Curtin vs GarranTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Curtin (ACT 2605) is approximately 7 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, in northern Woden Valley. Garran (ACT 2605) is approximately 6 km south of the Canberra CBD, adjoining the Canberra Hospital. At the 2021 Census, Curtin had 5,569 residents with a median age of 41, and Garran had 3,706 residents with a median age of 41.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 11% of occupied dwellings in Curtin and 17% in Garran, while 24% of Curtin households rented compared with 30% in Garran. 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 2605 · Woden Valley
Curtin
Curtin is a Woden Valley suburb begun in 1962 and named after Prime Minister John Curtin, with large blocks and a high outright ownership share.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 7 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, in northern Woden Valley.
Read the full Curtin guideACT 2605 · Woden Valley
Garran
Garran is a Woden Valley suburb developed in 1966 beside the Canberra Hospital, with a mixed housing profile and the highest median rent in the valley.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 6 km south of the Canberra CBD, adjoining the Canberra Hospital.
Read the full Garran guide
What buying in Curtin and Garran 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 Curtin and Garran.
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 Curtin to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Garran 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.
Curtin and Garran: 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 | Curtin | Garran |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 5,569 | 3,706 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 41 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,886 | $2,985 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $450 | $550 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $2,600 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 24% | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 34% | 32% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 41% | 36% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 84% | 61% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 5% | 23% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 11% | 17% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 16% | 18% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 46% | 41% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 7% |
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 Curtin and Garran
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.
Curtin
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Loose-fill asbestos insulation was concentrated in Curtin, so the register should be checked for any address.
- Title is a Crown lease with a purpose clause, not freehold, so permitted use must be confirmed.
- Varying a lease purpose clause attracts the Lease Variation Charge on the uplift.
- Median monthly mortgage repayments of $2,600 mean serviceability usually binds before deposit.
- 1960s stock raises roof, wiring, insulation and asbestos questions on inspection.
Garran
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Loose-fill asbestos insulation was concentrated in Garran, so the register should be checked for any address.
- A cleared or recently built block may have been part of the buyback and demolition scheme.
- Title is a Crown lease with a purpose clause, not freehold, so permitted use must be confirmed.
- Body corporate levies on the attached stock are counted in serviceability assessments.
- Hospital traffic concentrates on the roads serving that site.
Housing stock in Curtin and Garran compared
Curtin
- 1960s detached houses on large blocks
- Separate houses numbered 1,696 at the 2021 Census, 83.8 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 750 dwellings had three bedrooms and 746 had four, with 193 having five or more.
- Apartments near the group centre
- The 229 flats counted at the 2021 Census, with 99 townhouse dwellings.
Garran
- 1960s detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 767 at the 2021 Census, 61.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 283 dwellings, or 22.5 per cent of occupied homes, well above the national 12.6 per cent.
- Apartments
- The 208 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 16.5 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Curtin and Garran
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.
Curtin
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Curtin, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Garran
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Garran, 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 Curtin and Garran
Curtin
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Yarra Glen (road)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
Amenities
- Curtin group centre
- Westfield Woden
- Yarralumla Creek corridor
Garran
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Yarra Glen (road)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
Amenities
- The Canberra Hospital
- Garran shops
- Westfield Woden
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.
Compare Curtin or Garran with another suburb
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Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: Curtin or Garran
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Curtin and Garran, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.