Albion vs ClayfieldTwo Brisbane suburbs compared for a home loan
Albion (QLD 4010) is approximately 5 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, on Breakfast Creek. Clayfield (QLD 4011) is approximately 7.4 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, around Eagle Junction. At the 2021 Census, Albion had 3,446 residents with a median age of 33, and Clayfield had 10,897 residents with a median age of 37.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 74% of occupied dwellings in Albion and 51% in Clayfield, while 62% of Albion households rented compared with 43% in Clayfield. 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 4011 · Inner northern Brisbane
Clayfield
Clayfield is an inner northern Brisbane suburb where 30.9 per cent of households hold a mortgage, the highest owner occupier share in these guides.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 7.4 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, around Eagle Junction.
Read the full Clayfield guide
What buying in Albion and Clayfield 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 Clayfield.
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 Clayfield 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 Clayfield: 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 | Clayfield |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,446 | 10,897 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 33 | 37 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,972 | $1,948 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $410 | $350 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,950 | $2,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 62% | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 21% | 31% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 14% | 25% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 22% | 38% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 11% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 74% | 51% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 68% | 53% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 9% | 24% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 8% |
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 Clayfield
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.
Clayfield
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- The traditional building character overlay can restrict demolition of pre-1947 houses.
- A valuation may assume the existing dwelling remains, which matters if value depends on redevelopment.
- Renovation lending generally requires fixed price contract documentation and staged progress payments.
- Older walk-up unit blocks can carry deferred maintenance that emerges as a special levy.
- Median weekly rent of $350 sat below the national $375, so investor income should be modelled conservatively.
Housing stock in Albion and Clayfield 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.
Clayfield
- Character houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,785 at the 2021 Census, many of pre-1947 construction.
- Older unit stock
- Flats and apartments numbered 2,425, with 2,149 two-bedroom dwellings across the suburb.
- Large family homes
- At the 2021 Census, 681 dwellings had four bedrooms and 441 had five or more.
- Townhouses
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings numbered 499, or 10.6 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Albion and Clayfield
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.
Clayfield
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Clayfield, 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 Clayfield
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
Clayfield
Transport
- Eagle Junction railway station (train)
- Clayfield railway station (train)
- Transport for Brisbane buses (bus)
- Sandgate Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Eagle Junction State School (primary, government)
- St Agatha's Primary School (primary, catholic)
- St Rita's College (secondary, catholic)
- Clayfield College (combined, independent)
Amenities
- Kalinga Park
- Sandgate Road shopping strip
- Stanley Hall
- St Mark's Anglican Church
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.
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Request a free assessment: Albion or Clayfield
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