Bruce vs KaleenTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Bruce (ACT 2617) is approximately 9 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, at the University of Canberra. Kaleen (ACT 2617) is approximately 8 km north of the Canberra city centre, in eastern Belconnen. At the 2021 Census, Bruce had 7,520 residents with a median age of 29, and Kaleen had 7,672 residents with a median age of 39.
The most common occupied dwelling was townhouses and terraces in Bruce and separate houses in Kaleen. Flats and apartments made up 33% of occupied dwellings in Bruce and 3% in Kaleen, while 50% of Bruce households rented compared with 25% in Kaleen. 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.
ACT 2617 · Belconnen
Bruce
Bruce contains the University of Canberra, the AIS and Canberra Stadium, and only 20.7 per cent of its homes are houses, with 50.3 per cent renting.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 9 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, at the University of Canberra.
Read the full Bruce guideACT 2617 · Belconnen
Kaleen
Kaleen is an established Belconnen suburb gazetted in 1974 whose name means water, built 91.2 per cent of houses with 40.0 per cent owning outright.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 8 km north of the Canberra city centre, in eastern Belconnen.
Read the full Kaleen guide
What buying in Bruce and Kaleen 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 Bruce and Kaleen.
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 Bruce to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Kaleen 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.
Bruce and Kaleen: 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 | Bruce | Kaleen |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 7,520 | 7,672 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 29 | 39 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,266 | $2,336 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $430 | $460 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $2,167 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 50% | 25% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 28% | 34% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 20% | 40% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 21% | 91% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 46% | 6% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 33% | 3% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 43% | 8% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 23% | 50% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 7% | 5% |
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 Bruce and Kaleen
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.
Bruce
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Purpose-built student accommodation is specialised security many lenders refuse.
- Some Crown leases here carry purposes other than ordinary residential use.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Renting at 50.3 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
- Detached houses from the suburb's development period warrant an asbestos register check.
Kaleen
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- The suburb was gazetted in 1974, squarely within the loose-fill asbestos installation period.
- A cleared or recently built block may have been part of the buyback and demolition scheme.
- Density potential should not be assumed given how little redevelopment has occurred.
- Attached stock is very scarce, so a townhouse has thin local comparable evidence.
- Median monthly mortgage repayments of $2,167 sit above the national figure.
Housing stock in Bruce and Kaleen compared
Bruce
- Townhouses
- At 1,226 dwellings, or 45.8 per cent of occupied homes, the largest single category at the 2021 Census.
- Apartments
- The 895 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 33.4 per cent of occupied homes.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 554 at the 2021 Census, only 20.7 per cent of occupied homes.
Kaleen
- Detached houses from the mid 1970s
- Separate houses numbered 2,442 at the 2021 Census, 91.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,107 dwellings had three bedrooms and 1,040 had four, with 296 having five or more.
- Limited attached stock
- Only 154 townhouse dwellings and 81 flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Bruce and Kaleen
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.
Bruce
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bruce, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Kaleen
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Kaleen, 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 Bruce and Kaleen
Bruce
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Belconnen Way (road)
- Ginninderra Drive (road)
Amenities
- University of Canberra
- Australian Institute of Sport
- Belconnen Town Centre
Kaleen
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Ginninderra Drive (road)
- Barton Highway (road)
Amenities
- Kaleen shops
- Belconnen Town Centre
- Ginninderra Creek corridor
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the ACT education department.
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Request a free assessment: Bruce or Kaleen
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Bruce and Kaleen, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.