Auburn vs GuildfordTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Auburn (NSW 2144) is approximately 19 km west of the Sydney CBD, on the Main Suburban line. Guildford (NSW 2161) is approximately 23 km west of the Sydney CBD, on the T3 line. At the 2021 Census, Auburn had 39,333 residents with a median age of 31, and Guildford had 24,091 residents with a median age of 31.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Auburn and separate houses in Guildford. Flats and apartments made up 47% of occupied dwellings in Auburn and 29% in Guildford, while 52% of Auburn households rented compared with 48% in Guildford. 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.
NSW 2144 · Western Sydney
Auburn
Auburn is the largest suburb in these guides at 39,333 residents, with the biggest average household at 3.3 people and a median income below the national figure.
Cumberland. Approximately 19 km west of the Sydney CBD, on the Main Suburban line.
Read the full Auburn guideNSW 2161 · Western Sydney
Guildford
Guildford is a Cumberland family suburb where the median household income of $1,314 is the lowest recorded in these guides and houses hold 54.8 per cent of homes.
Cumberland. Approximately 23 km west of the Sydney CBD, on the T3 line.
Read the full Guildford guide
What buying in Auburn and Guildford 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 Auburn and Guildford.
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 Auburn to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Guildford 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.
Auburn and Guildford: 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 | Auburn | Guildford |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 39,333 | 24,091 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,533 | $1,314 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $410 | $378 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,000 | $2,015 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 52% | 48% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 28% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 22% | 21% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 42% | 55% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 16% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 47% | 29% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 45% | 40% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 20% | 26% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 9% | 9% |
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 Auburn and Guildford
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.
Auburn
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- A lender assesses the applicants' income, not the total income of a large household.
- Dependants raise the household expenditure measure used in serviceability.
- A below-median income with above-median repayments means serviceability binds early.
- Four and five bedroom homes are scarce relative to the suburb's household sizes.
- Comparable evidence should come from the same part of a suburb this large.
Guildford
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- The lowest median income in these guides sits alongside above-median repayments.
- Dependants raise the household expenditure measure used in serviceability.
- Lenders assess repayments at a buffer above the actual rate, reducing capacity further.
- An indicative approval is not an unconditional one, which matters before signing a s66W.
- No vendor building report is required, so an independent inspection is essential.
Housing stock in Auburn and Guildford compared
Auburn
- Apartments
- The 5,189 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 47.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 4,615 at the 2021 Census, 42.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Family-sized homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,475 dwellings had four bedrooms and 672 had five or more.
Guildford
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 3,841 at the 2021 Census, 54.8 per cent of occupied homes.
- Apartments
- The 2,035 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 29.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Family-sized homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,272 dwellings had four bedrooms and 553 had five or more.
Official sale price and rent figures for Auburn and Guildford
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.
Auburn
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Auburn, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Guildford
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Guildford, 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 Auburn and Guildford
Auburn
Transport
- Auburn Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- M4 Motorway (road)
- Parramatta Road (road)
Amenities
- Auburn Central
- Auburn Botanic Gardens
- Sydney Olympic Park
Guildford
Transport
- Guildford Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Woodville Road (road)
- M4 Motorway (road)
Amenities
- Guildford Road shops
- Stockland Merrylands
- Guildford Park
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the New South Wales education department.
Compare Auburn or Guildford with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Auburn or Guildford
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Auburn and Guildford, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.