Bowen Hills vs Fortitude ValleyTwo Brisbane suburbs compared for a home loan
Bowen Hills (QLD 4006) is approximately 3 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, around the Brisbane Showgrounds. Fortitude Valley (QLD 4006) is approximately 2 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, adjoining the city centre. At the 2021 Census, Bowen Hills had 4,898 residents with a median age of 30, and Fortitude Valley had 9,708 residents with a median age of 31.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 93% of occupied dwellings in Bowen Hills and 96% in Fortitude Valley, while 83% of Bowen Hills households rented compared with 82% in Fortitude Valley. 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.
QLD 4006 · Inner northern Brisbane
Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills is an inner Brisbane apartment suburb where 82.9 per cent of households rented and only 4.7 per cent owned outright at the 2021 Census.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 3 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, around the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Read the full Bowen Hills guideQLD 4006 · Inner Brisbane
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley is Brisbane's most apartment dominated suburb at 96.4 per cent, with 1,005 unoccupied dwellings recorded on Census night 2021.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 2 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD, adjoining the city centre.
Read the full Fortitude Valley guide
What buying in Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley 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 Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley.
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 Bowen Hills to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Fortitude Valley 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.
Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley: 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 | Bowen Hills | Fortitude Valley |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 4,898 | 9,708 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 30 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,551 | $1,658 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $390 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,614 | $1,718 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 83% | 82% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 12% | 13% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 5% | 5% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 3% | 2% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 2% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 93% | 96% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 89% | 92% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 2% | 1% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 13% | 16% |
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 Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley
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.
Bowen Hills
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Small units can fall below a lender's minimum internal floor area, reducing the loan-to-value ratio available.
- Lenders cap exposure to a single development, which is a live issue in a suburb of large towers.
- The priority development area scheme means neighbouring sites can be developed to substantial scale.
- Body corporate levies on tower buildings count toward the serviceability assessment.
- Only 4.7 per cent of households owned outright, the lowest share in these Brisbane guides.
Fortitude Valley
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Studio and one-bedroom units numbered 2,424, so minimum internal floor area rules frequently apply.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio in high density inner city unit markets.
- Apartments above or beside licensed premises can attract restrictions from lenders and insurers.
- The Census recorded 1,005 unoccupied private dwellings out of 6,257, the largest count in these guides.
- Mixed use buildings require attention to how costs are allocated between residential and commercial lots.
Housing stock in Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley compared
Bowen Hills
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 2,506 at the 2021 Census, 93.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Studio and one-bedroom units
- Studios numbered 99 and one-bedroom dwellings 1,118, a combined 1,217 of 2,685 occupied homes.
- Almost no houses
- Only 80 separate houses and 65 townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Fortitude Valley
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 5,061 at the 2021 Census, 96.4 per cent of occupied homes.
- Studio and one-bedroom units
- Studios numbered 234 and one-bedroom dwellings 2,190, a combined 2,424 of 5,251 occupied homes.
- Converted warehouses and older blocks
- Stock ranges from converted warehouses to recent towers, so building condition varies by address.
- Very few houses
- Only 107 separate houses and 65 townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley
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.
Bowen Hills
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bowen Hills, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Fortitude Valley
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Fortitude Valley, 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 Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley
Bowen Hills
Transport
- Bowen Hills railway station (train)
- Exhibition railway station (train)
- Inner City Bypass (road)
- Transport for Brisbane buses (bus)
Amenities
- Brisbane Showgrounds
- Old Museum Building
- Twelfth Night Theatre
- Bowen Park
- Perry Park
Fortitude Valley
Transport
- Fortitude Valley railway station (train)
- Transport for Brisbane buses (bus)
- Ann Street and Wickham Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- All Hallows' School (combined, catholic)
- Fortitude Valley State Secondary College (secondary, government)
- Angelorum College (combined, independent)
- Music Industry College (secondary, independent)
Amenities
- Chinatown Mall
- Brunswick Street Mall
- James Street precinct
- Howard Smith Wharves
- Centenary Place Park
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Queensland education department.
Compare Bowen Hills or Fortitude Valley with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Bowen Hills or Fortitude Valley
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.