038 people).
Around 87% of households are families, averaging 3.4 people per home.
Largest overseas birthplaces: Vietnam, Philippines, India; most spoken languages besides English: Vietnamese, Cantonese, Tagalog.
On the ABS advantage scale (SEIFA), Cairnlea sits around the national average (decile 4 of 10).
The commute
The most common way to work is by car (74% of workers), while 22% work from home.
Nearest train station: St Albans, 2 km north-east.
Nearest bus interchange: St Albans Station/St Albans Road, 2 km north-east.
Nearest airport: Melbourne Airport, 10.6 km north.
The Melbourne CBD is roughly 17 km away in a straight line.
Daily life
Mapped locally so far: 55 schools · 67 cafes & restaurants · 15 supermarkets · 44 parks — see them all on the Cairnlea profile.
What's actually nearby
Schools: Cairnlea Park Primary School 100 m · Victoria University Secondary College Cairnlea Senior Campus 850 m · Deer Park North Primary School 1.1 km · University Park Primary School 1.5 km · St Peter Chanel School 1.8 km · Victoria University Secondary College Deer Park Campus 1.8 km · Albanvale Primary School 1.9 km · Victoria University Secondary College Brimbank Campus 2.1 km
Groceries: Coles 300 m · Minh Vi 350 m · Coles 1.2 km · Aldi 1.4 km · Woolworths 1.5 km · MA-B1 African Market 1.9 km · St Albans Supermarket & Halal Meat 1.9 km · Parachinar Supermarket 2 km
Parks and reserves: Shearwater Meadow Reserve 300 m · Waterfield Park 350 m · Lavender Park 500 m · Stockton Run Reserve 700 m · O'Connors Paddock 750 m · Station Waters Reserve 800 m · Kevin Flint Memorial Reserve 900 m · Elford Green Reserve 900 m
What you'll see in the garden
Birds recorded around Cairnlea, most often seen first: Little Raven · Common Myna · Common Starling · House Sparrow · Pacific Black Duck · Dusky Moorhen.
How the neighbours compare
The suburbs nearest to Cairnlea, side by side.
| Suburb | People | Median house | Advantage | Canopy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairnlea here | 10,038 | $932,500 | 4/10 | 3% |
| Deer Park | 18,145 | $657,500 | 2/10 | 4% |
| Albanvale | 5,641 | $613,000 | 1/10 | 3% |
| St Albans | 38,042 | $652,000 | 1/10 | 3% |
| Ardeer | 3,170 | $680,000 | 2/10 | 6% |
| Kings Park | 8,203 | $615,500 | 1/10 | 2% |
| Burnside | 5,800 | $730,000 | 5/10 | 3% |
Before you move — quick checklist
- Your council will be Brimbank — bins, rates, pets and permits live there.
- You'll vote in the federal electorate of Fraser — update your enrolment address.
- The postcode is 3023 — handy for utility sign-ups and quotes.
- Check street-level details on the full Cairnlea profile (map, streets, amenities, wildlife).
In short
A house in Cairnlea has a median sale price of $932,500 (2024 sales), and a unit $413,500. Renters pay a median $400 a week, and about 15% of homes here are rented.
The population grew 14% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, from 8,839 people to 10,038. It sits about 17 km from the Melbourne CBD in a straight line, and St Albans station is roughly 2 km away. Local government is Brimbank council, and the federal seat is Fraser.
Weighing up alternatives?
Side-by-side: Cairnlea vs Deer Park · Cairnlea vs Albanvale.
Nearby guides: Deer Park · Albanvale · St Albans · Ardeer · Kings Park · Burnside.
Keep an eye on Cairnlea
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