Barrabool vs Portsea
Property investment comparison - Barrabool, VIC 3221 vs Portsea, VIC 3944
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Barrabool wins 3, Portsea 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 | Barrabool | Portsea |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $3.0M | $2.9M |
| Median unit price | $620K | $995K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | - | 1.82% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 3.59% | 1.87% |
| 1-year house growth | - | -1.7% |
| 3-year house growth | - | +7.5% |
| Vacancy rate | 2.8% | 4.2% |
| Population | 247 | 787 |
Barrabool vs Portsea: what the numbers say
The median house price is $3.0M in Barrabool and $2.9M in Portsea, so Portsea is the cheaper entry point, with Barrabool houses about 5% dearer.
For units, Barrabool sits at a median of $620K against $995K in Portsea, which makes Barrabool the more affordable unit market and Portsea the pricier one.
Rental vacancy is 2.8% in Barrabool and 4.2% in Portsea, so landlords in Barrabool face less competition for tenants.
Portsea is the bigger suburb, with a population of 787 against 247, roughly 3.2 times the size of Barrabool; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Portsea for a lower purchase price, Barrabool 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
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