Dickson vs O'ConnorTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Dickson (ACT 2602) is approximately 4 km north of the Canberra city centre, on the light rail line. O'Connor (ACT 2602) is approximately 4 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, near the ANU. At the 2021 Census, Dickson had 3,292 residents with a median age of 30, and O'Connor had 5,917 residents with a median age of 35.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Dickson and separate houses in O'Connor. Flats and apartments made up 49% of occupied dwellings in Dickson and 18% in O'Connor, while 46% of Dickson households rented compared with 38% in O'Connor. 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 2602 · North Canberra
Dickson
Dickson is a light rail group centre suburb gazetted in 1928, where apartments make up 49.2 per cent of homes and renting leads at 46.1 per cent.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 4 km north of the Canberra city centre, on the light rail line.
Read the full Dickson guideACT 2602 · North Canberra
O'Connor
O'Connor is an established inner north suburb gazetted in 1928, built mostly of houses, with a student population from the nearby university.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 4 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, near the ANU.
Read the full O'Connor guide
What buying in Dickson and O'Connor 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 Dickson and O'Connor.
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 Dickson to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for O'Connor 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.
Dickson and O'Connor: 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 | Dickson | O'Connor |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,292 | 5,917 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 30 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,277 | $2,518 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $500 | $451 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,904 | $2,500 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 46% | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 33% | 29% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 20% | 32% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 30% | 66% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 22% | 16% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 49% | 18% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 53% | 31% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 14% | 32% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 9% | 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 Dickson and O'Connor
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.
Dickson
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- One-bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Single-development exposure limits matter in a suburb of 1,431 occupied dwellings.
- Buildings near the group centre may sit on leases permitting mixed commercial use.
- Body corporate levies are counted in serviceability assessments.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
O'Connor
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Purpose-built student accommodation is specialised security many lenders refuse.
- A house let room by room to students is assessed differently by some lenders.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
- Density potential should be confirmed rather than assumed from corridor suburbs.
- Black Mountain Nature Reserve to the south fixes part of the suburb's boundary.
Housing stock in Dickson and O'Connor compared
Dickson
- Apartments near the group centre
- The 704 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 49.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 308 dwellings, or 21.5 per cent of occupied homes, well above the national 12.6 per cent.
- Established detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 423 at the 2021 Census, only 29.6 per cent of occupied homes.
O'Connor
- Established detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,486 at the 2021 Census, 66.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 822 dwellings had three bedrooms and 556 had four, with 163 having five or more.
- Apartments and townhouses
- The 416 flats and 353 townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Dickson and O'Connor
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.
Dickson
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Dickson, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
O'Connor
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for O'Connor, 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 Dickson and O'Connor
Dickson
Transport
- Dickson light rail stop (light rail)
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Northbourne Avenue (road)
Amenities
- Dickson group centre
- Dickson Aquatic Centre
- Dickson playing fields
O'Connor
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Macarthur Avenue (road)
- Dryandra Street (road)
Amenities
- O'Connor shops
- Black Mountain Nature Reserve
- Australian National University
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.
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Request a free assessment: Dickson or O'Connor
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Dickson and O'Connor, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.