Ellenbrook vs MidlandTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Ellenbrook (WA 6069) is approximately 25 km north-east of the Perth CBD, on the edge of the Swan Valley. Midland (WA 6056) is approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet. At the 2021 Census, Ellenbrook had 24,668 residents with a median age of 32, and Midland had 6,335 residents with a median age of 39.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Ellenbrook and townhouses and terraces in Midland. Flats and apartments made up 2% of occupied dwellings in Ellenbrook and 17% in Midland, while 25% of Ellenbrook households rented compared with 63% in Midland. 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 6069 · Outer north-east metropolitan Perth
Ellenbrook
Ellenbrook is a master-planned town in the City of Swan with modern detached houses, mostly mortgaged households and a rail terminus opened in 2024.
City of Swan. Approximately 25 km north-east of the Perth CBD, on the edge of the Swan Valley.
Read the full Ellenbrook guideWA 6056 · Eastern metropolitan Perth
Midland
Midland is the strategic centre of Perth's east, with a rail terminus rebuilt in 2026, a public hospital, heritage workshops and mostly rented townhouses.
City of Swan. Approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet.
Read the full Midland guide
What buying in Ellenbrook and Midland 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 Ellenbrook and Midland.
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 Ellenbrook to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Midland 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.
Ellenbrook and Midland: 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 | Ellenbrook | Midland |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 24,668 | 6,335 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 32 | 39 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,846 | $1,138 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $295 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,833 | $1,350 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 25% | 63% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 59% | 19% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 15% | 17% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 89% | 32% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 9% | 51% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 2% | 17% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 10% | 42% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 56% | 7% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 6% | 14% |
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 Ellenbrook and Midland
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.
Ellenbrook
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- High loan-to-value borrowing is common, so lenders mortgage insurance or eligibility for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme is often relevant.
- Construction loans are drawn in progress payments and valued on an as-if-complete basis, which differs from lending on an established home.
- A large part of Ellenbrook is designated bushfire prone, which can require a Bushfire Attack Level assessment and raise construction and insurance costs.
- Design guidelines and restrictions registered on a title can govern house style and the time allowed to build on vacant land.
- Valuers may test newly built homes against established sales in the same village, which matters where the deposit is small.
Midland
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Some lenders apply minimum internal floor areas and limit exposure to a single building or to postcodes with many units, which can reduce the maximum loan.
- Strata levies are included in serviceability assessments, and scheme insurance, reserve funds and planned works affect valuation.
- Lenders usually count only part of expected rent when assessing an investor's capacity, which matters in a suburb where most households rent.
- Flood prone and aircraft noise special control areas apply to parts of Midland, so insurance quotes are worth obtaining before an offer becomes unconditional.
- Heritage-listed places and converted workshop buildings may be valued more conservatively because alterations require approval.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata disclosure matters need attention before signing.
Housing stock in Ellenbrook and Midland compared
Ellenbrook
- Four-bedroom project homes
- Single-storey brick family homes built by volume builders; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 4,147 at the 2021 Census.
- House and land packages
- Vacant lots in newer subdivisions bought with a separate building contract and funded by a construction loan drawn in stages.
- Townhouses and compact homes
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings numbered 725 at the 2021 Census, a small share of the town's housing.
Midland
- Strata villas and townhouses
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings numbered 1,468 of the 2,900 occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older detached houses
- Separate houses in the streets around the town centre, some on lots with split density codings and some subject to heritage listing.
- Apartments and mixed-use buildings
- Flats and apartments numbered 487 at the 2021 Census, including newer buildings above shops in the town centre and workshops precinct.
- Medium-density redevelopment housing
- Townhouses and compact homes delivered through the DevelopmentWA program, such as the Woodbridge Lakes neighbourhood.
Official sale price and rent figures for Ellenbrook and Midland
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.
Ellenbrook
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Ellenbrook, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Midland
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Midland, 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 Ellenbrook and Midland
Ellenbrook
Transport
- Ellenbrook Station (train)
- Ellenbrook Station bus interchange (bus)
- Tonkin Highway (NorthLink WA) (road)
- Drumpellier Drive (road)
Schools and campuses
- Ellenbrook Secondary College (secondary, government)
- Ellenbrook Primary School (primary, government)
- Malvern Springs Primary School (primary, government)
- Holy Cross College (combined, catholic)
- St Helena's Catholic Primary School (primary, catholic)
Amenities
- Ellenbrook Central
- Ellenbrook Library
- Ellenbrook Community Centre
- Ellenbrook Sports Hub
- Swan Active Ellenbrook (under construction)
Midland
Transport
- Midland Station (train)
- Midland Station bus interchange (bus)
- Great Eastern Highway (road)
- Great Northern Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Moorditj Noongar Community College (primary, government)
- Governor Stirling Senior High School (secondary, government)
- La Salle College (secondary, catholic)
- St Brigid's Primary School (primary, catholic)
- Curtin University, Midland Campus (tertiary, university)
- North Metropolitan TAFE, Midland Campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- St John of God Midland Public Hospital
- Midland Gate Shopping Centre
- Midland Railway Workshops and Railway Square
- Swan Active Midland
- Midland Library
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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