Moving to Footscray VIC 3011
What the official numbers say about living in Footscray — before you pack a box.
At a glance
Housing: buy or rent
Budget around $960,000 for a median house or $520,000 for a unit (based on 2024 sales). Sale prices moved up about 49% between 2014 and 2024.
Renting? The census median is $355 a week, against a median household income of $1,763 a week.
About 42% of homes are owner-occupied and 57% rented, and the most common dwelling type is the apartment.
Who you'll be living with
Footscray grew 30% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses (13,203 → 17,131 people).
Around 52% of households are families, averaging 2.1 people per home.
Largest overseas birthplaces: Vietnam, India, England; most spoken languages besides English: Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese.
On the ABS advantage scale (SEIFA), Footscray sits in the country’s more advantaged bracket (decile 8 of 10).
The commute
The most common way to work is by car (38% of workers), while 45% work from home.
Nearest train station: Footscray, 550 m south-east.
Nearest tram stop: Stop 61: Geelong Road, 200 m north.
Nearest bus interchange: Yarraville Railway Station/Birmingham St, 2.1 km south.
Nearest ferry wharf: Fishermans Bend, 3.4 km south.
Nearest airport: Essendon Fields Airport, 8.1 km north.
The Melbourne CBD is roughly 6 km away in a straight line.
Daily life
Mapped locally so far: 62 schools · 211 cafes & restaurants · 24 supermarkets · 115 parks — see them all on the Footscray profile.
What's actually nearby
Schools: Footscray High School Barkly Campus 200 m · Footscray Primary School 450 m · The Farm 800 m · Footscray High School Pilgrim Campus 900 m · Footscray City Primary School 900 m · St Monica's Primary School 900 m · Footscray High School Kinnear Campus 900 m · St John's Primary School 1.1 km
Groceries: KFL Supermarkets 150 m · Tân Mỹ 250 m · Famous Halal Quality 300 m · D&K 300 m · Coles 350 m · Salaam Namasthe 450 m · Western Halal Meat 450 m · Thành Phát 450 m
Parks and reserves: Nicholson Street Pedestrian Mall 300 m · Maddern Reserve 350 m · Cornwell Reserve 500 m · Railway Reserve 550 m · McCoy Reserve 700 m · Fordham Reserve 700 m · Ercildoune Reserve 750 m · Footscray Trugo Club Reserve 750 m
What you'll see in the garden
Birds recorded around Footscray, most often seen first: Common Myna · Rainbow Lorikeet · Red Wattlebird · Little Raven · Dusky Moorhen · Magpie-lark.
How the neighbours compare
The suburbs nearest to Footscray, side by side.
| Suburb | People | Median house | Advantage | Canopy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footscray here | 17,131 | $960,000 | 8/10 | 4% |
| Seddon | 5,143 | $1,100,000 | 10/10 | 5% |
| Kingsville | 3,920 | $1,122,500 | 10/10 | 9% |
| Yarraville | 15,636 | $1,146,500 | 10/10 | 9% |
| Maribyrnong | 12,573 | $1,250,000 | 9/10 | 8% |
| West Footscray | 11,729 | $927,500 | 9/10 | 8% |
| Maidstone | 9,389 | $850,500 | 7/10 | 8% |
Before you move — quick checklist
- Your council will be Maribyrnong — bins, rates, pets and permits live there.
- You'll vote in the federal electorate of Fraser — update your enrolment address.
- The postcode is 3011 — handy for utility sign-ups and quotes.
- Check street-level details on the full Footscray profile (map, streets, amenities, wildlife).
In short
A house in Footscray has a median sale price of $960,000 (2024 sales), and a unit $520,000. Renters pay a median $355 a week, and about 57% of homes here are rented.
The population grew 30% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, from 13,203 people to 17,131. It sits about 6 km from the Melbourne CBD in a straight line, and Footscray station is roughly 0.6 km away. Local government is Maribyrnong council, and the federal seat is Fraser.
Weighing up alternatives?
Side-by-side: Footscray vs Yarraville · Footscray vs Maribyrnong.
Nearby guides: Seddon · Kingsville · Yarraville · Maribyrnong · West Footscray · Maidstone.
Keep an eye on Footscray
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