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Bentleigh has a bustling local culture along Centre Road, where you'll find amazing cuisine from every demographic. You also get almost every shop you could want, there's a Chemist Warehouse Bakers Delight, Coles, Aldi, Woolies, BWS, First Choice Liquor, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Wespack, a Telstra store and GESAC is only a few minutes away to. The Bentleigh markets are also great fun. You're also close to Brighton beach which is lovely in the summer months.

After the level crossing was removed traffic has become much better, but is still congested during the day and at peak hour, and the recent cuts to parking have also contributed to the slow moment of cars. The eating out options are fantastic, with Mexico City being one of our favourites. That said, this also doesn't help the parking issue for residents as the streets are often filled until late at night. Public transport is a little odd, with trains often skipping Bentleigh and Mackinmon stations during peak times, leaving you with Caulfield as the only "easy" way home. Bus services operate regularly as well, but we don't have any experience with using them to offer an opinion.

As with the whole inner bayside area though, the prices are exorbitant for what you are getting. Yes you are in a great location, but tiny apartments only lend themselves to couples who are willing to live in cramped spaces, unless they can afford at least $450 per week in rent alone.

In our ever increasingly connected world, I can't help but also mention internet connectivity and the NBN. This area is not scheduled for an upgrade until 2019. If you're close (within 800m) of the exchange (Cnr Loranne St and Centre Rd) you should get reasonable speeds. We are with Internode and have our line profile set to the fastest available, so your experience may vary. But as always with ADSL, as soon as you hit 1km worth of copper wiring your speed falls off the cliff. If you're not within 1km, you may want to consider a cable connection with Telstra assuming it's available at your building.

My wife and I have lived on Centre Road for a year. Honestly, the only thing that makes Bentleigh a struggle is the high cost of living and the small living space/lack of parking that often comes with it.