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This page provides statistical information on housing in the City of Whitehorse.
Median House Prices
In 2020 the median house price in Whitehorse was $1,170,000. This is considerably higher than the equivalent for the Melbourne Metropolitan area ($750,000). Whitehorse has the 10th highest median house price of the 79 local governments in Victoria.
The median house price in the municipality has increased over the past 12 months (see Table 1), consistent with metropolitan Melbourne.
| Year | Whitehorse | Metropolitan Melbourne |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $789,398 | $576,553 |
| 2012 | $746,993 | $557,372 |
| 2013 | $813,261 | $583,304 |
| 2014 | $908,442 | $608,547 |
| 2015 | $1,110,592 | $646,947 |
| 2016 | $1,157,487 | $682,440 |
| 2017 | $1,301,197 | $751,896 |
| 2018 | $1,178,420 | $758,288 |
| 2019 | $1,109,316 | $727,106 |
| 2020 | $1,170,000 | $750,000 |
Source: Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (2022), ‘Annual Property Sales’, viewed February 2022
NB: All values have been adjusted to 2020 dollars as at June 2020.
Housing Tenure
A total of 35.7 per cent of households in Whitehorse own their own home. This is considerably higher than Greater Melbourne at 29 per cent. Such elevated level of home ownership means there are fewer households renting or purchasing homes.
However, numbers of households owning their own homes have fallen since the 2006 Census, continuing a trend both in Whitehorse and Greater Melbourne. The number of people purchasing homes has fallen slightly, but there has been a continuing rise in the number of people entering the rental market. This is significant as it means an increase in the number of households susceptible to housing stress.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017), Census of Population and Housing
Median Rents
Median rents have decreased across Metropolitan Melbourne over the past 12 months. Table 2 outlines the median rents for municipalities across the Eastern Metropolitan Region (EMR). In the 12 months to March 2021, Whitehorse experienced a decreased in median rents for almost all property types. The biggest decrease in rent in Whitehorse occurred in 2 bedroom flats (10.8 per cent), followed by 2 bedroom houses (4 per cent). The cost of renting a one bedroom flat increased across the same period, and it was more expensive to rent a 2 bedroom house compared to a 2 bedroom flat. 2 bedroom flats comprise the largest number of rental properties in Whitehorse (48 per cent of total rentals).
| LGA | 1 bedroom flat | 2 bedroom flat | 2 bedroom house | 3 bedroom house |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boroondara | $308 | $400 | $550 | $640 |
| Knox | $330 | $380 | $350 | $430 |
| Manningham | $350 | $400 | $420 | $475 |
| Maroondah | $350 | $375 | $380 | $450 |
| Monash | $320 | $390 | $390 | $450 |
| Whitehorse | $320 | $395 | $400 | $450 |
| Yarra Ranges | $300 | $370 | $380 | $450 |
| EMR | $320 | $395 | $395 | $430 |
Source: DHS (2021), Rental Report December March 2021, viewed February 2022.
NOTE: EMR data is based on the median rent and the number of properties available.
Social Housing
Approximately 1,463 households nominated as living in social housing in the 2016 Census. This is 2.4 per cent of all households in the municipality.
Table 3 summarises the number of social housing properties in the EMR and in other regions in 2016. While the rate of social housing in Whitehorse is the second highest in the east, as a region the EMR has significantly less public housing than the other metropolitan regions – approximately 6.1 properties per 1,000 estimated residential population, compared with 11.2 and 8.4 for the north and west metropolitan, and southern metropolitan regions respectively. This should not be considered a reflection of lack of demand; rather that supply levels are low.
| LGA / REGION | NUMBER OF PROPERTIES | RATE PER 1,000 ESTIMATED RESIDENTIAL POPULATION |
|---|---|---|
| Boroondara | 757 | 4.3 |
| Knox | 1,128 | 7.0 |
| Manningham | 261 | 2.1 |
| Maroondah | 1,047 | 9.1 |
| Monash | 1,434 | 7.4 |
| Whitehorse | 1,463 | 8.6 |
| Yarra Ranges | 577 | 3.7 |
| Eastern Metropolitan Region |
6,667 | 6.1 |
| North and West Metropolitan Region |
23,076 | 11.2 |
| Southern Metropolitan Region |
12,651 | 8.4 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017), Census of Population and Housing. Rates based on ERP as at June 2016.
Housing Stress
Households are generally accepted to be in ‘housing stress’ when they spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, particularly if they are in the lowest 40 per cent of income earners. Housing such an outlay may affect their ability to meet other basic needs, particularly where they are in the lowest 40 per cent of income earners.
In Whitehorse the proportion of renters in housing stress has increased from 27.8 per cent in 2011, to 30.9 per cent in 2016, slightly higher than the Victorian average of 28.1 per cent.
Alternatively, Whitehorse has a similar percentage of mortgage holders in housing stress (11.1 per cent) when compared to Victoria (11.0 per cent).
Overall 11.8 per cent of households in Whitehorse are considered to be in housing stress.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017), Census of Population and Housing 2016.
These overall figures can mask the variation that exists within the municipality. For example, rental housing stress is highest in Box Hill, accounting for 43.9 per cent of all renters. This is followed by Burwood, with 43.6 per cent of renters. Similarly mortgage stress is greatest in Box Hill and Burwood, accounting for 19.5 and 17.6 per cent of mortgagees respectively.
Figure 3 is a thematic map depicting where households are experiencing housing stress. It is based on the 2016 Census. The map shows high levels of housing stress around Box Hill (0 to 49.7 per cent in some areas) and high levels of stress around Burwood, East Burwood, parts of Nunawading, Mitcham and Forest Hill.
Source: ABS (2017), 2016 Census of Population and Housing, ‘City of Whitehorse, Housing Stress, accessed via Profile.ID, http://atlas.id.com.au/whitehorse.
Homelessness
In 2015 it was estimated that there were 4.6 homeless people in Whitehorse per 1,000 persons, compared to the Victorian average of 4.0 persons (Department of Health and Human Services, 2015 Local Government Area Profiles).
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