Como vs South PerthTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Como (WA 6152) is approximately 6 km south of the Perth CBD, divided by Canning Highway. South Perth (WA 6151) is approximately 3 km south of the Perth CBD, across the Swan River. At the 2021 Census, Como had 14,786 residents with a median age of 38, and South Perth had 12,596 residents with a median age of 42.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was townhouses and terraces. Flats and apartments made up 14% of occupied dwellings in Como and 29% in South Perth, while 41% of Como households rented compared with 43% in South Perth. 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 6152 · Southern river suburbs of Perth
Como
Como is a City of South Perth river suburb where townhouses make up over half of homes, detached houses under a third, and renting leads at 40.7 per cent.
City of South Perth. Approximately 6 km south of the Perth CBD, divided by Canning Highway.
Read the full Como guideWA 6151 · Inner Perth
South Perth
South Perth faces the Perth CBD across the Swan River, with a ferry, Perth Zoo, riverfront apartment towers and a large share of renters.
City of South Perth. Approximately 3 km south of the Perth CBD, across the Swan River.
Read the full South Perth guide
What buying in Como and South Perth 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 Como and South Perth.
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 Como to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for South Perth 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.
Como and South Perth: 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 | Como | South Perth |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 14,786 | 12,596 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 38 | 42 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,780 | $2,026 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $375 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,041 | $2,200 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 41% | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 28% | 22% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 28% | 33% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 33% | 34% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 53% | 37% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 14% | 29% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 38% | 42% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 20% | 20% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 11% | 16% |
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 Como and South Perth
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.
Como
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- More than two-thirds of dwellings are attached or apartments, so strata lending policy is central.
- Small one and two bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments, and defect rectification levies can be significant.
- A detached house on a lot with subdivision capacity is valued partly as development land.
- Canning Highway divides the suburb and carries substantial traffic, which affects frontage properties.
South Perth
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Most dwellings are strata titled, so levies, reserve funds, insurance and planned remedial works affect both valuation and serviceability assessments.
- Some lenders limit exposure to high-density buildings or postcodes and apply minimum internal floor areas, which can reduce the loan available for small apartments.
- Off-the-plan purchases are valued near completion, so a gap between the contract price and the final valuation is a risk that buyers may wish to plan for.
- Parts of the peninsula fall within state floodplain mapping for the Swan River, which may affect insurance premiums and the questions a lender or valuer asks.
- Premiums paid for river and city views are difficult for valuers to support without comparable sales, and development on neighbouring sites can alter an outlook.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata review conditions need to be written into the offer.
Housing stock in Como and South Perth compared
Como
- Townhouses and villa units
- The dominant form at 3,434 dwellings, or 52.5 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
- Apartments
- The 948 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 14.5 per cent of occupied homes, concentrated near Canning Bridge station.
- Remaining detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,147 at the 2021 Census, only 32.8 per cent of occupied homes.
South Perth
- Townhouses, villas and semi-detached homes
- The largest category at the 2021 Census, with 2,055 occupied dwellings, ranging from older villas to modern two-storey townhouses.
- Apartments and older flats
- Walk-up flats on the ridge and towers on the peninsula; 529 occupied apartments were in blocks of nine or more storeys at the 2021 Census.
- Character and contemporary houses
- Federation and inter-war homes, some on the City's Heritage List, alongside rebuilt family houses; detached houses near the river are scarce.
Official sale price and rent figures for Como and South Perth
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.
Como
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Como, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
South Perth
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for South Perth, 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 Como and South Perth
Como
Transport
- Canning Bridge Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Canning Highway (road)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
Amenities
- Swan River foreshore
- Como local shops
- Collier Park
South Perth
Transport
- Mends Street Jetty (ferry)
- Transperth routes 30 and 31 (bus)
- Mandurah Line (train)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
- Canning Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- South Perth Primary School (primary, government)
- St Columba's Catholic Primary School (primary, catholic)
- Wesley College (combined, independent)
Amenities
- Perth Zoo
- Sir James Mitchell Park and the South Perth Foreshore
- South Perth Hospital
- The Old Mill
- Mends Street precinct and Mindeerup
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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