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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Lima East is a regional centre in Victoria, Australia, with a population of approximately 165, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 142 km from the Melbourne CBD, Lima East is a regional area in Victoria. The median household income is $55,588 per year.
Household earnings in Lima East are below the state average, which may affect long-term capital growth. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.
Official Australia Post postcode for Lima East. 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 Lima East 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.
Lima East is a smaller community of 165 — about 2% of the Victoria suburb median (7,416) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Lima East's median household income of $55,588/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. Median weekly rent of $275 equates to $1,192/month — about 115% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,040/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Lima East is 142 km from Melbourne, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How Lima East stacks up against the median of all Victoria suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Lima East sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Lima East | VIC median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 165 | 7,416 | -98% |
| Median household income | $55,588/yr | $95,160/yr | -42% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $275 | $380 | -28% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,040 | $1,950 | -47% |
| Distance to CBD | 142 km | 32 km | +344% |
| Separate houses | 89% | 78% | +11pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Lima East — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 165 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Victoria market over full cycles.
Strong rental coverage: $275/week (~$1,192/month) covers 115% of the $1,040/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 89% houses in a 165-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 Lima East property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Lima East are modest for 2026 — incomes 42% below the VIC median of $95,160 and a population of 165 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~115% of the typical mortgage ($1,192/month rent vs $1,040/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 28/100 places Lima East 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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Lima East scores 28/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 165, median household income of $55,588/year and median weekly rent of $275. 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 Lima East are a median household income of $55,588/year, a dwelling mix that is 89% 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.
Lima East has a usual resident population of approximately 165, 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.
Lima East sits 142 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 $275 in Lima East, equating to approximately $14,300/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 Lima East is $1,040, or approximately $12,480/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 $275 works out to $1,192/month, covering 115% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,040/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $152/month, so on these numbers Lima East leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. 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 (165 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,040 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($55,588 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.