Living in Melbourne...?

Question

Where is the best area to live in Melbourne for a single woman that is affordable and safe?

Answer 1

Depends what you like. I wouldn't class St Kilda as either affordable or particularly safe to be honest. It's known as the red light district and certainly a party spot of Melbourne, it *is* gorgeous though. There's a certain young and alternative vibe there and it definitely has its pros, but safety and affordability aren't it.

For affordable and safe I'd be more likely to move slightly further out, say 10-15 minutes from the city, to areas like Kew, Heidelberg or Rosanna. Kew is slightly more up market where as Heidelberg and Rosanna are slightly further north and more suburban. Any suburbs around these three would be similar. Generally speaking the eastern suburbs are more expensive but they're nicer (cleaner, more leafy, better shops, schools, business and transport) and certainly safer. The north eastern or easter suburbs right out to Hurstbridge/Warrandyte are gorgeous and safe, the further out the get the leafy it gets, the further in the more traffic and more apartments you'll find. You could also look around Doncaster, Blackburn or Ringwood for similar prices and amenities. I'd stick with the eastern suburbs though. For sure. Anywhere along the Easter Freeway or the Hurstbridge train line is a safe bet. There are many gorgeous suburbs in Melbourne but these general areas offer a balance and take safety and affordability into account.

Answer 2

I agree with Safyre.... the area around East St Kilda, Elwood, Ripponlea etc is great for a single woman. I live their too.

And I wont cross the river either!!!

Answer 3

Define "affordable".

I live in East St Kilda.  Close to all the important places (like Chadstone and Chapel Street), but also not too far removed from the restaurants and bars in Fitzroy/Acland Street, Southbank and the City.  I can get to wherever I need to on public transport ... and taxi rides are always short and cheap.

And apart from the idiot hoons on Dandenong Road, the area is quiet and cosmopolitan.

But that's just my opinion.  I won't cross the river!  LOL

Answer 4

I duno how affordable St. Kilda is..

It's getting pretty popular, because of it's location - near the beach, and the city, and because of places like Acland st.

The Sandringham line is probably the safest train line, so any suburbs along there, but they probably aren't that cheap.

Moorabin, Cheltenham, etc are alright :)

Answer 5

i live in the dandenong ranges[cool climate rain forest] i find it a joy to come home to the tranquility[birds and furry animals] transport is lacking . but i feel safe . rents are still reasonable and I'm only 1hr from the city ,20mins from Knox ,40 mins from chadstone,and 2minutes away from a beautiful babbling brook life is grand

Answer 6

It's funny that, how Melbourne people who live south of the river hardly ever go north, and vice versa...!  I've never lived south of the river, unlike Safyre, so I prefer the north.  There are many nice places for a single woman to live, but as Safyre said, define "affordable" ~ all accommodation is getting expensive in Melbourne.

Our city is generally safe for women (or at least as safe as any place is) and women enjoy freedom of movement here at all times of night and day.  I wouldn't worry about that ~ you need to focus on transport, as that will be your biggest problem in Melbourne.  The roads are clogged and getting worse, the trains are overcrowded, and it's only going to get worse as our population soars.

So look for a place as close as possible to where you work or study.....