Affordable Family Suburbs in Melbourne (2026): Houses Under $800,000, With What's Nearby
8 October 2026
In early 2026, 38 Melbourne suburbs within 35 km of the CBD had a median house price under $800,000 — and not one of them is within 10 km. The nearest is Braybrook, 10.1 km out, where the median house sold for $752,500 in January to March 2026.
We took the Valuer-General's official median house price for every suburb and set it beside what each suburb holds for families: government schools, all schools, parks and kids' activity providers. This is a side-by-side, not a ranking — every family weighs these things differently, so we show each one rather than blending them into a score.
Key takeaways
- The typical Melbourne suburb within 35 km had a median house price of $1,145,000 in January to March 2026 (166 suburbs with enough sales to count).
- 38 suburbs came in under $800,000. None is within 10 km of the CBD; 11 are 10–20 km out, 16 are 20–30 km out and 11 are 30–35 km out.
- The cheapest were Dallas ($620,000), Wyndham Vale ($624,000) and Cobblebank ($633,000).
- Between them, those 38 suburbs hold 112 government primary schools and 42 government secondary schools. Tarneit alone has 13.
- Prices in those suburbs rose a median 5.9% over the year to March 2026.
What a house costs, ring by ring
Typical median house price across 166 Melbourne suburbs, by distance from the CBD (suburbs with 20+ house sales in the quarter)
Within 10 km
37 suburbs · 0 under $800,000
$1,557,500
10–20 km
64 suburbs · 11 under $800,000
$1,293,250
20–30 km
46 suburbs · 16 under $800,000
$907,000
30–35 km
19 suburbs · 11 under $800,000
$696,000
So what: no suburb within 10 km has a median house price under $800,000; by 30–35 km the typical figure is $696,000.
Victorian Property Sales Report, Jan–Mar 2026 quarter © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), CC BY 4.0 · aroundschools.com.au
How far out do you have to go for a house under $800,000?
At least 10 km — and for most of the choice, 20 km or more. The typical median house price falls from $1,557,500 within 10 km of the CBD to $696,000 at 30 to 35 km.
| Distance from the CBD | Suburbs counted | Typical median house price | Suburbs under $800,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 10 km | 37 | $1,557,500 | 0 |
| 10–20 km | 64 | $1,293,250 | 11 |
| 20–30 km | 46 | $907,000 | 16 |
| 30–35 km | 19 | $696,000 | 11 |
The nearest under-$800,000 suburbs are Braybrook (10.1 km, $752,500), Sunshine North (12.7 km, $761,500) and Broadmeadows (15.3 km, $675,000). 36 of the 38 are in Melbourne's west and north; Dandenong and Doveton, in the south-east, are the exceptions.
Where the under-$800,000 suburbs are
The 38 suburbs with a median house price under $800,000, by distance from the CBD
Within 10 km
of 37 suburbs in this ring
0
10–20 km
of 64 suburbs in this ring
11
20–30 km
of 46 suburbs in this ring
16
30–35 km
of 19 suburbs in this ring
11
So what: the nearest is Braybrook, 10.1 km out at $752,500.
Victorian Property Sales Report, Jan–Mar 2026 quarter © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), CC BY 4.0 · aroundschools.com.au
Which affordable suburbs have the most schools nearby?
Tarneit, Craigieburn, Werribee and St Albans each have ten or more government schools within the suburb, and a median house price under $750,000. The table shows the 20 under-$800,000 suburbs with the most government schools.
| Suburb | Median house price, Jan–Mar 2026 | House sales that quarter | Distance from CBD | Government primary / secondary schools | All schools | Parks listed | Kids' activity providers listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarneit | $670,000 | 423 | 25.8 km | 9 / 4 | 15 | 9 | 3 |
| Craigieburn | $730,000 | 270 | 25.2 km | 8 / 3 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Werribee | $682,800 | 236 | 29.2 km | 7 / 3 | 18 | 16 | 17 |
| St Albans | $743,300 | 100 | 16.3 km | 8 / 2 | 13 | 8 | 12 |
| Truganina | $690,000 | 218 | 21.8 km | 6 / 3 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| Sunbury | $737,800 | 220 | 34.1 km | 6 / 2 | 14 | 41 | 13 |
| Hoppers Crossing | $720,000 | 132 | 24.8 km | 5 / 2 | 9 | 9 | 20 |
| Wollert | $706,500 | 198 | 23.3 km | 5 / 2 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Caroline Springs | $797,500 | 72 | 21.5 km | 3 / 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| Epping | $750,000 | 91 | 20 km | 4 / 2 | 11 | 14 | 9 |
| Thomastown | $772,500 | 67 | 15.5 km | 5 / 1 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
| Broadmeadows | $675,000 | 28 | 15.3 km | 4 / 1 | 11 | 5 | 3 |
| Dandenong | $780,000 | 39 | 29.2 km | 4 / 1 | 8 | 10 | 17 |
| Lalor | $775,000 | 62 | 16.9 km | 3 / 2 | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| Wyndham Vale | $624,000 | 158 | 31.4 km | 4 / 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Mickleham | $696,000 | 205 | 30.2 km | 3 / 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Roxburgh Park | $741,000 | 59 | 20.9 km | 3 / 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Kalkallo | $667,500 | 100 | 32.1 km | 2 / 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Braybrook | $752,500 | 26 | 10.1 km | 1 / 1 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| Sunshine North | $761,500 | 32 | 12.7 km | 2 / 0 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Tarneit has 13 government schools and a median house price of $670,000 — but only 3 kids' activity providers listed with us. Schools are there; after-school activities, in our directory, mostly are not.
