Albion vs Fortitude ValleyTwo Brisbane suburbs compared for a home loan
Albion (QLD 4010) is approximately 5 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, on Breakfast Creek. Fortitude Valley (QLD 4006) is approximately 2 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, adjoining the city centre. At the 2021 Census, Albion had 3,446 residents with a median age of 33, and Fortitude Valley had 9,708 residents with a median age of 31.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 74% of occupied dwellings in Albion and 96% in Fortitude Valley, while 62% of Albion households rented compared with 82% in Fortitude Valley. 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 Brisbane
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley is Brisbane's most apartment dominated suburb at 96.4 per cent, with 1,005 unoccupied dwellings recorded on Census night 2021.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 2 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, adjoining the city centre.
Read the full Fortitude Valley guide
What buying in Albion and Fortitude Valley 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 Fortitude Valley.
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 Fortitude Valley 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 Fortitude Valley: 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 | Fortitude Valley |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,446 | 9,708 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 33 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,972 | $1,658 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $410 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,950 | $1,718 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 62% | 82% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 21% | 13% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 14% | 5% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 22% | 2% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 74% | 96% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 68% | 92% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 9% | 1% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 16% |
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 Fortitude Valley
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.
Fortitude Valley
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Studio and one-bedroom units numbered 2,424, so minimum internal floor area rules frequently apply.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio in high density inner city unit markets.
- Apartments above or beside licensed premises can attract restrictions from lenders and insurers.
- The Census recorded 1,005 unoccupied private dwellings out of 6,257, the largest count in these guides.
- Mixed use buildings require attention to how costs are allocated between residential and commercial lots.
Housing stock in Albion and Fortitude Valley 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.
Fortitude Valley
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 5,061 at the 2021 Census, 96.4 per cent of occupied homes.
- Studio and one-bedroom units
- Studios numbered 234 and one-bedroom dwellings 2,190, a combined 2,424 of 5,251 occupied homes.
- Converted warehouses and older blocks
- Stock ranges from converted warehouses to recent towers, so building condition varies by address.
- Very few houses
- Only 107 separate houses and 65 townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Albion and Fortitude Valley
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.
Fortitude Valley
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Fortitude Valley, 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 Fortitude Valley
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
Fortitude Valley
Transport
- Fortitude Valley railway station (train)
- Transport for Brisbane buses (bus)
- Ann Street and Wickham Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- All Hallows' School (combined, catholic)
- Fortitude Valley State Secondary College (secondary, government)
- Angelorum College (combined, independent)
- Music Industry College (secondary, independent)
Amenities
- Chinatown Mall
- Brunswick Street Mall
- James Street precinct
- Howard Smith Wharves
- Centenary Place 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.
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Request a free assessment: Albion or Fortitude Valley
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Albion and Fortitude Valley, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.