Albion vs Bowen HillsTwo Brisbane suburbs compared for a home loan
Albion (QLD 4010) is approximately 5 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, on Breakfast Creek. Bowen Hills (QLD 4006) is approximately 3 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, around the Brisbane Showgrounds. At the 2021 Census, Albion had 3,446 residents with a median age of 33, and Bowen Hills had 4,898 residents with a median age of 30.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 74% of occupied dwellings in Albion and 93% in Bowen Hills, while 62% of Albion households rented compared with 83% in Bowen Hills. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
QLD 4010 · Inner northern Brisbane
Albion
Albion is an inner northern Brisbane apartment suburb where owner occupiers held only 34.7 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 5 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, on Breakfast Creek.
Read the full Albion guideQLD 4006 · Inner northern Brisbane
Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills is an inner Brisbane apartment suburb where 82.9 per cent of households rented and only 4.7 per cent owned outright at the 2021 Census.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 3 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, around the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Read the full Bowen Hills guide
What buying in Albion and Bowen Hills would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Albion and Bowen Hills.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Albion to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Bowen Hills to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Albion and Bowen Hills: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Albion | Bowen Hills |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,446 | 4,898 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 33 | 30 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,972 | $1,551 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $410 | $390 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,950 | $1,614 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 62% | 83% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 21% | 12% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 14% | 5% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 22% | 3% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 2% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 74% | 93% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 68% | 89% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 9% | 2% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 13% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Albion and Bowen Hills
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Albion
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Owner occupation reached only 34.7 per cent of households, so investor lending policy dominates here.
- Body corporate levies count toward serviceability and can be high in buildings with shared facilities.
- Lenders cap exposure to a single development, which matters in a suburb of large apartment buildings.
- Apartments on former industrial land raise site history and building services questions on inspection.
- A FloodWise Property Report should be obtained for the specific address before signing a contract.
Bowen Hills
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Small units can fall below a lender's minimum internal floor area, reducing the loan-to-value ratio available.
- Lenders cap exposure to a single development, which is a live issue in a suburb of large towers.
- The priority development area scheme means neighbouring sites can be developed to substantial scale.
- Body corporate levies on tower buildings count toward the serviceability assessment.
- Only 4.7 per cent of households owned outright, the lowest share in these Brisbane guides.
Housing stock in Albion and Bowen Hills compared
Albion
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 1,243 at the 2021 Census, 74.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Older detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 372, or 22.2 per cent of occupied homes, many of pre-1947 construction.
- Very few townhouses
- Only 57 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Bowen Hills
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 2,506 at the 2021 Census, 93.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Studio and one-bedroom units
- Studios numbered 99 and one-bedroom dwellings 1,118, a combined 1,217 of 2,685 occupied homes.
- Almost no houses
- Only 80 separate houses and 65 townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Albion and Bowen Hills
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Albion
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Albion, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Bowen Hills
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bowen Hills, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Albion and Bowen Hills
Albion
Transport
- Albion railway station (train)
- Transport for Brisbane buses (bus)
- Sandgate Road (road)
- Brisbane Airport (airport)
Amenities
- Crosby Park
- Allan Border Field
- Albion Park Paceway
- Holy Triad Temple
- Sandgate Road shops
Bowen Hills
Transport
- Bowen Hills railway station (train)
- Exhibition railway station (train)
- Inner City Bypass (road)
- Transport for Brisbane buses (bus)
Amenities
- Brisbane Showgrounds
- Old Museum Building
- Twelfth Night Theatre
- Bowen Park
- Perry Park
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Queensland education department.
Compare Albion or Bowen Hills with another suburb
Change either suburb, or add a third.
Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: Albion or Bowen Hills
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Albion and Bowen Hills, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.