What Are the Most Liveable Suburbs in Melbourne?

As we step into 2025, Melbourne continues to evolve, offering an exceptional quality of life across its many suburbs.

With new infrastructure projects, improved public transport, and a growing focus on sustainability, the city’s most liveable suburbs are more appealing than ever.

Whether you’re after a vibrant inner-city lifestyle, a family-friendly community, or a serene coastal retreat, Melbourne has a neighbourhood to suit every preference.

Here’s a look at the top suburbs that stand out in 2025 for their amenities, connectivity, and overall quality of life.

Check out our most liveable suburbs in Sydney article here!

Defining Liveability

To list the most liveable suburbs in Melbourne, liveability must first be defined.

Thankfully, the yearly City-Pulse analysis was released earlier in the year for 2025 by PwC (Pricewaterhouse Coopers)¹PwC (Pricewaterhouse Coopers)¹, which manages to rank Melbourne’s most desirable suburbs through a list of criteria added together for a total score.

These scores are traditionally based on several key lifestyle metrics, including:

• Proximity to Open Space
• Medical Services
• Access to Amenities
• Access to Public Transport
• Housing Prices
• Housing Density
• Road Safety
• Crime Rate
• Access to Supermarkets/Shopping centres
• Access to Cafes
• Access to Playgrounds
• Average Number of People per Bedroom in a Suburb
• Growth in Property and Rental Prices
• Street Safety

These rankings can be defined by three key categories – Live, Work & Play.

Best Suburbs For Local Living

Local living is something many cherish even before Australia started to see more lockdowns in 2021, but the priority on staying local was only emphasised further during the global pandemic.

For a suburb to rank well in local living, it must have close proximity to the foundations of our lives, ensuring you have ease of access to essential amenities, safety, health services and education. This also includes

The below ranking highlights the best suburbs for residents to live in who stay in the house, whether that be working from home full time or those who do not work, and how close they are to these essential amenities.

Rising to the top of the leaderboard is Fitzroy North, which has moved up the rankings by 16 spots since 2021, followed by Canterbury in Surrey Hills. These Melbourne suburbs have found the perfect balance to boast more space than the average areas, great walkable access to essential amenities and a moderate property price performance.

These locations, however, prove to be growing in popularity since residents seem happy to live a little more remotely for the benefit of a tremendous median house price.

Best Suburbs For Working

For those who are constantly out and about, the working score ranks suburbs by accessibility to job opportunities and the best places to live when it comes to non-remote or front-line work.

Each destination is measured on how it performs against the metrics below:

• Local Industry Gross Regional Product & Growth Rate
• Key Amenity Access
• Job Accessibility & Growth Rate
• Unemployment Rate

The below ranking focuses on this access to jobs and is reflected in the scores for those in the city or on the inner-city scope.

Likely to no one’s surprise, inner-city Melbourne suburbs are the leaders when it comes to working scores. With the CBD remaining the heart of the city with a central hub of commerce, creativity and leisure, it’s no surprise the working score is as high as it is, with the Docklands leading the way.

Docklands is loosely followed by South Yarra-West and East Melbourne, both boasting great opportunities for jobs and plenty of key amenities like cafes and supermarkets.

Despite calls that the CBD was dying after Melbourne’s lockdowns, the city remains perfect for workplaces and a place for young professionals to connect with their colleagues, clients and friends.

Best Suburbs For Play

One of the key factors that make a Victorian suburb truly liveable is its ability to offer spaces for people to connect, explore, and recharge.

Green spaces like parkland, walking trails with tree-lined streets, and waterfront areas provide a natural escape from the urban rush, while vibrant dining precincts, markets, and cultural venues encourage social interaction. Recreational facilities such as sports clubs, playgrounds, and fitness centres promote an active lifestyle, making it easier for residents to stay engaged and healthy.

Whether it’s a quiet spot to unwind with a young family or a bustling community hub, these aspects contribute to a suburb’s appeal, ensuring there are plenty of ways to ‘play’ and enjoy life close to home.

With that being said, let’s dive into the top rankings for suburbs under the Play category:

The trend of scores doesn’t seem to vary that much, as the city-based and inner-ring areas still dominate the scores for most natural suburbs to connect partnered with their botanic gardens, especially south of the Yarra and the eastern suburbs as a whole where they offer great spaces with easy access and areas within walking distance.

Top 10 Most Liveable Suburbs

Now that the scores have been tallied between the aforementioned categories, it’s time to determine the most liveable suburbs in Melbourne.

These suburbs have been narrowed down to a select few that prove to be more liveable for those who can work flexibly, whether that be working from home or remaining a strong real estate contender for commuters.

As seen above, this year’s most liveable suburbs are primarily located in Melbourne’s inner suburbs after a dominant showing in the previous three tallies. With great scores in all 3 categories, South Yarra-West tops the rankings, followed by West Melbourne and Fitzroy North.

In summary, what makes a city liveable is subjective to each individual and what they value. If someone values good school locations and green spaces over being beachside with close train stations, then their ideal suburb will differ from others.

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