Applecross vs FremantleTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Applecross (WA 6153) is approximately 7 km south of the Perth CBD, on a peninsula between the Swan and Canning rivers. Fremantle (WA 6160) is approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, at the mouth of the Swan River. At the 2021 Census, Applecross had 7,228 residents with a median age of 44, and Fremantle had 9,251 residents with a median age of 41.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 17% of occupied dwellings in Applecross and 27% in Fremantle, while 28% of Applecross households rented compared with 42% in Fremantle. 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.
WA 6153 · Inner southern Perth
Applecross
Applecross is a riverside suburb of large houses south of the Perth CBD, with apartment towers near Canning Bridge and a planned ferry terminal.
City of Melville. Approximately 7 km south of the Perth CBD, on a peninsula between the Swan and Canning rivers.
Read the full Applecross guideWA 6160 · South-west metropolitan Perth
Fremantle
Fremantle is Perth's historic port city, with heritage cottages, townhouses and apartments, a rail terminus and a high share of renters.
City of Fremantle. Approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, at the mouth of the Swan River.
Read the full Fremantle guide
What buying in Applecross and Fremantle 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 Applecross and Fremantle.
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 Applecross to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Fremantle 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.
Applecross and Fremantle: 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 | Applecross | Fremantle |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 7,228 | 9,251 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 44 | 41 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,453 | $1,822 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $475 | $380 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,800 | $2,167 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 28% | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 26% | 28% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 44% | 29% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 62% | 40% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 21% | 32% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 17% | 27% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 20% | 52% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 44% | 13% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 13% | 14% |
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 Applecross and Fremantle
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.
Applecross
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Large loan sizes can exceed the limits some lenders and mortgage insurers apply to high loan-to-value lending, which narrows the options for buyers with small deposits.
- Premiums paid for river outlooks are difficult for valuers to support where comparable sales are few, so a valuation below the contract price is possible.
- Some lenders apply minimum internal floor areas and limit exposure to a single building or to postcodes with many new apartments, which can reduce the loan available.
- Off-the-plan apartments are valued close to completion, and strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- Foreshore streets fall within state floodplain mapping for the Swan and Canning rivers, which may affect insurance premiums and the questions a lender or valuer asks.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata review conditions need to be written into the offer.
Fremantle
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Heritage listing on the local Heritage List or the State Register can restrict alterations, and valuers factor these limits and repair costs into their assessments.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before it is signed.
- Mixed-use buildings and converted warehouses may be assessed more conservatively by some lenders, which can lower the maximum loan-to-value ratio offered.
- Small apartments and older flats may fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Strata levies, reserve fund balances and planned remedial works in older or coastal buildings affect both valuation and borrowing capacity assessments.
- Unusual period homes have fewer comparable sales, so a valuation below the contract price is a possibility that buyers with small deposits may wish to plan for.
Housing stock in Applecross and Fremantle compared
Applecross
- Detached houses on large lots
- Separate houses numbered 1,726 of 2,790 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, most on land coded R12.5 or R15 under Local Planning Scheme No. 6.
- Townhouses and villas
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings numbered 599 at the 2021 Census, mostly on higher coded land near Canning Highway and the centres.
- Apartments near Canning Bridge
- Low-rise flats and newer towers in the Canning Bridge Activity Centre Plan area, where mixed use zones allow 10 and 15 storeys with possible bonus height.
Fremantle
- Heritage cottages and period homes
- Limestone and brick cottages, terraces and Federation homes, many subject to local or state heritage controls.
- Townhouses and terraces
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings made up 1,306 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Apartments and older flats
- Mid-century walk-up flats and newer strata complexes near the town centre and harbour, some in mixed-use buildings.
- Warehouse and commercial conversions
- Former wool stores and warehouses adapted to apartments, which some lenders assess more conservatively.
Official sale price and rent figures for Applecross and Fremantle
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.
Applecross
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Applecross, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Fremantle
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Fremantle, 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 Applecross and Fremantle
Applecross
Transport
- Canning Bridge Station (train)
- Transperth route 910 (bus)
- Transperth routes 148 and 158 (bus)
- Planned Applecross ferry terminal (ferry)
- Canning Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Applecross Primary School (primary, government)
- St Benedict's School (primary, catholic)
- Applecross Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Ardross Primary School (primary, government)
Amenities
- Goolugatup Heathcote cultural precinct
- Jeff Joseph Reserve
- Gairloch Reserve
- Applecross District Hall (Tivoli Theatre)
- Riseley Centre
Fremantle
Transport
- Fremantle Station (train)
- Fremantle Station bus services (bus)
- Fremantle Traffic Bridge (road)
Schools and campuses
- John Curtin College of the Arts (secondary, government)
- Fremantle Primary School (primary, government)
- CBC Fremantle (secondary, catholic)
- University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus (tertiary, university)
Amenities
- Fremantle Hospital
- Fremantle Markets
- Fremantle Prison
- WA Maritime Museum
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
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