Ararat vs Barkly
Property investment comparison - Ararat, VIC 3377 vs Barkly, VIC 3381
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Ararat wins 3, Barkly wins 1. The better choice depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow, growth, affordability, or liquidity, the table below highlights the winner on each metric.
| Metric | Ararat | Barkly |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $440K | $425K |
| Median unit price | $335K | $585K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 5.20% | 4.38% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | - | 3.70% |
| 1-year house growth | +13.4% | - |
| 3-year house growth | +12.0% | - |
| Vacancy rate | 1.6% | 6.2% |
| Population | 8,500 | 49 |
Ararat vs Barkly: what the numbers say
The median house price is $440K in Ararat and $425K in Barkly, so Barkly is the cheaper entry point, with Ararat houses about 4% dearer.
For units, Ararat sits at a median of $335K against $585K in Barkly, which makes Ararat the more affordable unit market and Barkly the pricier one.
On cash flow, Ararat leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 5.20%, compared with 4.38% in Barkly, a gap of 0.82 percentage points.
Rental vacancy is 1.6% in Ararat and 6.2% in Barkly, so landlords in Ararat face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Ararat is the bigger suburb, with a population of 8,500 against 49, roughly 173 times the size of Barkly; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Ararat for rental income, Barkly for a lower purchase price, Ararat for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.
Keep exploring
- National investment guide - top suburbs across every metric
- Take the suburb finder quiz - 5 questions to match your goals
- How our investment score works
- Property investment glossary - every term defined
Compare any 2-4 Australian suburbs
Build your own multi-suburb comparison with the full interactive tool.
Open interactive comparison