Churchlands vs ScarboroughTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Churchlands (WA 6018) is approximately 7 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the western side of Herdsman Lake. Scarborough (WA 6019) is approximately 14 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the Indian Ocean coast. At the 2021 Census, Churchlands had 3,638 residents with a median age of 41, and Scarborough had 17,605 residents with a median age of 36.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Churchlands and townhouses and terraces in Scarborough. Flats and apartments made up 28% of occupied dwellings in Churchlands and 16% in Scarborough, while 26% of Churchlands households rented compared with 40% in Scarborough. 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 6018 · Inner north-west metropolitan Perth
Churchlands
Churchlands is a small City of Stirling suburb beside Herdsman Lake, where large modern houses sit alongside a sizeable minority of apartments and units.
City of Stirling. Approximately 7 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the western side of Herdsman Lake.
Read the full Churchlands guideWA 6019 · Perth's northern coastal suburbs
Scarborough
Scarborough is a Perth beachside suburb where townhouses and villas outnumber houses, with a redeveloped foreshore and a large rental market.
City of Stirling. Approximately 14 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the Indian Ocean coast.
Read the full Scarborough guide
What buying in Churchlands and Scarborough 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 Churchlands and Scarborough.
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 Churchlands to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Scarborough 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.
Churchlands and Scarborough: 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 | Churchlands | Scarborough |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,638 | 17,605 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 36 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,314 | $2,107 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $365 | $405 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $2,167 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 26% | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 36% | 35% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 38% | 24% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 63% | 36% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 8% | 48% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 28% | 16% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 27% | 35% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 52% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 13% |
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 Churchlands and Scarborough
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.
Churchlands
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Large houses require large loans, so serviceability at the lender's assessment rate is usually the limiting factor for upgraders.
- Individually designed and lake-side homes have fewer comparable sales, so a valuation below the contract price is a possibility worth planning for.
- Strata levies are included in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing capacity for units and apartments.
- Small apartments may fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata document conditions need to be written into the offer.
- New building work in the designated bush fire prone band may need a Bushfire Attack Level assessment, which can add to construction costs.
Scarborough
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Most dwellings are strata titled, so levies, reserve funds and planned works affect both valuation and serviceability.
- Coastal exposure accelerates corrosion and concrete deterioration, and lenders expect borrowers to meet higher insurance and maintenance costs.
- Serviced, short-stay and very small apartments near the beachfront may be restricted or declined by some lenders.
- View premiums are difficult for valuers to support without comparable sales, so a valuation shortfall is possible.
- With no mandatory cooling-off period in Western Australia, finance and inspection conditions need to be included in the offer itself.
Housing stock in Churchlands and Scarborough compared
Churchlands
- Large modern family houses
- Two-storey homes built from the 1980s onward; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 506 at the 2021 Census.
- Houses on the former campus and at Floreat Lakes
- Newer homes on the Churchlands Green subdivision and in the north-eastern part of the suburb beside Herdsman Lake.
- Apartments and units
- The 2021 Census counted 378 occupied flats or apartments, 77 of them in blocks of four to eight storeys.
- Duplexes and townhouses
- Infill duplexes and the 108 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Scarborough
- Townhouses, villas and duplexes
- The dominant dwelling type, produced by decades of lot redevelopment; 3,635 such dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Detached houses
- A mix of remaining mid-century houses on larger lots and newer architect-designed homes oriented to ocean views.
- Apartments and older flats
- Walk-up flats from earlier decades and mid-rise buildings near the beachfront, some with short-stay use.
Official sale price and rent figures for Churchlands and Scarborough
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.
Churchlands
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Churchlands, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Scarborough
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Scarborough, 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 Churchlands and Scarborough
Churchlands
Transport
- Glendalough Station (train)
- Stirling Station (train)
- Transperth routes 998 and 999 (bus)
- Transperth routes 83 and 84 (bus)
- Pearson Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- Churchlands Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Newman College (combined, catholic)
- Churchlands Primary School (Floreat) (primary, government)
Amenities
- Herdsman Lake Regional Park
- Edith Cowan Reserve
- Memory Park
- Flynn Street deli and growers' market
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (Nedlands)
Scarborough
Transport
- Surf CAT (bus)
- Transperth route 990 (bus)
- Stirling Station (train)
- Scarborough Beach Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Scarborough Primary School (primary, government)
Amenities
- Scarborough Beach
- Scarborough Beach Pool
- Sunset Hill
- Whale Playground
- Scarborough Amphitheatre
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.
Compare Churchlands or Scarborough with another suburb
Change either suburb, or add a third.
Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: Churchlands or Scarborough
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Churchlands and Scarborough, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.