Clarkefield vs Thornbury
Property investment comparison - Clarkefield, VIC 3430 vs Thornbury, VIC 3071
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Clarkefield wins 0, Thornbury wins 4. 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 | Clarkefield | Thornbury |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| Median unit price | $940K | $715K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 2.11% | 2.81% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 3.70% | 4.55% |
| 1-year house growth | - | +3.8%estimate |
| 3-year house growth | - | - |
| Vacancy rate | 4.7% | 1.4% |
| Population | 303 | 19,005 |
Clarkefield vs Thornbury: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.5M in Clarkefield and $1.5M in Thornbury.
For units, Clarkefield sits at a median of $940K against $715K in Thornbury, which makes Thornbury the more affordable unit market and Clarkefield the pricier one.
On cash flow, Thornbury leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 2.81%, compared with 2.11% in Clarkefield, a gap of 0.70 percentage points.
Rental vacancy is 1.4% in Thornbury and 4.7% in Clarkefield, so landlords in Thornbury face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Thornbury is the bigger suburb, with a population of 19,005 against 303, roughly 63 times the size of Clarkefield; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Thornbury for rental income, Thornbury 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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