Prahran, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Prahran is a lively inner suburb about 5 km south-east of central Melbourne, in the City of Stonnington. Its name comes from Pur-ra-ran, a Boonwurrung word thought to mean something like 'land partially surrounded by water'. The suburb is built around shopping and going out: the Prahran end of Chapel Street is one of Melbourne's best-known fashion strips, while nearby Greville Street — once a hub of the city's counterculture — keeps a run of bars, cafés, record shops and bookshops. The long-running Prahran Market has sold fresh produce on the same site since the nineteenth century. The result is a dense, walkable pocket with a strong street life.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Prahran is more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1129, 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.
Prahran at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 12,203
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $2,121
- SEIFA score
- 1129
- Coordinates
- -37.8529, 145.0064
Prahran demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Prahran 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 49%, 54% of homes are rented, and 33% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,059 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,255 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 6,005 | 49% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,357 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,521 | 12% |
Share of the 12,197 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,224 | 20% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,486 | 24% |
| Rented | 3,370 | 54% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,136 | 18% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,344 | 22% |
| Flats & apartments | 3,702 | 59% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,223 occupied private dwellings in Prahran.
- Median weekly rent
- $421
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,274
- Average household size
- 1.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,186
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,378
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,828 (33%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,365 (20%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 59 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 9,034 (82%)
- Labour-force participation
- 75.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.5%
- Employed full-time
- 5,680
- Employed part-time
- 1,997
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 Prahran
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Prahran is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.9°C). The area receives roughly 724 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.9°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 25.8°C | 14.1°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 13.3°C | 47 mm |
| Apr | 20°C | 10.5°C | 62 mm |
| May | 16°C | 8.4°C | 63 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm |
| Jul | 12.9°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm |
| Aug | 13.7°C | 6.2°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 16.3°C | 7.3°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 19.6°C | 8.8°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 10.8°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 24.5°C | 12.6°C | 66 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Prahran
Where is Prahran?
Prahran is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Prahran?
At the 2021 Census, Prahran had a population of about 12,203.
Is Prahran an advantaged area?
Prahran has an ABS SEIFA score of 1129, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 98 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Prahran?
Prahran has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 724 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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