Canning Vale vs Piara WatersTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Canning Vale (WA 6155) is approximately 16 km south-east of the Perth CBD. Piara Waters (WA 6112) is approximately 20 km south of the Perth CBD, between Cockburn Central and Armadale. At the 2021 Census, Canning Vale had 34,504 residents with a median age of 37, and Piara Waters had 15,029 residents with a median age of 31.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 1% of occupied dwellings in Canning Vale and 0% in Piara Waters, while 18% of Canning Vale households rented compared with 16% in Piara Waters. 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 6155 · South-east metropolitan Perth
Canning Vale
Canning Vale is a large family suburb shared by the Cities of Canning and Gosnells, with four-bedroom houses, an industrial area and two new stations.
City of Canning and City of Gosnells. Approximately 16 km south-east of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Canning Vale guideWA 6112 · South-east metropolitan Perth
Piara Waters
Piara Waters is a young City of Armadale estate suburb of four-bedroom houses where three in four households have a mortgage and there is no station.
City of Armadale. Approximately 20 km south of the Perth CBD, between Cockburn Central and Armadale.
Read the full Piara Waters guide
What buying in Canning Vale and Piara Waters 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 Canning Vale and Piara Waters.
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 Canning Vale to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Piara Waters 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.
Canning Vale and Piara Waters: 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 | Canning Vale | Piara Waters |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 34,504 | 15,029 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 37 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,277 | $2,477 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $425 | $420 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,000 | $2,054 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 18% | 16% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 50% | 75% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 30% | 8% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 94% | 99% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 5% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 1% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 3% | 1% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 78% | 71% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 4% | 4% |
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 Canning Vale and Piara Waters
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.
Canning Vale
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Large family houses require larger loans, so serviceability at the lender's assessment rate, rather than property type, is usually the limiting factor.
- Upgraders selling an existing home may need bridging finance or a contract condition that makes the purchase subject to that sale.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before signing.
- Properties within mapped aircraft noise contours, or close to the industrial area, the railway or the prison, may attract valuer comment.
- Designated bush fire prone land can raise construction standards for extensions and rebuilding, and may affect insurance premiums.
- Unapproved patios, pools and additions can delay a valuation or settlement if the lender asks for evidence of council approval.
Piara Waters
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- High loan-to-value borrowing is common in young estate suburbs, so lenders mortgage insurance or the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme is often relevant.
- Construction loans are drawn in stages and valued on an as-if-complete basis, and costs outside the building contract need to be funded from savings.
- Streets of near-identical houses, with new homes still being released nearby, make it easy for a valuer to test a price, so a shortfall is possible.
- Piara Waters shares postcode 6112 with Armadale, so where a lender or insurer applies a postcode-based policy it may be prudent to confirm how the suburb is treated.
- Designated bush fire prone land can raise construction standards for new homes and extensions, and may affect insurance premiums, which lenders require at settlement.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before signing.
Housing stock in Canning Vale and Piara Waters compared
Canning Vale
- Four-bedroom family houses
- Single-storey brick homes in planned estates; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 7,130 at the 2021 Census.
- Large homes of five or more bedrooms
- The 2021 Census counted 1,034 homes with five or more bedrooms, suited to the suburb's large households.
- Older three-bedroom houses
- The 1,909 three-bedroom homes counted at the 2021 Census are typically among the earlier and smaller houses.
- Townhouses and villas
- Only 501 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census, so smaller homes are scarce.
Piara Waters
- Four-bedroom project homes
- Single-storey brick family houses built by volume builders; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 3,090 at the 2021 Census.
- Three-bedroom houses on compact lots
- The 1,232 three-bedroom homes counted at the 2021 Census are generally the smaller houses on narrower estate lots.
- House and land packages
- Vacant lots in the remaining western estates, bought with a separate building contract and funded by a construction loan.
- Townhouses
- Only 64 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census, and no flats or apartments were recorded.
Official sale price and rent figures for Canning Vale and Piara Waters
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.
Canning Vale
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Canning Vale, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Piara Waters
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Piara Waters, 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 Canning Vale and Piara Waters
Canning Vale
Transport
- Nicholson Road Station (train)
- Ranford Road Station (train)
- Transperth feeder buses (bus)
- Roe Highway (road)
- Ranford Road and Nicholson Road (road)
- South Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- Canning Vale College (secondary, government)
- Canning Vale Primary School (primary, government)
- Campbell Primary School (primary, government)
- Ranford Primary School (primary, government)
- Excelsior Primary School (primary, government)
- St Emilie's Catholic Primary School (primary, catholic)
Amenities
- Market City and Perth Markets
- Canning Vale Weekend Markets
- Livingston Marketplace
- Canning Vale Community Centre
Piara Waters
Transport
- Cockburn Central Station (Cockburn Central) (train)
- Ranford Road Station (Canning Vale) (train)
- Routes 233 and 529 (bus)
- Routes 518 and 519 (bus)
- Armadale Road (road)
- Nicholson Road and Warton Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Piara Waters Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Piara Waters Primary School (primary, government)
- Aspiri Primary School (primary, government)
- Riva Primary School (primary, government)
- St John Bosco College (combined, catholic)
Amenities
- Piara Waters Library
- Piara Waters Oval and Pavilion
- Rossiter Pavilion and Playing Field
- Piara Nature Reserve
- Robot Park
- Stockland Harrisdale (Harrisdale)
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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