Canberra City vs ReidTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Canberra City (ACT 2601) is the Canberra city centre, also known as Civic. Reid (ACT 2612) is immediately east of the Canberra city centre, below Mount Ainslie. At the 2021 Census, Canberra City had 4,835 residents with a median age of 27, and Reid had 1,544 residents with a median age of 40.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 100% of occupied dwellings in Canberra City and 41% in Reid, while 62% of Canberra City households rented compared with 46% in Reid. 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 2601 · North Canberra
Canberra City
Canberra City, also known as Civic, is the city centre, where the 2021 Census counted no houses at all and 99.6 per cent of homes were apartments.
Australian Capital Territory. The Canberra city centre, also known as Civic.
Read the full Canberra City guideACT 2612 · North Canberra
Reid
Reid is a small inner north suburb named in 1928 after Sir George Reid, previously called South Ainslie, with a mixed housing profile and high vacancy.
Australian Capital Territory. Immediately east of the Canberra city centre, below Mount Ainslie.
Read the full Reid guide
What buying in Canberra City and Reid 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 Canberra City and Reid.
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 Canberra City to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Reid 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.
Canberra City and Reid: 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 | Canberra City | Reid |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 4,835 | 1,544 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 27 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.7 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,232 | $2,272 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $550 | $430 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,950 | $2,300 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 62% | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 21% | 22% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 16% | 30% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 0% | 36% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 0% | 22% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 100% | 41% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 89% | 52% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 0% | 21% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 21% | 19% |
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 Canberra City and Reid
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.
Canberra City
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Single-development exposure limits are frequently reached in a city centre of large towers.
- Studios and one-bedroom units often fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Student accommodation and serviced apartments are specialised security many lenders refuse.
- A building with a commercial purpose clause can attract restrictive lending treatment.
- Renting at 62.2 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
Reid
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- At 697 occupied dwellings across three housing types, comparable evidence is thin.
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily where one complex is a large share of stock.
- Heritage listing can constrain demolition and external alterations on early housing.
- One-bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
Housing stock in Canberra City and Reid compared
Canberra City
- City centre apartments
- The 1,788 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 99.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- One and two bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 887 dwellings had two bedrooms, 667 had one and 44 were studios.
- No houses or townhouses
- Neither a separate house nor a townhouse dwelling was recorded at the 2021 Census.
Reid
- Apartments
- The 288 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 41.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Early Canberra houses
- Separate houses numbered 252 at the 2021 Census, 36.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- The 153 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, 22.0 per cent of homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Canberra City and Reid
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.
Canberra City
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Canberra City, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Reid
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Reid, 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 Canberra City and Reid
Canberra City
Transport
- Alinga Street light rail (light rail)
- City bus interchange (bus)
- Northbourne Avenue (road)
Amenities
- Canberra Centre
- Australian National University
- Glebe Park
Reid
Transport
- Alinga Street light rail (light rail)
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Anzac Parade (road)
Amenities
- Canberra Centre
- Australian War Memorial
- Glebe Park
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: Canberra City or Reid
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Canberra City and Reid, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.