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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Arnold West is a regional centre in Victoria, Australia, with a population of approximately 19, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 165 km from the Melbourne CBD, Arnold West is a regional area in Victoria. The median household income is $55,224 per year.
Lower income levels in Arnold West typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.
Official Australia Post postcode for Arnold West. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Arnold West on My School →Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Arnold West is a smaller community of 19 — about 0% of the Victoria suburb median (7,416) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Arnold West's median household income of $55,224/year is 42% below the Victoria suburb median ($95,160) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Weekly rent of $154 covers just 44% of the median $1,517/month mortgage repayment, leaving a $850/month gap — investors should only pursue this suburb with a clear capital-growth thesis and sufficient external income to fund the shortfall. Arnold West is 165 km from Melbourne, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How Arnold West stacks up against the median of all Victoria suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Arnold West sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Arnold West | VIC median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 19 | 7,416 | -100% |
| Median household income | $55,224/yr | $95,160/yr | -42% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $154 | $380 | -59% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,517 | $1,950 | -22% |
| Distance to CBD | 165 km | 32 km | +416% |
| Separate houses | 75% | 78% | -3pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Arnold West — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 19 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Victoria market over full cycles.
Weak cash flow: $154/week rent covers only 44% of the $1,517/month median mortgage — a $850/month gap that must be funded from other income. This suburb is a capital-growth play, not a yield play.
With 75% houses in a 19-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Arnold West property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Arnold West are modest for 2026 — incomes 42% below the VIC median of $95,160 and a population of 19 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~44% of the typical mortgage ($667/month rent vs $1,517/month repayment), meaning investors will rely on capital growth rather than yield. The EquitySight investment score of 26/100 places Arnold West in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Arnold West scores 26/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 19, median household income of $55,224/year and median weekly rent of $154. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Arnold West are a median household income of $55,224/year, a dwelling mix that is 75% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Arnold West has a usual resident population of approximately 19, compared with a Victoria suburb median of 7,416 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Arnold West sits 165 km straight-line from the Melbourne CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $154 in Arnold West, equating to approximately $8,008/year in gross rental income (state median $380/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Arnold West is $1,517, or approximately $18,204/year (vs $1,950/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $154 works out to $667/month, covering 44% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,517/month. That leaves a $850/month shortfall (around $10,200/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (19 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,517 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($55,224 vs $95,160 state median), the broader Victoria market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.