Frankston, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Frankston sits on the eastern shore of Port Phillip about 39 km south-east of central Melbourne, and is the administrative heart of the City of Frankston. The land is the Country of the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation, long an important fishing ground and meeting place. A seaside destination since the 1880s, the suburb has one of Victoria's most popular and cleanest swimming beaches and is often called the 'gateway to the Mornington Peninsula' for the wine-and-tourism region just to its south. The origin of the name is uncertain, with several competing theories; a popular one links it to Frank Liardet, an early settler who took up land here in 1847. Official land sales established the village in 1854.
Less advantaged than the national average
Frankston is more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 953, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Frankston a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Around the national middle
A weighted blend of the 5 components we can score for Frankston from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
31/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (31/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
32/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $342 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 32% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
80/100Plenty mapped nearby
About 100 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Green space
66/100A good amount of green space nearby
About 8.7% of the area within ~1.2 km of the centre is mapped as green space — parks, reserves, sportsgrounds and the like. An area estimate from a radius around the centre, not the suburb boundary. · OpenStreetMap
Transport
66/100A good number of stops nearby
About 16 public-transport stops (bus, train, tram or ferry) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. Stop coverage, not timetable frequency. · OpenStreetMap
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Frankston at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 37,331
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,387
- SEIFA score
- 953
- Local government area
- Frankston
- Coordinates
- -38.1509, 145.1423
Map of Frankston
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Frankston
What it costs to live in Frankston and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $342
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,733
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 59%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 39%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Frankston demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Frankston demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Frankston using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 30% and 24% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 6,178 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 4,204 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 11,072 | 30% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 9,186 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 6,692 | 18% |
Share of the 37,332 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,901 | 26% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 4,957 | 33% |
| Rented | 5,945 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 11,159 | 73% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3,082 | 20% |
| Flats & apartments | 928 | 6% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 15,208 occupied private dwellings in Frankston.
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,871
- Median weekly personal income
- $743
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 8,413 (24%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4,512 (13%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 545 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 16,022 (53%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.5%
- Employed full-time
- 10,002
- Employed part-time
- 5,990
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Frankston
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Frankston is January (average daytime high around 25.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 775 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.3°C | 15.3°C | 60 mm |
| Feb | 24.3°C | 14.8°C | 39 mm |
| Mar | 22.7°C | 14.1°C | 47 mm |
| Apr | 19.3°C | 11.7°C | 59 mm |
| May | 15.8°C | 9.6°C | 71 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 7.8°C | 68 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 7.2°C | 59 mm |
| Aug | 13.5°C | 7.3°C | 72 mm |
| Sep | 16°C | 8.4°C | 78 mm |
| Oct | 18.8°C | 9.8°C | 82 mm |
| Nov | 20.6°C | 11.4°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 23.2°C | 13.2°C | 62 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Places in and around Frankston
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Eat & drink
28 nearbySubway · Fratelli Pizza e Pasta · McDonald's · KFC · Hot Plate Bakery & Cafe · Heatherhill Pizza Factory
Parks & recreation
48 nearbyGeorge Pentland Botanical Gardens · Wallace Reserve · Input Fitness · Frankston & District Netball Association · Bruce Park · George Pentland Botanical Gardens Playground
Shops & groceries
10 nearbyDeane Street Milk Bar and Takeaway · EG Ampol · United · IGA · Ritchies IGA · Bakers Delight
Healthcare
8 nearbyHeatherhill Pharmacy · Allied health · Pharmacy 4 Less · Frankston Hospital · Cranbourne Road Medical Centre · St John Of God Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital
Schools & education
4 nearbyMonash University (Peninsula Campus) · Frankston East Primary School · Frankston Heights Primary School · St John's Primary School
Things to do
2 nearbyFrankston Men's Shed · Frankie the Chrome Gnome
Eat & drink in and around Frankston
Cafés, restaurants, pubs and takeaway mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre. Listings are drawn from OpenStreetMap and shown as plain data — we don't rank or rate them.
Own a café, restaurant or pub around here?
Claim your listing to feature it at the top of this section. Placement is paid advertising, clearly labelled — never editorial opinion.
Claim this listing- Burger DaysTakeaway
- Captain GummyTakeaway145 Beach Street
- Chick 'n' runTakeaway231 Beach Street
- Crusty LoafCafé
- Dumplings LinRestaurant
- Frankston RSLPub183 Cranbourne Roadfrankstonrsl.com.au
- Frankston Thai TakeawayRestaurant137 Beach Street, Frankston
- Fratelli Pizza e PastaRestaurantfratellipizzapasta.com.au
- Heatherhill Asian KitchenRestaurant
- Heatherhill Fish & ChipsTakeaway
- Heatherhill Pizza FactoryTakeaway
- Hot Plate Bakery & CafeRestaurant
- KFCTakeaway225 Cranbourne Roadkfc.com.au
- McDonald'sTakeawaymcdonalds.com.au
- Monster KebabTakeaway38 Frankston-Flinders Road, Frankstonmonsterkebab.com
- OkamiRestaurant151 Beach Street, Frankstonokamirestaurant.com.au
- Pacific Fish & ChipsTakeaway215 Beach Street, Frankston
- Pie FaceCafépieface.com.au
- PizzaTakeaway243 Beach Street
- Reddy RoastsTakeaway143 Beach Street, Frankstonreddyroasts.com.au
- SawadekaaTakeaway
- SubwayTakeawaysubway.com.au
- WildnessCafé
Showing 23 mapped places; more may exist that aren't yet on OpenStreetMap.
Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Own a venue here? Suggest a correction.
Share your local knowledge of Frankston
Lived here or spent time in Frankston? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Frankston
Is Frankston a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability, amenities, green space and transport, Frankston rates 51/100 overall (Around the national middle). Schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Frankston?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Frankston was $342, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Frankston?
Frankston is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Frankston local government area.
What is the population of Frankston?
At the 2021 Census, Frankston had a population of about 37,331.
Is Frankston an advantaged area?
Frankston has an ABS SEIFA score of 953, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 31 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Frankston?
Frankston has average daytime highs of about 18.8°C and overnight lows of about 10.9°C, with roughly 775 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Frankston?
Frankston is one of the most populous suburbs in Victoria — the 12th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 37,331 usual residents).
Where Frankston ranks
Frankston appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Victoria#12 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Australia#20 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.