Chelmer vs St LuciaTwo Brisbane suburbs compared for a home loan
Chelmer (QLD 4068) is approximately 10 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on a bend of the Brisbane River. St Lucia (QLD 4067) is approximately 5 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on a peninsula of the Brisbane River. At the 2021 Census, Chelmer had 3,325 residents with a median age of 41, and St Lucia had 12,220 residents with a median age of 25.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Chelmer and flats and apartments in St Lucia. Flats and apartments made up 5% of occupied dwellings in Chelmer and 60% in St Lucia, while 16% of Chelmer households rented compared with 54% in St Lucia. 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 4068 · Western Brisbane
Chelmer
Chelmer is a small riverbend suburb of large character houses where the 2021 Census recorded 94.5 per cent separate houses and no townhouses at all.
City of Brisbane. Approximately 10 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on a bend of the Brisbane River.
Read the full Chelmer guideQLD 4067 · Western Brisbane
St Lucia
St Lucia is a University of Queensland riverside suburb where the 2021 Census recorded a median age of 25 and 53.7 per cent of households renting.
City of Brisbane. Approximately 5 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on a peninsula of the Brisbane River.
Read the full St Lucia guide
What buying in Chelmer and St Lucia 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 Chelmer and St Lucia.
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 Chelmer to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for St Lucia 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.
Chelmer and St Lucia: 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 | Chelmer | St Lucia |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,325 | 12,220 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 25 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $3,402 | $1,761 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $490 | $410 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 16% | 54% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 44% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 39% | 27% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 95% | 33% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 0% | 7% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 5% | 60% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 9% | 45% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 61% | 24% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 11% |
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 Chelmer and St Lucia
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.
Chelmer
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- No townhouse stock exists, so there is no price step between a unit and a house.
- Only 1,038 occupied dwellings, so sales evidence is thin and valuations less predictable.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio above set property value thresholds.
- Flood exposure varies by address, so obtain a FloodWise Property Report before offering.
- Character controls may constrain demolition, so confirm the position with the council.
St Lucia
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Purpose-built student accommodation is specialised security attracting much lower maximum LVRs.
- Lenders set a minimum internal floor area below which unit lending tightens or is declined.
- Single-development exposure limits can constrain lending within a large apartment complex.
- Only 18.0 per cent of households held a mortgage, roughly half the national share.
- Flood exposure varies by address, so obtain a FloodWise Property Report for the property.
Housing stock in Chelmer and St Lucia compared
Chelmer
- Large detached character houses
- Separate houses numbered 981 at the 2021 Census, 94.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 388 dwellings had four bedrooms and 247 had five or more.
- No townhouses at all
- The 2021 Census recorded no semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and only 56 apartments.
St Lucia
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 2,347 at the 2021 Census, 59.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Separate houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,297, or 33.0 per cent of occupied homes, well below the national 72.3 per cent.
- Two and three bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 1,583 dwellings had two bedrooms and 1,196 had three.
Official sale price and rent figures for Chelmer and St Lucia
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.
Chelmer
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Chelmer, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
St Lucia
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for St Lucia, 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 Chelmer and St Lucia
Chelmer
Transport
- Chelmer Station (train)
- Walter Taylor Bridge (road)
- Jack Pesch Bridge (road)
- Brisbane buses (bus)
Amenities
- Laurel Avenue heritage streetscape
- Brisbane River parkland
- Indooroopilly Shopping Centre
- Sherwood Arboretum
St Lucia
Transport
- University of Queensland Bus Station (bus)
- Guyatt Park and University of Queensland ferry terminals (ferry)
- Eleanor Schonell Bridge (road)
- Toowong and Taringa stations (train)
- Sir Fred Schonell Drive (road)
Amenities
- University of Queensland St Lucia campus
- St Lucia Golf Links
- Hawken Drive shops
- Schonell Theatre
- Brisbane River foreshore parks
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.
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Request a free assessment: Chelmer or St Lucia
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Chelmer and St Lucia, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.