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Suburb Insights · VIC 3085

Macleod, VIC 3085 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Macleod is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with a population of approximately 9,892, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 14 km from the Melbourne CBD, Macleod is a middle ring area in Victoria. The median household income is $102,232 per year.

Investment Score

72 / 100 Good

Above-average earnings in Macleod support sustained property values. Close CBD access strengthens tenant appeal and resale value.

Location

Melbourne
Macleod
Victoria · 3085
14 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3085

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

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Population
9,892

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$396/wk

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

Median household income
$102,232/yr

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

Distance to CBD
14 km

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

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
2

Estimated 2 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
4

Estimated 4 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$2,296/mo

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

Home type
71% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Macleod

Who Macleod Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRental coverage trails the state average.
🏡First-home buyersPrices sit above the Victoria median — stretch goal.
💼ProfessionalsAround 14 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Local parks and reserves (around 4) add to liveability.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Median mortgage sits above the Victoria state median — entry costs are stretched.
  • Traffic can build during peak hours, especially on arterial roads.

Investment Insight

Macleod's population of 9,892 sits 33% above the Victoria suburb median of 7,416, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average VIC locality. Households here earn $102,232/year on average — 7% above the VIC suburb median of $95,160 — a modest premium that supports resilient owner-occupier demand. Rent of $396/week (75% coverage of the $2,296/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $580/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. 14 km from Melbourne places Macleod in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs.

Investment Tip

This suburb suits long-term investors looking for a balance of rental yield and capital growth. Schools and transport underpin family demand. Local rents consume roughly 20% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Macleod vs Victoria Median

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

MetricMacleodVIC medianΔ vs state
Population9,8927,416+33%
Median household income$102,232/yr$95,160/yr+7%
Median rent (weekly)$396$380+4%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,296$1,950+18%
Distance to CBD14 km32 km-56%
Separate houses71%78%-7pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 9,892 and household income close to the VIC median ($102,232 vs $95,160) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.

⚠️
Rental Yield

Moderate rental coverage: rent of $396/week covers 75% of a $2,296/month mortgage, leaving a $580/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 71% houses in a 9,892-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 Macleod property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Macleod

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Moderate Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Strong

Property values in Macleod should track the wider Victoria market through 2026, with the $102,232/year median household income (7% above the $95,160 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~75% of the typical mortgage ($1,716/month rent vs $2,296/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 72/100 places Macleod in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is constructive heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Macleod a good suburb for investment?

Macleod scores 72/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 9,892, median household income of $102,232/year and median weekly rent of $396. 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 Macleod?

The main demand drivers in Macleod are proximity to Melbourne (14 km), an above-state-median household income of $102,232/year, a dwelling mix that is 71% separate houses, roughly 2 schools and 4 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 Macleod?

Macleod has a usual resident population of approximately 9,892, 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 Macleod from the Melbourne CBD?

Macleod sits 14 km straight-line from the Melbourne CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.

What is the median rent in Macleod?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $396 in Macleod, equating to approximately $20,592/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 Macleod?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Macleod is $2,296, or approximately $27,552/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 Macleod cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $396 works out to $1,716/month, covering 75% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,296/month. That leaves a $580/month shortfall (around $6,960/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 Macleod?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,296 median mortgage, 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 Macleod 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.

Nearby Suburbs

Victoria Property Resources