Colac vs Happy Valley
Property investment comparison - Colac, VIC 3250 vs Happy Valley, VIC 3549
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Colac wins 1, Happy Valley 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 | Colac | Happy Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $510K | $510K |
| Median unit price | $370K | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 5.15% | 4.45% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 5.20% | - |
| 1-year house growth | +9.4% | - |
| 3-year house growth | +4.5% | - |
| Vacancy rate | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Population | 9,243 | 162 |
Colac vs Happy Valley: what the numbers say
Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $510K in Colac and $510K in Happy Valley.
On cash flow, Colac leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 5.15%, compared with 4.45% in Happy Valley, a gap of 0.70 percentage points.
Rental vacancy is 0.1% in Happy Valley and 0.5% in Colac, so landlords in Happy Valley face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Colac is the bigger suburb, with a population of 9,243 against 162, roughly 57 times the size of Happy Valley; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Colac for rental income, Happy Valley 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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