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Suburb Insights · VIC 3818

Drouin, VIC 3818 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Drouin is a regional centre in Victoria, Australia, with a population of approximately 15,287, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 85 km from the Melbourne CBD, Drouin is a regional area in Victoria. The median household income is $74,464 per year.

Investment Score

43 / 100 Moderate

Household incomes in Drouin sit in a comfortable mid-range for the Victoria market. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.

Location

Melbourne
Drouin
Victoria · 3818
85 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3818

Official Australia Post postcode for Drouin. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
15,287

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$330/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$74,464/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
85 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
4

Estimated 4 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
6

Estimated 6 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,647/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
84% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Why People Like Living in Drouin

Who Drouin Suits

👨‍👩‍👧Families4 schools nearby, 84% separate houses.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersEntry costs sit at or below the Victoria median.
💼ProfessionalsLonger commute to the CBD.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Mortgage costs are lower than the Victoria median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Access to several schools nearby (around 4).
  • Local parks and reserves (around 6) add to liveability.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Long distance to the CBD (85 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • Traffic can build during peak hours, especially on arterial roads.

Investment Insight

With 15,287 residents, Drouin is one of Victoria's more populous suburbs — roughly 2.1× the state median of 7,416 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. Drouin's median household income of $74,464/year is 22% 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. Rent of $330/week (87% coverage of the $1,647/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $217/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. Drouin is 85 km from Melbourne, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

Investment Tip

This suburb suits yield-focused investors who are comfortable with lower liquidity. Employment concentration and local population trends matter more here than in metro markets. Local rents consume roughly 23% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Drouin vs Victoria Median

How Drouin stacks up against the median of all Victoria suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Drouin sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricDrouinVIC medianΔ vs state
Population15,2877,416+106%
Median household income$74,464/yr$95,160/yr-22%
Median rent (weekly)$330$380-13%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,647$1,950-16%
Distance to CBD85 km32 km+166%
Separate houses84%78%+6pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Drouin — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 22% below the VIC median ($74,464 vs $95,160) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Victoria market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $330/week (~$1,430/month) covers 87% of the $1,647/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $217/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 84% houses in a 15,287-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Drouin property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Drouin

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Drouin are modest for 2026 — incomes 22% below the VIC median of $95,160 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~87% of the typical mortgage ($1,430/month rent vs $1,647/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 43/100 places Drouin in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Drouin a good suburb for investment?

Drouin scores 43/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 15,287, median household income of $74,464/year and median weekly rent of $330. 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.

What drives property demand in Drouin?

The main demand drivers in Drouin are a median household income of $74,464/year, a dwelling mix that is 84% separate houses, roughly 4 schools and 6 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.

What is the population of Drouin?

Drouin has a usual resident population of approximately 15,287, compared with a Victoria suburb median of 7,416 — placing it in the upper 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.

How far is Drouin from the Melbourne CBD?

Drouin sits 85 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.

What is the median rent in Drouin?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $330 in Drouin, equating to approximately $17,160/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.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Drouin?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Drouin is $1,647, or approximately $19,764/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.

Is Drouin cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $330 works out to $1,430/month, covering 87% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,647/month. That leaves a $217/month shortfall (around $2,604/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.

What are the main risks of investing in Drouin?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,647 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($74,464 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.

How we built this Drouin profile

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.

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