Auburn vs MerrylandsTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Auburn (NSW 2144) is approximately 19 km west of the Sydney CBD, on the Main Suburban line. Merrylands (NSW 2160) is approximately 24 km west of the Sydney CBD, near Parramatta. At the 2021 Census, Auburn had 39,333 residents with a median age of 31, and Merrylands had 32,472 residents with a median age of 33.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Auburn and separate houses in Merrylands. Flats and apartments made up 47% of occupied dwellings in Auburn and 37% in Merrylands, while 52% of Auburn households rented compared with 48% in Merrylands. 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 2160 · Western Sydney
Merrylands
Merrylands is a large Cumberland family suburb of 32,472 residents, where houses hold 48.8 per cent of homes and the average household is 3.0 people.
Cumberland. Approximately 24 km west of the Sydney CBD, near Parramatta.
Read the full Merrylands guide
What buying in Auburn and Merrylands 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 Merrylands.
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 Merrylands 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 Merrylands: 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 | Merrylands |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 39,333 | 32,472 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 33 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,533 | $1,470 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $410 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,000 | $2,100 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 52% | 48% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 27% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 22% | 23% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 42% | 49% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 14% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 47% | 37% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 45% | 43% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 20% | 25% |
| 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 Merrylands
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.
Merrylands
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- A median income of $1,470 against repayments of $2,100 means serviceability binds early.
- A lender assesses the applicants' income, not the whole household's.
- Strata levies reduce borrowing power further on top of the income position.
- Parramatta Light Rail and Metro West both affect accessibility from this area.
- Comparable evidence should come from the same part of a suburb this large.
Housing stock in Auburn and Merrylands 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.
Merrylands
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 4,842 at the 2021 Census, 48.8 per cent of occupied homes.
- Apartments near the centre
- The 3,630 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 36.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Family-sized homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,740 dwellings had four bedrooms and 704 had five or more.
Official sale price and rent figures for Auburn and Merrylands
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.
Merrylands
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Merrylands, 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 Merrylands
Auburn
Transport
- Auburn Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- M4 Motorway (road)
- Parramatta Road (road)
Amenities
- Auburn Central
- Auburn Botanic Gardens
- Sydney Olympic Park
Merrylands
Transport
- Merrylands Station (train)
- Parramatta Light Rail (light rail)
- Parramatta Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
Amenities
- Stockland Merrylands
- Merrylands Park
- Parramatta CBD
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 Merrylands with another suburb
Change either suburb, or add a third.
Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: Auburn or Merrylands
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Auburn and Merrylands, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.