Victoria · Postcode 3186

Brighton postcode and suburb data

Victoria · Phone area code 03 · 11 km from Melbourne

CoastalMetro Top 10% SEIFA Above VIC income
23,252
Population (2021)
$2,710
Household income/wk
$600
Median rent/wk
48
Median age
10/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Brighton at a glance vs VIC

Fast facts and benchmark bars show the suburb's key postcode, Census, SEIFA, school and LGA signals in context.

Quick facts

3186 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
23,252 People Resident population, Census 2021
Bayside (Vic.) Council area 17 suburbs, 7 postcodes
48 Median age Years, Census 2021
$2,710/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 10/10 SEIFA advantage Very high advantage
8 Schools ACARA 2025 profiles in this suburb

Benchmarks against VIC

Household income
$2,710/wk
49% above VIC average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$600/wk
60% above VIC average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
10/10
4.0 deciles above VIC average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
48 years
2.0 years older than VIC average
Resident median age
Unemployment
3.7%
1.3 pts below VIC average
Census labour-force rate

Income, rent and SEIFA figures are from the ABS 2021 Census and are reported in 2021 dollars, not adjusted for subsequent inflation.

Where Brighton ranks: household income is in the top 10% of VIC suburbs; rents are among the top 10% in VIC; SEIFA decile 10 puts it in the top 20% of Australia for socio-economic advantage.

ABS Census 2021 · SEIFA 2021

Detailed comparison table

Brighton vs the VIC average and the national average, using population-weighted 2021 Census data.

MetricBrightonVIC avgAU avgGreater Melbourne
Household income/wk $2,710 +VIC $1,817 $1,836 $1,943
Rent/wk $600 +VIC $375 $390 $404
Mortgage/month $3,467 +VIC $1,933 $1,958 $2,100
Median age 48 46.0 45.0 39.0
SEIFA decile 10/10 +VIC 6.0/10 6.0/10 9.0/10
Unemployment 3.7% -VIC 5.0% 5.0% 5.0%

Green pill = at least 10% above the VIC average; red = at least 10% below; grey = within 10%. For unemployment, colour polarity is inverted: lower is better.

Brighton is a coastal suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, with postcode 3186. It sits about 11 km from the Melbourne CBD, within the Bayside (Vic.) local government area. The suburb footprint covers roughly 8.4 square kilometres.

According to the 2021 Census, Brighton has a population of 23,252 with a median age of 48. The median weekly household income is $2,710, above the VIC average. The unemployment rate is 3.7%, lower than the VIC average. The Indigenous population is 59 (0.3% of residents).

Housing in Brighton includes a median weekly rent of $600, median monthly mortgage repayment of $3,467, with 8,981 total dwellings. These housing costs sit above the VIC average. Owner-occupied dwellings (owned or mortgaged) make up 75.5% of housing.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Brighton scores in decile 10 out of 10, which is well above the national average.

There are 8 schools in the Brighton area, including Brighton Grammar School, Star of the Sea College, Firbank Grammar School and others.

Brighton is part of the Bayside statistical area in Victoria.

Brighton details

Location, Census, housing, SEIFA and geography fields used across this profile.

Postcode3186
StateVictoria (VIC)
Phone Area Code03
Population (2021)23,252
Median Age48 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$2,710/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$1,259/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$600
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$3,467
Average Household Size2.4 persons
Area8.4 km²
Population Density2778/km²
Total Dwellings8,981
Australian Citizens87.0%
Indigenous Population59 (0.3%)
Unemployment Rate3.7%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile10/10 (well above average)
Latitude-37.9044002
Longitude144.9997396
Distance from Melbourne11 km
Region (SA4)Melbourne - Inner South
Area (SA3)Bayside
Local GovernmentBayside (Vic.)
Federal ElectorateGoldstein
State ElectorateBrighton (Southern Metropolitan)
Time ZoneAEST (UTC+10), Australia/Melbourne (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (15.6%) 15–24 (11.7%) 25–44 (18.4%) 45–64 (29.4%) 65+ (24.9%)
Show counts
0–14 years3,616 (15.6%)
15–24 years2,725 (11.7%)
25–44 years4,287 (18.4%)
45–64 years6,844 (29.4%)
65+ years5,793 (24.9%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (46.5%) Mortgaged (29.0%) Rented (24.5%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Brighton is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 10 of 10. Higher deciles indicate more relative socio-economic advantage. This is an area-level index, not a score for individual households.
More disadvantagedMiddle rangeMore advantaged

Health Conditions (2021 Census)

Arthritis1,833 (7.9%)
Asthma1,609 (6.9%)
Heart Disease1,047 (4.5%)
Cancer944 (4.1%)
Diabetes636 (2.7%)
Dementia304 (1.3%)
Lung Condition286 (1.2%)

Long-term health conditions self-reported in the 2021 Census. Persons may report more than one condition.

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle449 (5.0%)
1 vehicle3,493 (39.3%)
2 vehicles3,512 (39.5%)
3+ vehicles1,442 (16.2%)

Schools in Brighton

ACARA 2025 school profiles for schools located in Brighton. ICSEA is shown where ACARA publishes it.

Brighton Grammar School
Combined · Ind · ICSEA 1143 · 1,480 students
Star of the Sea College
Secondary · Cat · ICSEA 1132 · 1,204 students
Firbank Grammar School
Combined · Ind · ICSEA 1152 · 1,046 students
Brighton Primary School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 1153 · 550 students
Elsternwick Primary School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 1147 · 463 students
St Joan of Arc School
Primary · Cat · ICSEA 1170 · 402 students
Brighton Beach Primary School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 1146 · 264 students
St James' School
Primary · Cat · ICSEA 1133 · 146 students

Suburbs Near Brighton

Same Postcode (3186)

More Brighton Data

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 IRSAD, ACARA school profiles 2025. How this data is sourced.