Epping vs Macquarie ParkTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Epping (NSW 2121) is approximately 18 km north-west of the Sydney CBD, at a metro and rail interchange. Macquarie Park (NSW 2113) is approximately 13 km north-west of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line. At the 2021 Census, Epping had 29,551 residents with a median age of 36, and Macquarie Park had 11,071 residents with a median age of 31.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 47% of occupied dwellings in Epping and 89% in Macquarie Park, while 42% of Epping households rented compared with 66% in Macquarie Park. 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.
NSW 2121 · Northern Sydney
Epping
Epping is a northern Sydney interchange suburb where metro and heavy rail meet, with apartments at 47.4 per cent of homes and large family houses alongside.
City of Parramatta. Approximately 18 km north-west of the Sydney CBD, at a metro and rail interchange.
Read the full Epping guideNSW 2113 · Northern Sydney
Macquarie Park
Macquarie Park is a metro and university suburb where the 2021 Census counted no separate houses at all, 89.5 per cent apartments and 66.4 per cent renting.
City of Ryde. Approximately 13 km north-west of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line.
Read the full Macquarie Park guide
What buying in Epping and Macquarie Park 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 Epping and Macquarie Park.
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 Epping to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Macquarie Park 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.
Epping and Macquarie Park: 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 | Epping | Macquarie Park |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 29,551 | 11,071 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 36 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,243 | $1,886 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $500 | $460 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $2,340 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 42% | 66% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 29% | 21% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 27% | 10% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 43% | 0% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 10% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 47% | 89% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 44% | 89% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 30% | 1% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 18% |
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 Epping and Macquarie Park
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.
Epping
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Epping straddles the City of Parramatta and Hornsby Shire, so the council must be confirmed.
- Single-development exposure limits matter where apartments came through large complexes.
- Apartments and houses attract different lending policies in the same suburb.
- Special levies for defect rectification can arise in newer buildings.
- A section 66W certificate waives cooling-off and exposes a buyer to the full 10 per cent deposit.
Macquarie Park
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Single-development exposure limits are frequently reached in a suburb of large towers.
- Studios and one-bedroom units often fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Student accommodation and serviced apartments are specialised security many lenders refuse.
- A section 66W certificate waives cooling-off and exposes a buyer to the full 10 per cent deposit.
- Renting at 66.4 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
Housing stock in Epping and Macquarie Park compared
Epping
- Apartments near the station
- The 4,904 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 47.4 per cent of occupied homes.
- Large family houses
- Separate houses numbered 4,398 at the 2021 Census, with 2,102 four-bedroom and 988 five-bedroom dwellings.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 3,538 dwellings, the most common size recorded at the 2021 Census.
Macquarie Park
- Apartments
- The 4,282 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 89.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- One and two bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 2,607 dwellings had two bedrooms, 1,607 had one and 52 were studios.
- No separate houses
- Not one separate house was recorded among occupied private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Epping and Macquarie Park
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.
Epping
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Epping, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Macquarie Park
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Macquarie Park, 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 Epping and Macquarie Park
Epping
Transport
- Epping Metro (metro)
- Epping Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Epping Road (road)
Amenities
- Epping town centre
- Epping Aquatic Centre
- Lane Cove National Park
Macquarie Park
Transport
- Macquarie Park Metro (metro)
- Macquarie University Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Epping Road (road)
Amenities
- Macquarie Centre
- Macquarie University
- Lane Cove National Park
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the New South Wales education department.
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Request a free assessment: Epping or Macquarie Park
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Epping and Macquarie Park, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.