Attadale vs BictonTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Attadale (WA 6156) is approximately 11 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on the southern side of the Swan River. Bicton (WA 6157) is approximately 10 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on the Swan River at Point Walter. At the 2021 Census, Attadale had 6,638 residents with a median age of 43, and Bicton had 6,961 residents with a median age of 45.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 4% of occupied dwellings in Attadale and 5% in Bicton, while 18% of Attadale households rented compared with 22% in Bicton. 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 6156 · Southern river suburbs of Perth
Attadale
Attadale is a riverside City of Melville suburb between the city and Fremantle, with an extensive foreshore, large homes and high outright ownership.
City of Melville. Approximately 11 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on the southern side of the Swan River.
Read the full Attadale guideWA 6157 · Southern river suburbs of Perth
Bicton
Bicton is a riverside City of Melville suburb with a Class-A reserve at Point Walter, an older population and more than a quarter of homes attached.
City of Melville. Approximately 10 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on the Swan River at Point Walter.
Read the full Bicton guide
What buying in Attadale and Bicton 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 Attadale and Bicton.
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 Attadale to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Bicton 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.
Attadale and Bicton: 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 | Attadale | Bicton |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 6,638 | 6,961 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 45 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,521 | $2,007 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $425 | $360 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $2,383 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 18% | 22% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 35% | 33% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 46% | 42% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 75% | 67% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 20% | 28% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 4% | 5% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 13% | 23% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 51% | 35% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 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 Attadale and Bicton
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.
Attadale
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Some lenders apply tighter maximum loan-to-value ratios to higher-value riverfront security.
- Premium riverfront homes have fewer comparable sales, so valuations can be less predictable.
- Riverfront land is subject to foreshore policy beyond ordinary residential controls.
- Strata levies on the townhouse stock are counted in serviceability assessments.
- Many homes have been rebuilt or extended, so the approval status of past work is worth confirming.
Bicton
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- More than a quarter of dwellings are attached, so strata levies and lender unit policy drive many outcomes.
- Small units can fall below the minimum internal floor area some lenders require.
- Downsizers buying before selling may need bridging finance, a common pattern given the age profile.
- The Class-A reserve at Point Walter is permanently public open space, so river frontage is public rather than private.
- Lots adjoining the Point Walter reserve may be designated bush fire prone.
Housing stock in Attadale and Bicton compared
Attadale
- Detached riverside houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,787 at the 2021 Census, 74.9 per cent of occupied homes, many rebuilt to take river outlook.
- Townhouses and villa units
- At 484 dwellings, or 20.3 per cent of occupied homes, attached housing is well above the national share.
- Large family homes
- At the 2021 Census, 854 dwellings had four bedrooms and 351 had five or more.
Bicton
- Townhouses and villa units
- At 759 dwellings, or 27.7 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census, more than double the national share.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,827 at the 2021 Census, 66.6 per cent of occupied homes, below the national 72.3 per cent.
- Three-bedroom homes
- The most common size at 1,123 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, ahead of 812 with four bedrooms.
Official sale price and rent figures for Attadale and Bicton
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.
Attadale
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Attadale, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Bicton
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bicton, 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 Attadale and Bicton
Attadale
Transport
- Canning Bridge Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Canning Highway (road)
- Leach Highway (road)
- Stock Road (road)
Amenities
- Attadale foreshore and Burke Drive reserve
- Swan River
- Westfield Booragoon
Bicton
Transport
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Canning Highway (road)
- Stock Road (road)
- Fremantle line (train)
Amenities
- Point Walter Reserve
- Swan River foreshore
- Point Walter Golf Course
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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