Belair vs BridgewaterTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Belair (SA 5052) is approximately 12 km south-east of the Adelaide CBD, at the base of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Bridgewater (SA 5155) is approximately 19 km south-east of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills. At the 2021 Census, Belair had 4,718 residents with a median age of 47, and Bridgewater had 3,719 residents with a median age of 40.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 1% of occupied dwellings in Belair and 0% in Bridgewater, while 8% of Belair households rented compared with 10% in Bridgewater. 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 5052 · Adelaide foothills
Belair
Belair is a foothills suburb beside South Australia's oldest national park, with large houses, a rail terminus and mapped bushfire exposure.
City of Mitcham and Adelaide Hills Council. Approximately 12 km south-east of the Adelaide CBD, at the base of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Read the full Belair guideSA 5155 · Adelaide Hills
Bridgewater
Bridgewater is an Adelaide Hills town on the Melbourne rail corridor where no trains stop, built almost entirely of detached houses with few rentals.
Adelaide Hills Council. Approximately 19 km south-east of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills.
Read the full Bridgewater guide
What buying in Belair and Bridgewater 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 Belair and Bridgewater.
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 Belair to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Bridgewater 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.
Belair and Bridgewater: 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 | Belair | Bridgewater |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 4,718 | 3,719 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 47 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,265 | $2,042 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $376 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,100 | $1,733 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 8% | 10% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 44% | 53% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 41% | 35% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 89% | 99% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 1% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 16% | 16% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 46% | 33% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 6% |
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 Belair and Bridgewater
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.
Belair
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Building insurance in mapped bushfire areas can differ in price and terms from the plains, and lenders require cover in place at settlement.
- A Bushfire Attack Level assessment drives construction standards for new work, and Ministerial Building Standard MBS008 applies in designated areas.
- Habitable development in higher bushfire hazard areas is referred to the CFS, which has 30 business days to respond on residential applications.
- Sloping, vegetated blocks vary widely in usable land and access, so valuations are less predictable than on level ground.
- Renovation lending depends on approvals and the assessed bushfire level being reflected in the building contract before an as-if-complete valuation.
Bridgewater
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Building insurance in mapped bushfire areas can differ markedly in price and terms, and lenders require cover at settlement.
- A Bushfire Attack Level assessment drives construction standards, and MBS008 applies in designated areas.
- More than half of households with a stated tenure had a mortgage, so repayment sensitivity is high.
- Cox Creek runs through the area, so flood and watercourse overlays may apply in parts of the town.
- Attached and apartment stock is effectively unavailable, with only 15 townhouses and three flats recorded.
Housing stock in Belair and Bridgewater compared
Belair
- Large detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,508 at the 2021 Census, 89.0 per cent of occupied homes, many on sloping and vegetated blocks.
- Four and five bedroom family homes
- At the 2021 Census, 601 dwellings had four bedrooms and 173 had five or more, so stock is large by national standards.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- Only 162 were counted at the 2021 Census, and they are the main option for buyers seeking something smaller.
- Flats and apartments
- Just nine were recorded at the 2021 Census, so apartment living is effectively unavailable in the suburb.
Bridgewater
- Detached hills houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,380 at the 2021 Census, 98.7 per cent of occupied homes, one of the highest shares in Adelaide.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 706 dwellings had three bedrooms and 369 had four, with 86 having five or more.
- Attached dwellings
- Only 15 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and three flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Belair and Bridgewater
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.
Belair
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Belair, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Bridgewater
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bridgewater, 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 Belair and Bridgewater
Belair
Transport
- Belair Station (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Belair Road (road)
- Sheoak Road (road)
- Upper Sturt Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Belair Primary School (primary, government)
Amenities
- Belair National Park
- Old Government House
- State Flora nursery
- Belair National Park tennis courts and ovals
Bridgewater
Transport
- South Eastern Freeway (road)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Belair Station (train)
- Mount Barker Road (road)
Amenities
- Bridgewater Mill
- Bridgewater town park
- Heysen Trail
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.
Compare Belair or Bridgewater with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Belair or Bridgewater
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Belair and Bridgewater, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.