Smoko vs Thornbury
Property investment comparison - Smoko, VIC 3741 vs Thornbury, VIC 3071
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Smoko wins 2, Thornbury 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 | Smoko | Thornbury |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| Median unit price | $710K | $715K |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | - | 2.81% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | 3.72% | 4.55% |
| 1-year house growth | - | +3.8%estimate |
| 3-year house growth | - | - |
| Vacancy rate | 0.5% | 1.4% |
| Population | 56 | 19,005 |
Smoko vs Thornbury: what the numbers say
The median house price is $1.5M in Smoko and $1.5M in Thornbury, so Thornbury is the cheaper entry point, with Smoko houses about 1% dearer.
For units, Smoko sits at a median of $710K against $715K in Thornbury, which makes Smoko the more affordable unit market and Thornbury the pricier one.
Rental vacancy is 0.5% in Smoko and 1.4% in Thornbury, so landlords in Smoko 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 56, roughly 339 times the size of Smoko; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Thornbury for a lower purchase price, Smoko 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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