Auburn vs Harris ParkTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Auburn (NSW 2144) is approximately 19 km west of the Sydney CBD, on the Main Suburban line. Harris Park (NSW 2150) is immediately south-east of the Parramatta CBD. At the 2021 Census, Auburn had 39,333 residents with a median age of 31, and Harris Park had 5,043 residents with a median age of 31.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 47% of occupied dwellings in Auburn and 85% in Harris Park, while 52% of Auburn households rented compared with 73% in Harris Park. 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 2150 · Western Sydney
Harris Park
Harris Park adjoins the Parramatta CBD, where 85.0 per cent of homes are apartments, 73.3 per cent rent and only 15.9 per cent hold a mortgage.
City of Parramatta. Immediately south-east of the Parramatta CBD.
Read the full Harris Park guide
What buying in Auburn and Harris Park 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 Harris Park.
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 Harris Park 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 Harris Park: 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 | Harris Park |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 39,333 | 5,043 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.3 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,533 | $1,779 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $410 | $360 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,000 | $1,750 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 52% | 73% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 16% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 22% | 10% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 42% | 8% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 3% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 47% | 85% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 45% | 82% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 20% | 3% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 9% | 13% |
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 Harris Park
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.
Harris Park
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily in a suburb of 1,874 occupied dwellings.
- Comparable evidence is concentrated in two-bedroom apartments, one product type.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below minimum internal floor areas.
- Renting at 73.3 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
- The Wigram Street commercial strip generates evening activity and traffic.
Housing stock in Auburn and Harris Park 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.
Harris Park
- Apartments
- The 1,592 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 85.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 1,385 dwellings, the dominant size recorded at the 2021 Census.
- Few detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 155 at the 2021 Census, 8.3 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Auburn and Harris Park
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.
Harris Park
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Harris Park, 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 Harris Park
Auburn
Transport
- Auburn Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- M4 Motorway (road)
- Parramatta Road (road)
Amenities
- Auburn Central
- Auburn Botanic Gardens
- Sydney Olympic Park
Harris Park
Transport
- Harris Park Station (train)
- Parramatta Light Rail (light rail)
- Parramatta Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
Amenities
- Wigram Street precinct
- Parramatta CBD
- Parramatta 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.
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Request a free assessment: Auburn or Harris Park
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Auburn and Harris Park, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.