Highett vs Illowa
Property investment comparison - Highett, VIC 3190 vs Illowa, VIC 3282
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Highett wins 3, Illowa wins 2. 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 | Highett | Illowa |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.4M | $1.4M |
| Median unit price | $705K | $535K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.21% | 1.51% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 4.54% | 1.71% |
| 1-year house growth | -0.2%estimate | - |
| 3-year house growth | - | - |
| Vacancy rate | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Population | 12,016 | 304 |
Highett vs Illowa: what the numbers say
The median house price is $1.4M in Highett and $1.4M in Illowa, so Highett is the cheaper entry point.
For units, Highett sits at a median of $705K against $535K in Illowa, which makes Illowa the more affordable unit market and Highett the pricier one.
On cash flow, Highett leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 3.21%, compared with 1.51% in Illowa, a gap of 1.70 percentage points.
Rental vacancy is 0.7% in Illowa and 1.4% in Highett, so landlords in Illowa face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Highett is the bigger suburb, with a population of 12,016 against 304, roughly 40 times the size of Illowa; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Highett for rental income, Highett for a lower purchase price, Illowa 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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