Andrews Farm vs SmithfieldTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Andrews Farm (SA 5114) is approximately 31 km north of the Adelaide CBD, between the Northern Expressway and Stebonheath Road. Smithfield (SA 5114) is approximately 29 km north of the Adelaide CBD, west of Main North Road. At the 2021 Census, Andrews Farm had 8,699 residents with a median age of 28, and Smithfield had 2,482 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Andrews Farm and 1% in Smithfield, while 40% of Andrews Farm households rented compared with 50% in Smithfield. 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.
SA 5114 · Adelaide's northern growth corridor
Andrews Farm
Andrews Farm is a young northern Adelaide estate suburb founded in 1991, where the median age is 28 and only one household in nine owns outright.
City of Playford. Approximately 31 km north of the Adelaide CBD, between the Northern Expressway and Stebonheath Road.
Read the full Andrews Farm guideSA 5114 · Adelaide's northern suburbs
Smithfield
Smithfield is a small northern Adelaide suburb with its own Gawler line station, an original township grid and Munno Para Shopping City on its edge.
City of Playford. Approximately 29 km north of the Adelaide CBD, west of Main North Road.
Read the full Smithfield guide
What buying in Andrews Farm and Smithfield 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 Andrews Farm and Smithfield.
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 Andrews Farm to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Smithfield 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.
Andrews Farm and Smithfield: 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 | Andrews Farm | Smithfield |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 8,699 | 2,482 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 28 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,465 | $1,049 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $300 | $260 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,300 | $1,100 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 40% | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 48% | 32% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 11% | 16% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 95% | 80% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 5% | 19% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 5% | 12% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 36% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 6% |
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 Andrews Farm and Smithfield
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.
Andrews Farm
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Outright ownership was only 11.1 per cent at the 2021 Census, so budgets are unusually sensitive to changes in repayments.
- High loan-to-value borrowing is common, so lenders mortgage insurance or the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme is often relevant.
- Streets of near-identical houses, with new homes still being released nearby, make it easy for a valuer to test a price.
- Construction loans for house and land purchases are drawn in stages and valued on an as-if-complete basis.
- Developer encumbrances controlling design and external appearance may remain registered on titles.
Smithfield
- First home buyers
- Investors
- The suburb is small, with 906 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, so comparable sales evidence can be thin.
- An industrial zone runs along the railway line, and lenders and valuers may take a more conservative view of security nearby.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio in areas with a high concentration of former public housing.
- Renting accounted for half of households with a stated tenure, so many purchases are investment lending.
- Stormwater and flood overlays may apply in parts of the Smith Creek corridor on the southern side.
Housing stock in Andrews Farm and Smithfield compared
Andrews Farm
- Modern detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,761 at the 2021 Census, 95.4 per cent of occupied homes, built from the 1990s onward.
- Three and four bedroom family homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,659 dwellings had three bedrooms and 909 had four, reflecting a young family market.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- Only 135 were counted at the 2021 Census, and no flats or apartments were recorded at all.
Smithfield
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 728 at the 2021 Census, 80.4 per cent of occupied homes, spanning the township grid and Housing Trust era areas.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- At 173 dwellings, or 19.1 per cent of occupied homes, attached housing is above the national share of 12.6 per cent.
- Three-bedroom homes
- The dominant size at 640 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Andrews Farm and Smithfield
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.
Andrews Farm
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Andrews Farm, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Smithfield
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Smithfield, 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 Andrews Farm and Smithfield
Andrews Farm
Transport
- Smithfield Station (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Northern Expressway (road)
- Curtis Road (road)
- Main North Road (road)
Amenities
- Munno Para Shopping City
- Elizabeth city centre
- Andrews Farm local reserves
Smithfield
Transport
- Smithfield Station (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Main North Road (road)
- Northern Expressway (road)
Amenities
- Munno Para Shopping City
- Smithfield Hotel
- Augusta Square
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the South Australia education department.
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