Athelstone vs HighburyTwo 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. Highbury (SA 5089) is approximately 13 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, north of the River Torrens. At the 2021 Census, Athelstone had 9,601 residents with a median age of 43, and Highbury had 6,956 residents with a median age of 41.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 2% of occupied dwellings in Athelstone and 0% in Highbury, while 13% of Athelstone households rented compared with 12% in Highbury. 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 5089 · Adelaide's north-eastern foothills
Highbury
Highbury is a north-eastern foothills suburb bounded by the River Torrens, with the highest household income of Adelaide's northern suburbs and no flats.
City of Tea Tree Gully. Approximately 13 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, north of the River Torrens.
Read the full Highbury guide
What buying in Athelstone and Highbury 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 Highbury.
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 Highbury 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 Highbury: 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 | Highbury |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 9,601 | 6,956 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 41 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,941 | $2,038 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $360 | $369 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,733 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 13% | 12% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 42% | 45% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 44% | 42% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 85% | 97% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 13% | 3% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 2% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 7% | 5% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 42% | 42% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 4% | 4% |
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 Highbury
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.
Highbury
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- No flats were recorded at the 2021 Census and only 65 townhouses, so low-maintenance housing is scarce.
- The eastern end lies within the Adelaide Hills Face Zone, which restricts development on the face of the ranges.
- Flood and stormwater overlays apply in parts of the River Torrens corridor on the southern border.
- Bushfire mapping in the foothills affects construction standards and insurance, which lenders require at settlement.
- Only 12.2 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so the tenant pool is very thin for investors.
Housing stock in Athelstone and Highbury 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.
Highbury
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,410 at the 2021 Census, 97.1 per cent of occupied homes, among the highest shares in Adelaide.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 835 dwellings had four bedrooms and 204 had five or more.
- Townhouses
- Only 65 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census, and no flats at all.
Official sale price and rent figures for Athelstone and Highbury
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.
Highbury
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Highbury, 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 Highbury
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
Highbury
Transport
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Lower North East Road (road)
- North East Road (road)
Amenities
- River Torrens Linear Park
- Highbury local shops
- Tea Tree Plaza
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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Request a free assessment: Athelstone or Highbury
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