Future Victoria: Fitzroy North, Canterbury, Flemington top list of Melbourne’s most liveable suburbs

The best Melbourne suburbs to live, work and play have been revealed, and one has emerged a clear winner. How liveable is your neighbourhood?

Melbourne’s most-liveable suburbs have been revealed.

Fabulous Fitzroy North has been ranked Melbourne’s most liveable suburb in a broad-ranging study of the city’s neighbourhoods.

The 2025 Melbourne CityPulse report, produced exclusively by PwC for the Herald Sun, analysed a range of factors to reveal which suburbs were the best places to live, work and play.

And Fitzroy North, the inner-north suburb known for its wide streets lined with Victorian terraces and home to Edinburgh Gardens, has emerged as the winner in the liveability stakes with a perfect score of 10.

The top-10 suburbs for liveability are predominantly located within a 15-minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD, spanning across the east, west, and north, with Canterbury*, Flemington, West Melbourne and Hawthorn East completing the top five.

Fitzroy North is known for its wide streets lined with Victorian terraces and home to Edinburgh Gardens. Picture: Jason Edwards

Canterbury is among the top-five suburbs for liveability. Picture: Supplied

PwC Melbourne Managing Partner Suji Kanagalingam said the most liveable suburbs allowed people a short commute to work, plenty of amenities such as bars and restaurants as well as good access to green space.

Accessibility and affordability were also key factors in a suburb’s ranking, he said.

“An inner-north gem, Fitzroy North encapsulates this quintessential Melbourne liveability,’’

“The tree-lined streets, dotted with Victorian-era homes and modern apartments, provide an environment that balances historical charm with contemporary living.”

Mr Kanagalingam said Melbourne’s outer suburbs still had their appeal.

“There is also a desire to be near work and employment opportunities, indicating that people are willing to move to the outer suburbs, if the work is there.

“This is also indicative of the ongoing cost of living challenges. People want to make the most of lower housing cost options, while still having secure working opportunities.’’

This year’s CityPulse, the third edition of the survey, reveals the outer West, particularly

Werribee, has shown impressive liveability scores, while northern suburbs such as

Greensborough and Bundoora have also risen in prominence. This trend indicates a broader

distribution of desirable living areas beyond the traditional inner-city locales.

In 2018 Richmond was the No.1 place to live, while trendy Northcote came out on top in 2021 when middle-ring suburbs such as Burwood and Rosanna improved up the rankings as the pandemic and work-from-home factors were given more weight in the analysis.

A total of 34 different measures were applied across more than 350 locations to create the 2025 liveability rankings. They included property prices, population density, child care, schools, crime rates, parks and green spaces, entertainment such as bars and dining, health services, transport links, shops and sports facilities.

Locations rated for the best place to work include Southbank and Docklands. Picture: Getty Images

Locations rated for the best place to work were the CBD-adjacent suburbs of South Yarra, East Melbourne, Southbank and Docklands.

The PwC survey analysed the attractiveness of the suburb as either a destination to work or being near economic hubs.

Mr Kanagalingam said the result reflected that “Collins St was not necessarily where you need to go for work”.

The best place for play was South Melbourne because of its cafes, bars, parks, entertainment and access to sporting facilities, ahead of Fitzroy, West Melbourne and North Melbourne.

Mr Kanagalingam said the completion in the coming 12 months of two Big Build transport projects – the Metro and West Gate tunnels – would have a “huge impact” and had the potential to shift the city’s liveability dial.

Woodend, in the Macedon Ranges, was voted Victoria’s most liveable town in 2023. Picture: David Caird

The emergence of economic hubs outside central Melbourne also played a role as the need for logistic hubs and distribution centres increased, he said.

“Melbourne has a luxury here – we have ample space on the fringe of our city, which could be used to build infrastructure to support the growing demand for data centres and storage facilities.

“This could reduce the pressure on the inner city and create great opportunities in affordable areas.’’

PwC produced its first ever PwC RegionalPulse survey in 2023, ranking Woodend in the Macedon Ranges as the most liveable Victorian town, ahead of Torquay, Ocean Grove, Mt Martha and Anglesea.

Megan and Nathan Martin, with their daughters Emma, 10, Chloe, 8 and Tavi the dog, love their neighbourhood of Flemington. Picture: Ian Currie

Flemington has ‘everything we need’

Flemington resident Megan Martin said her family, who have lived in the inner-city suburb for 14 years, were not surprised it was one of Melbourne’s most liveable.

“Flemington stands out because of its blend of history, beautiful established plain trees, green spaces, and modern amenities,” she said.

“It just has everything that we need.

“It’s close to services and hospitals, has a whole range of education opportunities and has great cafes and restaurants.”

Flemington scored 9.8 out of 10 for liveability – making it Melbourne’s third most liveable suburb.

Flemington scored high across a variety of data categories including proximity to schools, childcare centres, hospitals, public transport, cafes and restaurants and green spaces.

Ms Martin said her daughters Emma, 10, and Chloe, 8, attend a local school, and they love how community-minded Flemington residents are.

Flemington scores high across a variety of data categories, including proximity to schools, childcare centres, hospitals, public transport, cafes and restaurants and green spaces.

“The local school that we go to has beautiful big grounds and a lot of history,” she said.

“We’re looking at doing a renovation, and we wouldn’t be going through all the challenges you have with a renovation if we didn’t want to stay in the community.

“You’re always bumping into people as you are wandering about, and the kids are seeing their school friends, and you know, you feel like you’re part of a small town community in a big city.

Ms Martin said locals love the suburb’s big supermarket, public transport, and family-owned businesses.

Ms Martin says Pin Oak Crescent is a highlight of the neighbourhood. Picture: Josie Hayden

“There’s obviously the train, a couple of tram lines, there’s the bus, and not to mention you can pretty much walk most places.

“There is also a beautiful cafe strip in Flemington called Pin Oak Crescent, and it’s got several cafes, hairdressers, a wine bar and boutique-style clothing shops,” she said.

Ms Martin said Flemington also benefited from its strong multicultural community.

“There is access to different foods, music, cultures, and people.”

“Pin Oak Crescent also have a traders association that puts on several events throughout the year to bring the community together.

“They do a multicultural festival, a community festival, and at Halloween, Easter and Christmas, they put little symbols on their windows that you mark off on your checklist, and you get a little lolly bag.”

Originally published as Future Victoria: Fitzroy North, Canterbury, Flemington top list of Melbourne’s most liveable suburbs