Bull Creek vs MurdochTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Bull Creek (WA 6149) is approximately 12 km south of the Perth CBD, around Bull Creek station. Murdoch (WA 6150) is approximately 14 km south of the Perth CBD, around the university and hospital precinct. At the 2021 Census, Bull Creek had 8,030 residents with a median age of 44, and Murdoch had 3,352 residents with a median age of 43.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 11% of occupied dwellings in Bull Creek and 8% in Murdoch, while 18% of Bull Creek households rented compared with 18% in Murdoch. 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.
WA 6149 · Southern suburbs of Perth
Bull Creek
Bull Creek is a City of Melville suburb with its own Mandurah line station, large four-bedroom homes and an apartment component unusual for the district.
City of Melville. Approximately 12 km south of the Perth CBD, around Bull Creek station.
Read the full Bull Creek guideWA 6150 · Southern suburbs of Perth
Murdoch
Murdoch is a City of Melville suburb dominated by a university and two hospitals, with an institutional tenure profile unlike any other Perth suburb.
City of Melville. Approximately 14 km south of the Perth CBD, around the university and hospital precinct.
Read the full Murdoch guide
What buying in Bull Creek and Murdoch 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 Bull Creek and Murdoch.
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 Bull Creek to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Murdoch 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.
Bull Creek and Murdoch: 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 | Bull Creek | Murdoch |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 8,030 | 3,352 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 44 | 43 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,880 | $1,459 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $420 | $445 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,167 | $2,037 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 18% | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 31% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 41% | 42% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 79% | 78% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 14% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 11% | 8% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 14% | 25% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 59% | 55% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 7% | 8% |
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 Bull Creek and Murdoch
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.
Bull Creek
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Apartments near the station can fall below the minimum internal floor area some lenders require.
- Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- The area is significant to the Beeliar Aboriginal people, and registered sites can affect development approval.
- Creek and wetland drainage and flood behaviour are local considerations worth checking per lot.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period and no mandatory seller disclosure statement.
Murdoch
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- The residential market is small and surrounded by institutional land, so comparable sales evidence is thin.
- Some lenders treat student accommodation as specialised security or decline dwellings under institutional management.
- Properties near the hospitals may be affected by traffic, parking pressure and ambulance movements.
- Zoning varies sharply, with the southern side of South Street primarily commercial.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period and no mandatory seller disclosure statement.
Housing stock in Bull Creek and Murdoch compared
Bull Creek
- Four-bedroom family homes
- The dominant form at 1,381 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, with 329 more having five or more bedrooms.
- Apartments near the station
- The 330 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 11.5 per cent of occupied homes, are unusual for the southern suburbs.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 284 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census are the other smaller option in the suburb.
Murdoch
- Detached houses north of South Street
- Separate houses numbered 820 at the 2021 Census, 77.7 per cent of occupied homes, in the suburb's residential area.
- Four-bedroom family homes
- The most common size at 445 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, with 137 more having five or more bedrooms.
- Townhouses and apartments
- The 147 townhouses and 84 flats counted at the 2021 Census sit alongside institutional accommodation.
Official sale price and rent figures for Bull Creek and Murdoch
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.
Bull Creek
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Bull Creek, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Murdoch
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Murdoch, 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 Bull Creek and Murdoch
Bull Creek
Transport
- Bull Creek Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
- South Street (road)
- Leach Highway (road)
Amenities
- Bull Creek shopping centre
- Westfield Booragoon
- Bull Creek wetlands
Murdoch
Transport
- Murdoch Station (train)
- Cockburn Central Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
- South Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- Murdoch University (tertiary, university)
Amenities
- Fiona Stanley Hospital
- St John of God Hospital Murdoch
- Murdoch University campus
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
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Request a free assessment: Bull Creek or Murdoch
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