A school being in the suburb is not the same as your child being zoned for it. Victorian government schools enrol by zone, so check any address with our school catchment checker before you buy. Zones can also move — see do school zones change in Victoria?.
What about after-school activities?
The suburbs with the cheapest houses and the most schools are often the ones with the fewest kids' activities listed. At least five of the under-$800,000 suburbs — Tarneit, Werribee, Truganina, Hoppers Crossing and Wyndham Vale — are in the City of Wyndham, which has 3.9 kids' activity providers listed per 10,000 children, the lowest of any large council area in Australia in our directory.
That pattern is not universal. Werribee (17 providers) and Hoppers Crossing (20) are well covered; Tarneit (3) and Truganina (none listed) are not. The Wyndham council page lists what we have mapped across the area, and many families travel to a neighbouring suburb for activities.
Victoria's Get Active Kids voucher can help with sport costs for eligible families wherever you live.
What this means for your family
- Decide your distance first. Under $800,000, the realistic search is 15 to 35 km from the CBD in the west and north.
- Check the school zone, not just the school count. A suburb with nine government schools may zone your street to only one of them.
- Look at the suburb next door for activities. In growth suburbs, activities often sit a suburb or two away from the new estates.
- Use the most recent quarter, and expect movement. Prices in these suburbs rose a median 5.9% over the year; a quarterly median can move a lot in a suburb with few sales.
For the fuller picture of each suburb, see our best suburbs for families in Melbourne and the most livable suburbs in Victoria.
How we built this
- House prices: the median house price for each suburb in the January–March 2026 quarter, from the Valuer-General Victoria's Victorian Property Sales Report (the latest quarterly file, read 8 October 2026). The 12-month change compares January–March 2026 with January–March 2025 in the same report.
- Which suburbs: suburbs whose schools sit, on average, within 35 km of the Melbourne CBD, with at least 20 house sales in the quarter. Fewer sales make a quarterly median unreliable, so smaller suburbs are left out. That left 166 suburbs.
- Distance: measured from the CBD to the average location of the suburb's schools — a practical centre for a family, though not the geographic centre.
- Schools: active schools in our directory located in the suburb, from our school records. Government primary / secondary counts government schools teaching those levels; a P–12 school counts in both.
- Parks and providers: parks and kids' activity providers (sport, arts, music and tutoring) listed in the AroundSchools directory in that suburb, as at 8 October 2026.
Limitations
- A median is not a price. Half the houses sold for less and half for more, and the mix of houses sold in one quarter can move a median on its own.
- Our park and provider counts are directory counts. Some suburbs have more than we have mapped, particularly new estates.
- Schools in a suburb are not schools you can attend. Zoning, capacity and fees all apply.
- Units are not included. A family open to a townhouse or unit will find a wider range under $800,000.
House price data: Victorian Property Sales Report © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
To cite this: "AroundSchools, Affordable Family Suburbs in Melbourne (2026), using Valuer-General Victoria median house prices for January–March 2026." Please link to this page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest suburb in Melbourne for families in 2026?
Among suburbs within 35 km of the CBD with at least 20 house sales, Dallas had the lowest median house price in January to March 2026, at $620,000, followed by Wyndham Vale ($624,000) and Cobblebank ($633,000).
Can you buy a house under $800,000 close to Melbourne's CBD?
Not in a typical suburb within 10 km — none had a median house price under $800,000 in early 2026. The nearest was Braybrook, 10.1 km out, at $752,500.
Which affordable Melbourne suburb has the most schools?
Tarneit, with 13 government schools (9 primary and 4 secondary) in the suburb and a median house price of $670,000 in January to March 2026.
Does having lots of schools mean my child gets a place?
No. Victorian government schools enrol by zone. Check the address with the school catchment checker before buying.
How often are these prices updated?
The Valuer-General publishes medians each quarter. We will refresh this page as new quarters are released.
Related reading
- Best suburbs for families in Melbourne
- Most livable suburbs in Victoria
- Do school zones change in Victoria?
- Kids' activity vouchers by state
House prices: Valuer-General Victoria, January–March 2026 quarter, read 8 October 2026. Directory counts as at 8 October 2026.
