McCrae vs Rowville
Property investment comparison - McCrae, VIC 3938 vs Rowville, VIC 3178
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: McCrae wins 0, Rowville wins 6. 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 | McCrae | Rowville |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.2M | $1.2M |
| Median unit price | $785K | $760K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.38% | - |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 4.30% | 4.51% |
| 1-year house growth | -7.5% | +8.0% |
| 3-year house growth | -9.4% | +9.5% |
| Vacancy rate | 4.4% | 1.6% |
| Population | 3,311 | 33,571 |
McCrae vs Rowville: what the numbers say
The median house price is $1.2M in McCrae and $1.2M in Rowville, so Rowville is the cheaper entry point.
For units, McCrae sits at a median of $785K against $760K in Rowville, which makes Rowville the more affordable unit market and McCrae the pricier one.
Over the past year house prices moved -7.5% in McCrae and +8.0% in Rowville, so recent momentum favours Rowville, while McCrae went backwards.
Looking back three years, McCrae houses are -9.4% and Rowville houses +9.5%, so Rowville has compounded faster than McCrae over the longer window.
Rental vacancy is 1.6% in Rowville and 4.4% in McCrae, so landlords in Rowville face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Rowville is the bigger suburb, with a population of 33,571 against 3,311, roughly 10 times the size of McCrae; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Rowville for a lower purchase price, Rowville for recent price momentum, Rowville 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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