Berowra vs WahroongaTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Berowra (NSW 2081) is approximately 36 km north of the Sydney CBD, surrounded by national park. Wahroonga (NSW 2076) is approximately 20 km north of the Sydney CBD, on the T1 North Shore line. At the 2021 Census, Berowra had 4,762 residents with a median age of 41, and Wahroonga had 17,853 residents with a median age of 44.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Berowra and 20% in Wahroonga, while 12% of Berowra households rented compared with 18% in Wahroonga. 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 2081 · Upper North Shore
Berowra
Berowra is a Hornsby Shire suburb surrounded by national park, 93.9 per cent detached houses with only four apartments and 48.8 per cent holding a mortgage.
Hornsby Shire. Approximately 36 km north of the Sydney CBD, surrounded by national park.
Read the full Berowra guideNSW 2076 · Upper North Shore
Wahroonga
Wahroonga is a large Ku-ring-gai suburb of 17,853 residents where 1,192 dwellings have five or more bedrooms and only 17.9 per cent of households rent.
Ku-ring-gai. Approximately 20 km north of the Sydney CBD, on the T1 North Shore line.
Read the full Wahroonga guide
What buying in Berowra and Wahroonga 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 Berowra and Wahroonga.
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 Berowra to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Wahroonga 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.
Berowra and Wahroonga: 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 | Berowra | Wahroonga |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 4,762 | 17,853 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 44 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,781 | $2,998 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $580 | $600 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,700 | $3,467 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 12% | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 49% | 40% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 38% | 39% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 94% | 75% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 5% | 6% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 20% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 6% | 16% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 59% | 55% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 3% | 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 Berowra and Wahroonga
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.
Berowra
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Bushfire is the defining consideration, not one factor among several.
- Insurance may be expensive or hard to place, and a lender requires it at settlement.
- Complying development is unavailable on BAL-40 and BAL-FZ land, requiring a full DA.
- Larger bushland blocks can fall into a lender's rural or lifestyle category.
- At 1,562 occupied dwellings, sales evidence is thin for valuation.
Wahroonga
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Median monthly repayments of $3,467 mean serviceability binds well before deposit.
- Older housing makes heritage listing more likely than in a post-war suburb.
- Heritage listing can raise insurance and the cost of compliant repairs.
- Complying development is unavailable on BAL-40 and BAL-FZ land, requiring a full DA.
- Only 17.9 per cent of households rented, so the tenant pool is small.
Housing stock in Berowra and Wahroonga compared
Berowra
- Detached houses on bushland blocks
- Separate houses numbered 1,467 at the 2021 Census, 93.9 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 674 dwellings had four bedrooms and 252 had five or more.
- Essentially no apartments
- Only 4 flats and 80 townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Wahroonga
- Large detached houses on treed blocks
- Separate houses numbered 4,311 at the 2021 Census, 74.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,964 dwellings had four bedrooms and 1,192 had five or more.
- Apartments near the station
- The 1,135 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 19.6 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Berowra and Wahroonga
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.
Berowra
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Berowra, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Wahroonga
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Wahroonga, 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 Berowra and Wahroonga
Berowra
Transport
- Berowra Station (train)
- M1 Pacific Motorway (road)
- Sydney buses (bus)
Amenities
- Berowra Valley National Park
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- Berowra local shops
Wahroonga
Transport
- Wahroonga Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Pacific Highway (road)
- M1 Pacific Motorway (road)
Amenities
- Wahroonga station shops
- Westfield Hornsby
- Ku-ring-gai bushland reserves
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 Berowra or Wahroonga with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Berowra or Wahroonga
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