Athelstone vs HectorvilleTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Athelstone (SA 5076) is approximately 12 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, between the River Torrens and Black Hill. Hectorville (SA 5073) is approximately 8 km east of the Adelaide CBD, beside Fourth Creek. At the 2021 Census, Athelstone had 9,601 residents with a median age of 43, and Hectorville had 4,241 residents with a median age of 38.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 2% of occupied dwellings in Athelstone and 24% in Hectorville, while 13% of Athelstone households rented compared with 38% in Hectorville. 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 5076 · Adelaide's north-eastern foothills
Athelstone
Athelstone is a leafy north-eastern foothills suburb between the River Torrens and Black Hill Conservation Park, with large homes and few rentals.
City of Campbelltown. Approximately 12 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, between the River Torrens and Black Hill.
Read the full Athelstone guideSA 5073 · Adelaide's inner east
Hectorville
Hectorville is a small inner-eastern Adelaide suburb laid out in 1855, with an unusually high apartment share and renting the largest tenure.
City of Campbelltown. Approximately 8 km east of the Adelaide CBD, beside Fourth Creek.
Read the full Hectorville guide
What buying in Athelstone and Hectorville 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 Athelstone and Hectorville.
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 Athelstone to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Hectorville 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.
Athelstone and Hectorville: 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 | Athelstone | Hectorville |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 9,601 | 4,241 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 38 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,941 | $1,394 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $360 | $300 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,700 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 13% | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 42% | 29% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 44% | 32% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 85% | 65% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 13% | 11% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 2% | 24% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 7% | 28% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 42% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 4% | 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 Athelstone and Hectorville
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.
Athelstone
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Athelstone adjoins Black Hill Conservation Park, so bushfire mapping affects construction standards and insurance.
- A local watercourse is described as prone to flooding in late spring, so flood overlays may apply in parts of the suburb.
- Sloping blocks vary in usable land, access and retaining structures, so valuations of similar houses can differ.
- Only 12.9 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so the tenant pool is thin for investors.
- Apartment stock is minimal at 79 dwellings, so low-maintenance options are mostly townhouses.
Hectorville
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Downsizers
- A quarter of dwellings are flats, so minimum floor area rules and single-building exposure limits matter here.
- Older low-rise strata groups can carry modest sinking funds, making special levies a practical risk.
- Corporation levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- Renting is the largest tenure, so investment lending is common and assessed on different terms.
- The suburb is small, with 1,803 occupied dwellings, so listings in any period are limited.
Housing stock in Athelstone and Hectorville compared
Athelstone
- Large detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,994 at the 2021 Census, 84.5 per cent of occupied homes, many on generous sloping blocks.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,229 dwellings had four bedrooms and 252 had five or more, with only 241 two-bedroom homes.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 461 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census give downsizers an option many foothills suburbs lack.
Hectorville
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,163 at the 2021 Census, 64.5 per cent of occupied homes, below the national 72.3 per cent.
- Flats and apartments
- At 433 dwellings, or 24.0 per cent of occupied homes, the apartment share is well above the national 14.2 per cent.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 202 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census are largely infill on subdivided allotments.
Official sale price and rent figures for Athelstone and Hectorville
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.
Athelstone
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Athelstone, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Hectorville
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Hectorville, 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 Athelstone and Hectorville
Athelstone
Transport
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Gorge Road (road)
- Lower North East Road (road)
Amenities
- Black Hill Conservation Park
- River Torrens Linear Park
- Athelstone village shops
Hectorville
Transport
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Montacute Road (road)
- Glynburn Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- East Torrens Primary School (primary, government)
- St Joseph's School, Hectorville (primary, catholic)
Amenities
- Hectorville local shops
- Fourth Creek corridor
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.
Compare Athelstone or Hectorville with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Athelstone or Hectorville
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Athelstone and Hectorville, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.